Which Clues Help People Get You - And Which Don't?

We promised you that by guessing the personalities of people you meet online on YouJustGetMe you would contribute to psychology of first impressions - and you have. Next week we will be presenting a paper at the International Conference on Weblogs and Social Media in Seattle, Washington. Here are some things you've taught us, both surprising and unsurprising.

We were not surprised to learn:

• Women are better at reading others' personalities, and easier to be read themselves, than men.
• On Facebook, you are better at reading people in your network than on YouJustGetMe where you rate random strangers.
• People can read you better if you upload a picture of your face rather than anything else (like a tractor, your cat, or Japanese animation.)
• And if you tell people deep things on your profile, like your most embarassing moment, your proudest moment, what makes you glad to be alive, or your spirituality, people will "get" you better than if you just report your favorite movies, food or music.

We were surprised to find (in work that needs to be replicated):

• Posting a link to a funny online video significantly helps people to understand your personality. 
• But don't name an awful person or awful website because this actually impairs others' ability to read your personality.

Thank you and keep guessing strangers (it'll earn you points and contribute most to research!)