--- Timwi timwi@gmx.net wrote:
The idea itself is pretty good, but the page already demonstrates that it doesn't really work because almost everybody is going to try to be special and either distort their image beyond recognition (e.g. LordSuryaofShropshire) or use something that barely even depicts their self (e.g. Anth�re). To a non-Wikipedian, this kind of thing reinforces the belief that Wikipedia is run/controlled by a bunch of weirdos.
Timwi
Huh? There are one or two which are a little dark, and yes LordSuryaofShropshire has played around with his photo a bit, but the vast majority are straight shots. I think that the facebook illustrates that there's nothing magical about us as individuals, but that a bunch of disparate and widely separated (geographically and culturally) people can come together to do something amazing.
I've become a little obsessive about headgear recently (because of wikipedia), so I would have to say that the fact that Anthere has chosen a shot of herself wearing a cheche which (I believe) tells you something of her cultural heritage probably tells you more about her than if it had been a plain photo - just like Andrewa's photo shows he plays the drums and Tannin's shows he's a photographer.
I really can't see that this page makes wikipedia seem more weird than all the userpages do that these images were harvested from.
Fabi.
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