by Silva Payne

Created on: September 13, 2009   Last Updated: July 25, 2010

Helium has recently begun to encourage every writer submit a "professional" picture to their About Me (or bio) page. This move accompanies a previous strong suggestion that the content of bio pages should also look "professional". Before considering what constitutes a "professional" bio or picture, it may be pertinent to consider whether a picture and bio be required on the writer's Helium home page at all.

Helium appears to have several aims or reasons for existence. These can be encapsulated into the following:

* A desire to be an on-line depository of quality information articles.

* A desire to be a networking facility for writers and publishers of all kinds.

* An on-line storage facility for writer's works.

* A way for writers of all levels of quality to receive payment for their work.

* A money-making venture for the owners.

* An on-line community with the desire to critique and assist others in developing as writers.

All of these are valid aims and reasons for Helium's existence. However, because there are so many things that an individual can use Helium for, some members may feel marginalised by any mandatory enforcement of submitting a bio and a picture to their About Me page.

If a member joins Helium as a way of earning a few pennies from their poetry hobby for example, as poetry is notoriously difficult to publish and make money from, that member's reason for being on Helium is vastly different to someone who wishes to dedicate several hours of every day to submitting articles to the Helium Marketplace. If you are not on Helium to become a professional writer, does it really matter if you have a picture or bio? Does it effect the overall image of the site if a few members have good articles but no picture or bio, or should Helium be concentrating more on the content of articles across the board? After all, the content of articles is what is actually being sold.

Considering the word "professional" for a moment, there are no clear guidelines on what this actually constitutes on Helium. It has been suggested that a professional-looking photograph should be a clear head and shoulders shot. As Helium has no way of verifying that the photograph is actually of the individual who is the Helium member, it would seem that a member could use any photo at all. How is being deceptive also being professional?

An individual member may have a large birthmark on their face, or some kind of facial disfigurement. Are these members disadvantaged by displaying a

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