Recently I was reading revu on a Shakespearean play by starpluswatcher. Sudenly this thought came to me: What if the bard were around now & be a member on MS. sure a hit writer here, but I am sure, like his famed ‘To Be or Not To Be’ wud be his MS Dilemma – To Profile or Not To Profile. Wud he say “To Profile or Not To Profile is the question, whether its nobler on MS to suffer anonymity without a Profile or to take a JPG & self description n post it for the sake of readers who rate u as ‘very useful’” Shakes ko maaro goli ;-) I think most aam aadmis at some time had this dilemma. I have it even now.

Why This This write-up on MS Profile Page (PP) is 3rd in my Aam Aadmi’s series on Community centre topics. Like earlier 2 I plannd a detailed analysis of PP, as ‘Aam Aadmi’s guide to PP”. Then i read Afrank’s “you in your own words”. that was a good guide abt a PP. Still, having conceived thoughts abt PP, I had to deliver them. how cud I just abort my thought which is my Brainchild. ;-) so this take on PP, bear with me.

illegal warning: being random thoughts satisfaction no guaranty. Humor intended, smiling optional, thinking left to reader discretion

The PP There are 2 kinds of MSians. Those who have a Profile, those who don’t . both have reasons of their own. Profiles come in all kinds just as its owner. Profile is the place where u can post ur pic, write abt urself, hobbies, interests etc. An MS profile is 1 of the many profiles an avg net user can have like yahoo, msn, matrimonial profiles etc.
A case 4 PP ‘every voice shud have a face’, So on MS where u voice ur opinions it helps if u have a decent PP. Now the pros of a PP are:
1)forum for u to introduce urself
2)if u write well u stand to be a star writer
3)such a page fetches u more visits which mean more readings of ur revus
4)more ppl will trust u as many can face read ur pic ;-)
5)u will also have a feeling good abt having introduced urself.
6)more comments & M2M

Aam Aadmi’s thoughts on profile like the dilemma above my thoughts abt PP are still mixed. I am often a battlefield where my mind fights my heart saying ‘u need a profile’ ;-). The mind had slight victories. Now the heart rules. Just as I list the plus points of having a profile, I also know its not mandatory unless u want to be a star writer. At times I feel readers shud get a glimpse of ur personality by what u write. though I don’t write about me in profile, one can figure out me thru my writings. I know its difficult to follow all of my reading to get my character sketch. take care not to contradict urself thru writings.

I cant claim to have visited even 1% of MS profiles. After seeing few profiles, I think a profile is: the ideal me, its like a advertising billboard for me, is like a confessional. finally the profile is what the user makes of it. Some list their plus & minus, some only list good abt them, some make it as a confessional where they open their heart out, some make it like a professional resume, some make it a matrimonial resume. Many create profiles so well everyone except himself wud believe things written there. Some ppl list 200 things that intrest them.. how folow them all?

A case 4 not having a profile in the long run ur worthiness on MS is solely on what u write. So profile is immaterial as long as u write the truth & are satisfied with urself. One shudnt have a PP just for the sake of having it, or bcos many have it. If u don’t feel like having a profile, simply don’t have it. Don’t make a profile which u urselves know isn’t correct. Though the disadvantages of not having a PP are more, there are few advantages to it ( or am I making them up ;-) lol )
1)u can keep few readers curious abt u
2)u can save time spent in listing ur fav color, food, cat, dog, cow etc
3)u can use that time to write more & better
4)since u are changing as u grow, u don’t have to keep changing PP ..again save time
5)long term effect - saves u few lies (if that’s what u intended to write there) ensures u heaven ;-)

more on profiles MBF in his profile asks why do ppl want to know if he has cancer? I have seen ppl using PP for listing a variety of such things. Some use this space to say their favorite food – PISCEAN, favorite stadium – AQUARIUm, their profession –LIBRArian, the route they want to take –ARIAn, how poisonous they are – SCORPIOn, their deadly disease –CANCERian, or that GEMINI studios are their fav, or their fav corn is CAPRIcorn etc .. & most of them claim they are ‘typical’ at it. Since I have visited few profiles I have liked them all. Some ppl have only great profiles & arent writing much, some write a lot but don’t have profile. I doubt there is such a thing as a perfect PP just as there are no perfect people

Abt the Pic I always belive there are more dimensions to a person than just his 2 dimensional pic. Pic is just an image, while the person is a human being. Pic at best can give how he looks like, but no clue as to how he thinks. even if u haven’t posted a pic, u can always paint a good picture of urselves thru ur writing I had posted 3 different pic one after another. Now sticking to ‘wheres my picture’, unable to choose one ;-). Lets also understand many are shy & not comfortable posting their pic.

Excuses 4 not having a Profile if u don’t want to have PP & want to answer ppl asking u to have PP, u can answer them using filmi lines like these. If u are a sage type u can say - ”Yeh Duniya, Yeh PROFILE Meri kaam ki nahin”

If u believe in change u can sing - ”Naam Ghum jaayega, Chehra Badal Jaayega, Meri REVU se pehchaan le, Agar Yaad ho”

If u are living in a kerala or Kashmir u can say - “udte panchi se poocho, behthe nadiyonse poocho, in bahaaronse poocho, in nazaaronse poocho, inko pata hain mere naam, main saath inke subah shaam”

If u are a romeo type u can give ur name, address, job etc like this - “naam kya hain? pyar ka maara. ghar ka pata do, dil hain tumara. kya karte ho? tumse pyar. Iska natiza, kuch bhi ho yaar”

If u are a traveler on the internet highways, having tried profile on many a sites - musaphir hoon yaaro, na ghar hain na tikaana, muje chalte jaana hain

If u don’t have time to create a PP - “yeh kare aur voh kare, eisa karey, vaisa karey jindagi do din ki hain, do din mein hum kya kya karey?”

Last Words a PP is necessary but not mandatory, helpful yet optional. U can be on MS even without PP, as that song says Har kisi ko nahin rehta yahaan PROFILE mouthshut mein. if u want to have a profile it’s a gud idea. Then spend sometime create a profile stating abt urself. Mention only things that matter. Profile shudnot be a autobiography, so be brief. Avoid lists, give some info those curious will anyway enquire, don’t make PP like a CV or matrimonial bio.. on the contrary if one doesn’t want a PP its also ok. Not everyone likes to say only abt themselves. Also how can u describe urself in limited words. Profile or no profile keep writing. comnts plz