Are you creating the right impression? 4 Apr 2007

What your online profile says about you may not be what you expect. Psychologist Sam Gosling of the University of Texas, has found that profiles on social networking sites paint a picture of their owners that is often at odds with the impression they are trying to put across.

From New Scientist:

"...when the team...asked what impression people thought their own profiles created, they found it did not match how strangers perceived them. 'People had very little idea about how they are seen,' says Gosling. This matters, because sites such as Facebook are an increasingly common way for people to get acquainted, and employers frequently check job applicants' profiles before interviewing them...

"...In the real world, people are much better at judging the impression they make on strangers, Gosling says. "Maybe they just haven't learned the [online] language yet."