I always like it when I discover something I didn’t know. Even if it’s a little thing.

The other day I met someone and after we parted, he sent me a text. I noticed that his picture popped up with his text message.  Later, when I was sending him an email through Gmail, I saw the same picture on his contact info.

That’s when I realized that your Gmail profile pic will show on android phones.

I know you’re probably thinking, “No sh*t, Booray.” But I didn’t know that. I always thought that the only way to have a picture pop-up with someone’s text message was to assign a picture to them in your phone. I didn’t make the connection that when you assign a picture in your phone you’re really just assigning it to their Google profile. So, assign a picture to their profile on your computer and it will also apply to your phone.

So, I spent about 10 minutes this morning assigning pictures to the profiles of my friends who have never bothered to do it. Since I have a rather large database of images and have photographed many of my friends, I can do it easily on my computer. Much easier than if I tried to do it on my phone. Now, instead of just a name popping up on my phone when I text my babysitter, I get this picture I took when I photographed her dance group:

phone pic

 

The reason I’m telling you all this is two-fold. First, it’s neat that you can so easily attach a picture to your friends in Gmail and have it show on your phone when they text you. Second, attach a picture to your Gmail account!  Impressions are important. Having a great picture of yourself pop-up every time you text someone makes a difference in how you are perceived. Personally, I think everyone should have a great headshot for all their social media, etc. Nothing breaks down barriers better than a smile. I make a point of attaching the same headshot of myself to everything. It’s on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Google+, Gmail, even this blog! If someone comes in contact with me anywhere on the web (or by text) they always get the same picture of me. There’s never any confusion and the more they see it the more familiar I become.

The moral of this story is this: How you present yourself matters and your online picture is the way that most people see you. Make it a good one.