I want you to do me a favor: If you haven't yet set a profile picture on your Google account, please do so. It's easy to do. Just head over to myaccount.google.com, click on the little circle just above "Welcome" at the top, and upload your photo. Do it for both your personal and your work accounts. A plain, or even stylized head shot is best, but avoid getting too silly with it.
Why do this? Because your face matters. In Gmail, that little avatar next to your name in someone's inbox helps recipients recognize you at a glance. In Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides, your picture shows up along the top edge when you're collaborating. Instead of a generic letter-in-a-circle, people see you. It's clearer who's viewing and editing in real time, and it just looks better.
There's a parallel here with BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification). BIMI lets brands publish and display their logo right in the inbox. I know from my day-to-day work in DMARC land that BIMI drives recognition and boosts engagement. Recipients are more likely to trust and connect with a message when they can clearly see who it's from. Why wouldn't you want the same for your 1:1 emails? It's not exactly the same thing, but there are significant parallels here.
Yes, this only works inside the Google ecosystem. Your Gmail avatar won't suddenly appear in Yahoo Mail or Outlook.com. But if Gmail is where you send from and where you engage with various cohorts or coworkers, why not give yourself that extra bit of recognition? It makes your emails more personal and more obviously "from you."
Don't just be a generic letter in a circle (you look like you're not an expert Google tools user), and don't set it to something funny or offensive (it's another facet of your social media identity and you want to look respectable). But get it right, and you'll look like the polished, collaborative professional that I know you truly are.
I want you to do me a favor: If you haven't yet set a profile picture on your Google account, please do so. It's easy to do. Just head over to myaccount.google.com, click on the little circle just above "Welcome" at the top, and upload your photo. Do it for both your personal and your work accounts. A plain, or even stylized head shot is best, but avoid getting too silly with it.
Why do this? Because your face matters. In Gmail, that little avatar next to your name in someone's inbox helps recipients recognize you at a glance. In Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides, your picture shows up along the top edge when you're collaborating. Instead of a generic letter-in-a-circle, people see you. It's clearer who's viewing and editing in real time, and it just looks better.
There's a parallel here with BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification). BIMI lets brands publish and display their logo right in the inbox. I know from my day-to-day work in DMARC land that BIMI drives recognition and boosts engagement. Recipients are more likely to trust and connect with a message when they can clearly see who it's from. Why wouldn't you want the same for your 1:1 emails? It's not exactly the same thing, but there are significant parallels here.
Yes, this only works inside the Google ecosystem. Your Gmail avatar won't suddenly appear in Yahoo Mail or Outlook.com. But if Gmail is where you send from and where you engage with various cohorts or coworkers, why not give yourself that extra bit of recognition? It makes your emails more personal and more obviously "from you."
Don't just be a generic letter in a circle (you look like you're not an expert Google tools user), and don't set it to something funny or offensive (it's another facet of your social media identity and you want to look respectable). But get it right, and you'll look like the polished, collaborative professional that I know you truly are.
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