Referring to oneself in first vs. third person in online profiles
Suppose I am writing a post/blog, how should I mention myself?
For example,
Ray Wenderlich (Site Admin)
Ray is an indie software developer currently focusing on iPhone and iPad development. He’s the founder of a small iPhone development studio called Razware.
Now another example from here. They insist to write like this:
My name is Ray Wenderlich. I am an indie software developer currently focusing on iPhone and iPad development. I am the founder of a small iPhone Dev. Studio Razware.
I have also observed both ways of writing on many Google+ and Facebook profiles. Some write about themselves in first person, others in third.
I believe it depends on whether you are trying to be personable or professional. If you want to have the reader feel tha …
12y ago
I think a major difference is: do you want to give the reader the sense that you are speaking to him , or do you want to …
13y ago
It's just a matter of style whether you want your "profile" to look as if it's written by you, or by someone else. Foll …
13y ago
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/3386. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
3 answers
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I believe it depends on whether you are trying to be personable or professional. If you want to have the reader feel that they are reading comments directly from you, in a personal manner, then the first person would be a better approach. If your goal is to present your skills and experiences in a professional manner, as if you were dealing with a client, then third person would be better.
Standback gave a very good response that basically takes this same approach.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/3868. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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I think a major difference is: do you want to give the reader the sense that you are speaking to him, or do you want to give him the sense that he is reading about you?
First person can feel more personal, more informal, as if an actual person is standing in front of the reader - "Hi, I'm Ray!". Third person is a description of the profile owner - generally aiming for a neutral, factual/descriptive tone ("Ray is an experienced software developer") that can feel more professional and matter-of-fact. Sometimes, this can be humorously subverted ("Ray's core competencies include vast expertise in software developement and ingenious placement of whoopie cushions when his co-workers aren't looking").
So in general, first-person is great for feeling like a personal introduction; third-person is great for a straightforward, professional description of yourself.
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It's just a matter of style whether you want your "profile" to look as if it's written by you, or by someone else.
Follow your own inclination unless you're doing it in a context where someone else (the site, your employer, etc.) sets the rules. In which case do what they say.
I'd be surprised if any Writers.SE members have refered to themselves as He in their profiles. It seems a bit silly to do that if there's no possibility that someone else wrote the profile. But I imagine people sometimes do this to give the impression they're so busy they don't have time to do the write-up themselves, but so important someone else will do it for them.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/3387. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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