About Me

"About Me" sections of websites have a tendency to invoke different responses in people. I think it is rare to find an "About Me" section not tainted with arrogance, self-deprecation or filtered, 'politically correct' answers. Too often too much thought is put into the audience and not the subject. Typically, I think writing does the exact opposite, but in the case of the "About Me," it requires focus on self - pure, true, honest, ugly and beautiful all at the same time.

I choose the route of denial and avoidance. I try to not fill them out, or I put something cryptic and challenging forcing responsibility onto the audience instead of myself. If not left blank, they almost always include a "ask me if you want to know more." When in reality, the word more is inaccurate because I probably told them nothing.

In it's most raw form, I think the "About Me" should be a not a sampling of personality traits but a honest and even slice of your life and psyche to the core of who you are. Metaphorically, imagine you as a pie and the piece you choose to share cuts from the edge all the way to the center. How wide the slice is, now that is where you should get to tweak based on your comfort with who you see in the mirror and who you share that with.

I think I'm going to start with my own private "About Me." Something crystal clear and something I can slowly cut away at until I have something thin enough for public viewing without being tainted with what I want people to see, what people want to read, what we all create in our sugar-coated minds lying to ourselves and each other.

How about your "About Me"s? Do you sign up for blogs, social networks, forums and other profiles jotting down who you want to be known as instead of who you are? Does it matter, or do we expect to read white lies and colorful embellishments when reading who a person is?