I would be happy to add a photo, but it's really complicated. It took me ages to find the information on the FAQ page, which directed me to Gravatar, which then told me I had to set up an account with WordPress. I decided I didn't want to set up accounts with two different extra websites just in order to have a photo on here.

If Biostar had a method of adding a photo that didn't involve signing myself up for even more I-don't-know-what on the internet and enlarging my digital footprint, I might just add a photo.

I'm uncomfortable being a female target on the internet. Sadly, for women, mere appearance can earn derisive comments when something she might be saying is irritating to people.

That said, nothing specifically has happened here that is an issue. It's sort of an old habit in forum settings, but I'm not convinced it's much better out there than it used to be. I used to just use a non-gendered pseudonym too. However, I ultimately felt that was backfiring because it led to the appearance that there weren't any women in the conversation. So more frequently I'll use "Mary" now.

I use a 'nym and a cartoon in some places to keep my real life a couple of steps away from crazy people because I also take some strong stands on heated science/political issues. It used to be I was worried about creationists and anti-stem cell folks. Now it's anti-GMO and anti-synthetic biology folks. I know it would only take the smart ones a few keystrokes to find me though.

I think putting up a photo and/or having a real name/identity has many benefits and few if any drawbacks.

Computational sciences (bioinformatics included) lack in their social dimension - it is not easy to get to know people that have similar goals, needs and expectations.

Facilitating this process can pay off in many unexpected ways. Do you know the saying "luck favors the prepared"?

To expand on that, luck favors those that are "known".

IMHO There's relatively little benefit to using avatars and aliases in "science social media" circles - even here.

At Biostar I usually come for answers of my queries so never interested and thought about putting photos or seeing the photos !! :) :)

I feel like showing its face on sites like Biostar is important. Here we are all scientists, and are all likely to meet in conferences and workshops, or to collaborate on some project. The website is about exchange. I honestly don't care at all about how a member looks like, but I like to be able to recognize people I'm interacting with.

Nevertheless, what I think is more important is showing his/her real name and institution. Your work is likely to be published sometime, so better show off from the begining. I'm more likely (and more conficdent) to answer someone if I know who he/she is.

In my relatively small experience of publishing papers, I've always felt uneasy about associating the work with my name via the use of 'I'. The reason is mainly that, as an author, you are your worst critic. I know all the intellectual holes and analysis that could have been done better.

While I am proud of the work I've done, that uneasiness is hard to get pass. And to be perfectly honest, that uneasiness can also be interpreted as narcissism; I am so worried about associating minor publication problems to my name, that I am hesitant about putting my name on it.

Perhaps there is some narcissism in doing scientific work; however, I think it is a fine line between narcissism and pride in your work. I don't think a scientist can be asked to be totally ego-less in their work and still be passionate about it.

As far as putting up a photo of yourself. I think that's really more of a privacy issue.

I have just uploaded my photo, after 3 years and 8 months in Biostar!

I don't have any special feeling about putting my photo. I was just too lazy to do it, until now!

I'd be willing to feel good or bad about it if I could actually upload a photo of myself and then decide. But I can't figure out how to do it.... I go to my user info, the edit tab and ..... niente. is this some kind of bioinformatics challenge?