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A comment on Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with customers on my website. Parent comment

Re:Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with custome... by guy98238710 on Friday February 16, 2018 @02:52AM (#16390682)
Actually, people are colder and more abusive towards those less good-looking. The case described in the article is not due to beauty. It's because people think it's a bot or at least a fake photo. That's what irritates them.
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Re:Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with custome... by throwaway613834 on Friday February 16, 2018 @02:55AM (#16390694)
Ahh, yes, that would explain it. I guess the next step here would be to put a note that says this is a human and see how people respond!
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Re:Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with custome... by bloak on Friday February 16, 2018 @04:54AM (#16391179)
Yes! They should definitely try that experiment!

When reading the article my first questions were: do these people think there is a real human at the other end, and, if so, do they think the photo is of that human? It's probably impossible to answer that question directly, but putting up a notice similar to "you are talking to a real person, not a bot" and seeing how that affects the behaviour would give some indication, perhaps.

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Re:Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with custome... by salvar on Friday February 16, 2018 @05:05AM (#16391238)
Did you speak to the people in question or are you just speculating on the reason for their behaviour?
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Re:Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with custome... by throwaway613834 on Friday February 16, 2018 @05:27PM (#16397058)
I think it's obvious that everyone here is speculating, there's no benefit to trying to call one of them out.
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Re:Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with custome... by AnsisMalins on Friday February 16, 2018 @03:02AM (#16390718)
But then why would you harass a bot?
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Re:Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with custome... by Slansitartop on Friday February 16, 2018 @11:38AM (#16393536)
Because it's an emotionless inanimate thing, so it's a safe place to play around with saying things you otherwise never could?
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Re:Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with custome... by akkat on Friday February 16, 2018 @07:48AM (#16391943)
Maybe for the same reason that I drown or starve my Sims characters
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Re:Why I don't use my real photo when messaging with custome... by guy98238710 on Friday February 16, 2018 @03:32AM (#16390810)
Because it's safer than harassing a human. Perfectly reasonable people will be abusive to a bot, because they assume the bot cannot feel it.
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