Kim's got a terrific thread going at Cre8asite on the importance of "about us" or "about me" pages. She starts by pointing to Andy Beal's new about page (although, if I remember correctly, it's remarkably similiar to his old one) on his brand new blog. She writes:
For usability, an About Us page is a workhorse in my opinion. When I test sites, I've noticed that the kind of introductory content I'm hoping to find on the homepage, such as the what/where/how/why/when details, is hiding quietly in the About Us page. While I'm happy to find this information, it's a click away from the homepage, where its most needed to make a quick impression.
And she ends with:
We like to think the Internet has brought us all a little bit closer to each other, but the truth is, we're still seeking ways with our writing and design skills to make profitable or friendly connections. An About Us/Me page, when presented with humor, honesty and true facts, can bring you one step closer to letting someone shake your hand.
I've tried my hand at my own about page - it's relatively personal, but I wonder if it provides the right kind of information... I guess the first question I need to answer is, "what do I want people to know about me?", followed immediately by "what do people want to know about me?"
If you've got advice, I'm ready to make changes.
Michael makes excellent points and explains his reasoning, which is also helpful. It's definitely a judgement call when deciding what to put on an About page. There are some cases were offering a peek at the personal is welcome, even in a professional environment.
I recall when I worked for a high-tech magazine publishing company. Our magazines covered the computer industry, both hardware and software. Readers were mostly men, mostly highly technical (I wouldn't say that would be the case nowadays as more women are in the fields we covered back then.) Anyway, my job was to put up the web version of the print pub.
It was there, on the web, that the publishers decided to include something about themselves and the editorial staff. Everyone got to write something about themselves (some were very funny) and we all had our pictures taken, which were placed next to our piece.
This made for an interesting way for readers to feel a connection to the writers whose names they saw so often.
Today, print pubs often have a section on their writers , with a picture and little something about them. Same principle. It provides a way to relate on a personal level.
Superb advice, Michael. I'm in agreement about superlatives - there are instances when you can justify using promotional language, and others when it's not so useful. Good judgement is the key (as it is in all other areas of the web).
As far as my own page goes, I've been struggling because it's both business and personal. Not planning on putting up photos of my pets, mind you, but I am thinking about expanding it as a lot of people seem to be curious to learn more about me once I start a conversation (whether it's business or personal) via this site.
She works with us here at SEOmoz - she actually founded the original business I joined back in 1996.
Who's Gillian? ;-)