Nothing against the writers and artists who do this but, what is it with people who write their ‘About’ page in the third person? I’m assuming they are the one actually contributing to their own blog so why do they either a) not write their own ‘About’ page, or b) write it as though someone else is narrating their personal story? If it is a writer’s blog surely they are able to write about themselves.
Maybe there’s a stage one gets to when they don’t feel the need to connect personally with those who read their work. Perhaps they are afraid if they do let anyone feel that connection that they will have more of a responsibility to respond to everyone who writes to them. Or, and I suppose this is true, it’s easier just to copy and paste a bio…
I don’t know, is it just me who is a little put off by this? Is there anyone out there that has a third person ‘About’ who can explain to me why they did it?
lindaghill.com 
April 10, 2013 at 7:31 pm
Oh my gosh, you made me have to go and look on all my “Abouts” on all my blogs to see if I was a “Third Person” person! lol Whew…I am not! lol Although on my stories blog…by blog is a person who writes about her author…but it’s written in first person! :-0
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April 10, 2013 at 7:36 pm
I’m not sure if that’s weird or not! lol
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April 10, 2013 at 8:31 pm
lmbo…I’m not sure either. But it was fun to write 🙂
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April 9, 2013 at 12:05 pm
Linda! The last thing I expected was a like on my “About” , but thank you so much! 🙂
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April 9, 2013 at 12:08 pm
You’re welcome. I do like what you’ve done with it 🙂
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April 9, 2013 at 11:48 am
Up there I meant reasons are *definitely not* what you are guessing. *Note to self: Read your own comments twice before posting :P*
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April 9, 2013 at 12:06 pm
See, now yours works well that way though, because, as you say, you’re not talking about you, you’re talking about your blog.
Thank you for your excellent example of how third person can NOT be weird in an ‘About’ page. 🙂
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April 9, 2013 at 12:09 pm
You are welcome Linda 🙂 happy to know you think it is an excellent example 😀 😀 😀
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April 9, 2013 at 11:46 am
After reading this I checked my own “About” and realized it was in third person 😀 …….. reasons are definitely what you are guessing ……. I just wrote that because I thought of it as an introduction of the blog and not myself. I guess I think of this blog as a book on my story, and I think of the “About” section as an introduction of the book …….. I am not sure lol, I never really realized I had done that 😛
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April 13, 2013 at 10:15 am
Even in fiction, the preference for the first person is a fairly recent phenomenon. I’d suggest that perhaps tradition may be another reason why bios are often written in this voice.
I am also one of those nut-jobs who used this antiquated practice in my “About” page. It was clunky to compose, but it helped keep the writing less gushy. Though, now I’m thinking it might be time for a re-write. Tradition is all well and good, but it seems the audience of blogs finds this one a bit odd! KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE, GABRIEL!
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April 13, 2013 at 10:58 am
Thanks for commenting. 🙂 You have a good point. Technology and its ways is ever moving. It’s a case of move with it or be left behind.
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April 9, 2013 at 5:50 am
It’s just like reading a book cover in the ‘About the Author’ section. Just a little strange to see on a personal blog.
Thanks for the comment 🙂
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April 9, 2013 at 3:41 am
I don’t think I have read an “About” page like that, it should be an interesting read 🙂
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April 8, 2013 at 10:55 pm
Agree. It always makes me go, hmmm.
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April 8, 2013 at 11:18 pm
Kinda makes you wonder if you’re reading a blog or an ad, doesn’t it?
Thanks for your comment 🙂
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April 8, 2013 at 6:33 pm
That’s true. Most professional bios are done in 3rd person. Even authors… but the only point I see is that a blog is self-runned while for a book, someone else publishes it for you, so you could be right.
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April 8, 2013 at 11:17 pm
Right! 🙂
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April 8, 2013 at 4:37 pm
Well, I guess that in itself is a pretty good assignment for a writer: Write about yourself in third person. I, too, like the first person intimacy — makes the writer seem more vulnerable, human. I think the third person thing is about ‘seeming’ professional and perhaps affecting pseudo importance, like, the writer is too busy doing book deals and signings to have the time to actually write an About page. My guess: all About sections, jacket covers, blurbs, publicity bios — they’re all written by the writer!
(For my job, my bio was written by someone else. How weird would that be if they wrote my bio in first person then??? Heh!)
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April 8, 2013 at 4:44 pm
Ha! When you put it that way it’s even weirder. 😛
But yeah, if they have time to write a personal blog then surely they have the time to write a personal ‘About’ page…right? Apparently not.
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April 8, 2013 at 3:19 pm
As stated, bios are typically written in the third-person perspective. It’s also the best way to state one’s name and gender instead of saying ‘I’ and “he/she’ throughout it. I was told once that author bios tend to be written by a third party, but I don’t know how true that is.
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April 8, 2013 at 3:37 pm
Everyone I know personally with one wrote their own. Then again I don’t personally know anyone very famous…
Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
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April 8, 2013 at 3:39 pm
You’re welcome.
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April 8, 2013 at 2:56 pm
I’m not defending the practice, which I also think is weird in this context, but formal
bio’s are typically written in the third-person. Often these things, which show up in places like CD-blurbs, book dust-jackets or program notes for the performing arts are actually written by the principals themselves (my wife, a musician, is often asked to provide one of herself). I think that these situations use third-person to try to pretend that the testimonial is objective and avoid the appearance of crass self-promotion.
Of course, in a blog “About” section it is just dumb for exactly the reasons you mention. I would really start to worry however when someone writes about themselves using the Royal Plural.
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April 8, 2013 at 3:04 pm
I actually giggled when I had to hit the ‘approve’ button for your comment.
“Yes,” I thought to myself, “we approve!” 🙂
I did one of the bio things for myself. It’s strange talking about yourself in the third person – which makes it even more strange I think when you’re actually trying to communicate with people.
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April 8, 2013 at 2:53 pm
Linda, I am right there with you! I LOLed when I read this because you read my mind.
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April 8, 2013 at 2:58 pm
The more I look around WordPress the more I see it. Today I came across a whopping three of them!
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April 8, 2013 at 2:51 pm
A nod to the “about the author” on a book? That would be my guess. It’s weird writing in third person, but it’s required/suggested heavily for the actual book. Might be practice or trying to keep to that level of perceived professionalism in the actual industry.
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April 8, 2013 at 2:56 pm
I suppose, if the entire purpose of the blog is to sell a book. But I see it in personal blogs as well. As you say, practice would make sense.
I know what you mean about it being weird. I had to write a short bio for myself to put on my published articles. It made me wonder if I really knew me. ha ha
Thanks for the comment 🙂
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April 8, 2013 at 2:30 pm
It never occurred to Amara to do something like that, but now that she has read this post she is feeling a mischievous urge to change her About page to the third person. Even better, in order to be special, she might rewrite it all in the seventh person.
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April 8, 2013 at 2:32 pm
LMAO Thank you for that! 😀
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April 8, 2013 at 2:53 pm
This was hilarious!
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April 8, 2013 at 2:30 pm
Nope, don’t understand it either.
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April 8, 2013 at 2:32 pm
Good, I’m not the only one! 🙂
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