Are you working on a passion project in addition to your 9-to-5? What about building your own business? We understand how busy life can be when you’re trying to create something. That’s why many people, from all around the world, have chosen about.me to create a quick and simple, yet professional presentation of themselves.
Now, it’s your turn.
Follow these 10 easy steps to make your about.me page work for you so you can get back to working on what you care about.
It’s been almost two months since we released Intro for iOS, and are excitedly working on a version for Android. Yet there are still a couple of things you might not know about our digital business card app.
1) You don’t need an about.me page to download Intro
If you already have a page when you download the app, that’s great just click the blue “Log In with about.me” button to sign in and start sending intros. But if you or a friend forget your business cards, never fear; you can still download the app and start sending intros in minutes. Just click the “Sign Up with Facebook” button and you’ll instantly have a page created from your Facebook profile. And that’s it, you’re ready to start sending intros!
We created Backstory to enable you to connect your professional experiences, accomplishments, and aspirations to who you are as a person. In the few weeks since it launched, more than 75,000 members of our community have added their work experience, personal philosophies, and dream job locations to their page. We could not be happier with the response. In celebration of our 75,000th Backstory we’d like share some real life examples of how people are using Backstory.
Last week we talked about the history of the business card and how it has evolved from a personal “calling card” to one primarily for business.
But in this digital age, when much of our personal and professional information is just a Google search away from the name on our business cards, it makes sense for business cards to present more than just a few bare facts. That’s not to say you should link a Google Search of you to your business cards, you should have the power to control what you share with others in an attractive and organized way. With about.me and Intro, we’re making that possible.
Everyone needs a motto. On dark days, a motto can help you see the light. On good days, it can remind you to be thankful.
Whether it’s your Grandma’s best advice, an inspirational Steve Jobs musing, or a classic Marilyn Monroe quote, words can give you a boost of motivation to remind you of what’s most important.
Here are few of our favorite Backstory quotes from about.me users and why they’re so powerful.
First impressions matter. This is why we created Intro
With our new app, released today in the App Store, you can take your about.me page and easily turn it into a sharable digital business card that actually communicates your identity.
Even in this digital age, it’s difficult to exchange contact information. Do you hand someone a business card? Do you type your information into a stranger’s phone? Or, do reach out to them on social media?
You’ve got people to meet, things to do, places to go. And you’ve got a great story to tell about yourself. You can use your resume to tell others who you are, but that doesn’t capture the full picture of you. Maybe you’re a student just starting his career or an artist who would prefer to highlight her body of work instead of writing about it, or a realtor looking to show off his personality. That’s why we’ve created Backstory. So you can, in a more visual way, showcase who you are both professionally and personally.
Adding a Backstory to your page connects your resume, portfolio and about.me page to showcase your skills and aspirations. Through Backstory you can relate your story and more easily connect with others, because that’s how people connect, through stories. It’s rare that people get excited about lines on a resume. It’s just a listing of facts and dates. So what that you worked for a law firm for two summers? The interesting part is what’s never written on your resume. The picture of you traveling the world and the story of how your experience abroad inspired you to go into law even though you studied biology in college. With Backstory connected to your about.me page, it’s easy to make this story come alive, and connect with people on a personal level. This could lead to the door opening for professional opportunities including work collaborations, jobs and hopefully an expansion of your network.
And whether or not you already have an about.me page, it’s easy to set up a Backstory. Plus, you can customize it however you want and turn the different sections of your Backstory on for public view when you’re ready. Try it out, let us know how you like it, and as always, have fun with it. Because it is your story and this is your chance to share it.
Learn more here.
Not everyone has access to a camera or a photographer, but one in five people around the world now have a smartphone (crazy, right?!). While some of the most beautiful about.me pages have high resolution photos, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to visually tell your story with just a smartphone. Here are steps to taking a great shot with your phone to use as your about.me background.
(1) Consider composition. Turn your phone horizontally, and take a photo with you on either the far left or far right. If you’d like to get technical, follow the “rule of thirds.” Composing shots this way is a standard practice of many professional photographers and also a good way to leave space for your biography section on about.me. You don’t want anything to block that beautiful body or face of yours, do you?
(2) Choose your landscape wisely. Try to find a unique spot to take your photo. Red brick, graffiti, white walls, city skylines, and beaches are examples of ideal places to take a photo. This photo was taken in front of a house, so don’t worry if you can’t hop on the highest rooftop in your city.
(3) Use photo filters. Take advantage of smartphone apps like VSCO, and play with different filters to add some artistic spice.
BONUS: Above all else, be yourself and don’t be afraid to show your personality!
Now you can easily invite friends to join about.me. When a friend signs up, we’ll feature your page for everyone to see.
If you’ve been paying close attention to the site, you may have noticed the recent appearance of our invite page. After some extra testing, we’re excited to launch a clean and simple way to invite your friends.
It’s fun to see how people you know present themselves on about.me. You might even discover shared passions (you love needlepoint too!?!) or even connect in a new way or on a new service.
You’ll get featured; more exposure can help grow followers, promote your work, or help you connect with professional and creative collaborators.
But more importantly you’ll show your friends an easy way to express their unique personality identity on the web.
Have you ever had a fantastic interaction online and wanted take it further? Maybe collaborate over email, get feedback on an idea, or meet for coffee? We have. We also see more and more about.me connections turn into meaningful collaborations and partnerships.
Replies simplifies connecting online. You already use about.me to convey your passions and talents, the things that make you unique. People quickly see what you’re all about and express interest through a compliment.
Replies empowers you to make connections count. We’ve simplified the first interactions with someone new so that building real relationships can happen more easily.
Take the Next Step
Now when you receive a compliment on your page, there are a variety of cool ways to reply. From a fast “Thanks” to “Follow me on Twitter” or “Explore Collaborating,” these quick and clean replies make it easy to take the next step.
Want to meet for coffee? Or for drinks? Use the new reply feature to connect with people locally or around the world.
To get started, search or browse for people you’re interested in connecting with and send them a compliment. Everyone likes a compliment, and you’ll receive them in return. If you’ve already received a bunch of compliments, just head over to your home feed to Reply.
From there, pick the most appealing Reply option. Be sure to share with us when your new connection turns into a co-founder, publisher, or partner for life.
