Have you ever thought about how you read a Facebook profile.  I’ve never thought about it, but I am going to try and describe what I do when I read one.

I think the first thing that I look for are the Identity cues in the profile. Of course there are obvious things on a profile like a wall, a photo, and friends, but I think I look to see how they put all of that together to tell me about their identity.  I see all of the obvious things, but I love looking for all of the things underneath the profile.  How does this identity projection represent them?  If I’m looking at a profile and I know them personally, I think about what they project on their profile and how my experiences with them might be different.  Are they extroverted?  Are they happy?  How can I encourage them?  What fills them?  What motivates them?  If what we say represents what’s in our hearts, then reading their hearts is quite possible.

Now, I can’t know if I’m right or wrong.  I try and remember to ask them next time i see them.  As I think about this, I don’t know that I think about my profile this much.  Typically, I post what I’m thinking and I’m sure I can look at my profile and ask a bunch of the same questions about mine.

We definitely say more than we realize.  On Facebook both what is intended and what is perceived – are both true.  These days we can judge a book by it’s cover.  You can definitely learn alot about people if you actually read a profile.  I need to think more about how I read.  I probably will continue to just write.

Thanks for reading.  How do you read a Facebook profile?