What do Avatars Mean to Us

My avatar, in all honesty, is just the "best" picture of me I have at any given time. It's a way for people to identify me and get a better picture (no pun intended) of who I am.

:)

P.S. I hate when people put objects or other things as their avatars. I don't understand it.

Chris -- This is a great topic and one I've been thinking about for a while. I subscribe to the theory that what you do online and how you represent yourself is part of personal brand building. I use the same picture across every site that I use from Twitter to Gravatar to LinkedIn to Facebook etc. I think that it makes it easier for people to find me, relate content back to me and feel like they're talking to a real person. That's just my personal feeling, but I'm looking forward to hearing how others approach this topic. Thanks Chris.

I find that the avatar is a way to express your personality to others who only know you through text (often in 140-char snippets). The pictures we choose, whatever they may be, help give some life to those words.

My avatar is pretty simple, it's just me in my car. I hardly ever change it, but I try to keep my avatars consistent all across the board (for all social networks), so people recognize me. *=)

after an early (1985ish) online stalking experience, i have always used non-me photos; maybe i will change that now - i like seeing photo icons, i feel like i know who i am talking too. also, often i am out and about in san francisco and get a tweet from someone i follow but don't know and they are at or near the same place i am. i would go introduce myself if i knew who they were by looks but not if i have to sift through the 100 people around me with laptops or handhelds!

I like the idea of leaving a photo on your avatar so I know who you are when meet you face to face. I'm pretty bad with names but I can learn your name quickly when I see it next to a photo on your blog or twitter profile. A photo seems more friendly and when I see a good avatar photo it lets me know this person know what their doing online vs a newb or someone who isn't as involved.

I think twitter avatars function differently than other more static web avatars (like a blog post). Because the twitter avatar has also become part of the conversation. Especially for a lot of folks in PGH. Is there a ghostbusters day, what character are you? Is there an 80s prom party, how do you represent? Is there a color war?

So on twitter it is exciting to see a healthy rotation of images. I will say that this works best with the people I know personally and have other interactions with.

I agree with Don that it does say a lot about our personality. Without thinking about it, I always seem to select a picture where I'm having lots of fun and acting like a bit of an idiot (which is my personality).

I also am a huge sports fan so when I need to pull for my teams, I tend to throw a picture of a player or their logo in there... sounds kinda immature (for a 33 year old) now that I think about it lol. Oh well! Go Bruins Go!

For a really long time I always used a pic of me that I really loved (one of FEW since I don't generally like photos of me). Mostly b/c it showed off my 1/2 sleeve tattoo, my hair was looking Betty Page fierce, liked the lighting, etc. It represented the ME that I wanted people to see, not the person I thought they really saw (schlumpy). Plus it worked well as a thumbnail. But now that I have a kid & I'm also blogging more, and visiting more social networking sites, I tend to change it up frequently. I also use pics of my kid & I together, or silly images of whatever, b/c that's where I'm at in my life now. Maybe it's fear of people recognizing me, but given how public these sites are anymore I don't think that's an honest answer. I guess I'm just not as interested in using the same pic over and over and over. How's that for indecision? Ha. The end.

I have two: one is of my Second Life avie because she's just so much better-looking than I am, and the other is the only recent pic of me that I like, one where my hubby and I were mugging for the new webcam. I use my SL avie when i really don't want my RL pic out there, and I use the webcam shot for more professional situations. It took long enough to get those two pics just right!

What a terrific observation and conversation - thanks for sponsoring it. I suppose that I fall into the camp of finding the most representative and fun picture of myself at the time. Then I use that same picture because I want to be easily recognizable. What I love about this conversation is that I had NOT considered changing it - although I think it's a terrific idea.

So, now I'm wondering if changing it will actually be fun - maybe not everywhere - but let's say in Twitter because it's so "daily" and casual.

I also love it when others use pictures - I feel like I'm starting to get to know people I may never meet in person.

I used to have a picture of me for my avatar, but since the way I appear is always changing, I figured that might actually decrease the usefulness of my Twitter avatar. So I just made a switch after reading your post. My new twitter avatar is just a green background with 2 big white letters "AJ". I think people will notice it when they scan tweets :)

I think the avatar is important. I have had people I meet at conferences for the fist time say they recognize me or think they already know me from somewhere. It's all because of a good, consistent photo. It's a piece of branding. I have not changed my photo much but now I find myself taking more pictures of myself in search of that perfect photo that I really like for my avatar.

For years I only used avatars that reflected my personality. As a forum administrator at several sites, I wasn't sure I wanted people to be able to identify me by sight. (We occasionally had to deal with people of questionable character)

This year I decided I would use a picture. My reasoning was similar to some of the opinions expressed above. I wanted to put a face to my online presence. Also, I was blogging more. When I'm expressing my opinions I think it's only fair to let people see the person behind the posts.

Not to mention my current avatar (I use the same one nearly everywhere, and I seldom change it as I don't like most pics of me)gives me a chance to show off my nearly antique eMac. ;)

Interesting topic. Avatars are personal icons but really they can signify anything that has meaning to the individual who posts them. Like your latest one Chris with the bullhorn and lips comparison (I get it!). They can be smart, clever or safe or unconventional or offensive or goofy or lazy. They offer a special glimpse into the personality of the individual. They get more interesting as they change. They do not follow the rules of a corporate logo. IMHO there is no wrong way to do it. Even a default avatar says something about the person (that maybe they didn't have time or don't have a pic or they are wanting to lurk or..). No matter how you slice it an avatar is an atomic representation of that person.

Saw your question on Twitter but felt it's not something that can be answered within 140 words.

Normally I will upload avatars on services that I will definitely be using. Such as MSN, Twitter and blogs. However, avatar display on these services varies.

For example, I don't change my avatars on Twitter or blogs as often as MSN. Main reason is that MSN allows me to change to any pictures that reside on my computer. That makes it really easy for me to set a latest photo of myself. Plus those on my friends know me on some level or another personally.

On certain sites where I think it's necessary for others to see how I look, I either crop a reasonable looking photo of myself into a decent pixel size (100 x 100 is really small).

For remaining services that I would like to be private, I use images as avatar.

I prefer when people use pictures of themselves because, to me, it makes them seem more "real" and personal, vs. a logo or abstract image.

When I see messages from people who use a logo avatar, it seems more like I'm talking to a machine ("Yes, ACME Widgets, I agree the reds will be hot this year").

Interesting conversation.

I use a photo (same photo) of myself everywhere. I made a decision a while back that I wanted my real name and real photo used as my user id and avatar everywhere.

I know for myself, I tend to trust and feel a sense of connection with folks who use a photo and their real name online. There's a feeling of genuineness and sincerity when you see someone's face instead of a logo or a cartoon or other image.

Those who tend to use other sorts of images, especially those who change their avatars frequently, I find I don't usually remember or feel connected to as easily.

My avatar is just a piece of clip art at the moment (a light bulb with an exclamation mark in it), while I work on a best picture. I don't usually take good pictures, so it's a challenge. Why is it so important?

Like many other folks, I'm going to use the same avatar on all my social networking pages and my blog. Other folks talk about "branding", but really, I just want to be familiar...which may be the same thing :) I'd like for it to be a picture that I like, that tells a lot about who I am, and that I can live with for a loooong time!

Tweet ya later!

I use my picture but change it fairly often. Sometimes its because of a trip or just a new picture that I like better. I've also used graphics and have begun thinking about managing my visual image differently in different online locations.

This is an interesting question because for the first time each of us is responsible for managing a very public and visible "image". Its somewhat like the digital denim jacket of the times. Think of how embroidery, patches, paints - or whatever medium was used, made a statement about who we are, what we support, and what we believe in. Clothing has often been the medium of expression - but obviously limited in visibility...well, unless your Bono, Madonna, or.....

Now, with each of us as content creator and publisher, to whatever degree we'd like, the creative spirit moves beyond the body to a digital jacket and landscape.

Seems I am of a minority here. I use a picture I found somewhere years ago of a flying hawk. The hawk represents my surname (Hawk) and my screen name (Hawksdomain). There is one place you will find a real picture of me as an avatar, Linked In. I didn't feel it was appropriate to use the hawk there. But that photo is several years (and several hair colors) ago.

Just as I have come to know Muhammad Saleem by the spade, Shana Albert by her photo, and many others, I feel that I have used the flying hawk enough to have it mean something to the online social community.

Honestly, I think I would like to change my avatar, but to what I am not sure. I did change a few of my more frequented communities to a Jayhawk during the end of March Madness and the NCAA Basketball Championship, but that was just to show my support.

I am too shy in my offline life to ever imagine that I could post an actual photo of ME all across the internet. The thought just scares me to death. As you can tell by this comment alone, I have no problem speaking my mind when I "hide" behind the photo of the flying hawk. I've even become more comfortable with using my real name online. That was a major step for me!

So, for those of you who may really not be impressed by those who do not use photos of themselves, please consider that there may be a lot more behind their chosen image.

Happy Saturday!! :)

I use pics of myself because they represent me
I dont change avatars a lot, once I use one, I dont think I have changed it.

It is a chance to show someone what you are about but
I am not attached to it. Because I host a cable television show in Los angeles, I have plenty of pics of me, it never occured to me to update them.

An avatar is your ambassador. Leaving behind our social identity is essentially telling all that come across it, "Yes, I was in this discussion".

Our agency, Millions of Us, builds virtual world experiences and this is a question we ask everyday. On the 3D web, the avatar becomes even more relevant as ambassador. The choice of physical appearance (body form, clothing, animations, etc) is the lens we are first judged by.

Consider the environment the avatar occupies as well, for this is just as telling. In a virtual world your identity is as much about who you've chosen to be as it is where you are and how you choose to decorate your personal space.

An analog to virtual world environments would be the sites (blogs, twitter, flickr, etc) in which you can actually find our avatar. Does where we find your avatar tell us just as much, if not more, about who you are?

My avatar is a picture of myself with the sepia effect thrown in for good measure. I took the picture on Photo Booth. The cool thing about Photo Booth is that it has several different effects you can add to your pictures--comic book, pop art, bulge.

The interesting thing to me is that I was not satisfied with just a "normal" picture. I had to give it that something extra. But I didn't want to go too wild, because I there are plenty of "crazy" avatars out there. It had to be almost "normal," but not quite.

I used to use an alias and thus never used my real photo. When I rebranded myself as Jonathan Bloom I also wanted to make sure people knew who I was.

My favorite thing to do is use Photo Booth filters and make crazy faces for my avatar. This way people know who I am, but they know I'm a little strange. ;)

I normally have picture of myself: all sorts of pictures but one that includes my glasses and close-up. Since my name is BarbaraKB, it's valuable to be a human face!

At times, I do a silly avatar change @ Twitter (don't we all need a break?) but I don't do it for long.

One of my *joys* at Twitter has been getting various folks to get rid of their *company* logos and put on their face. Twitter is different since it's more back and forth conversation thus, please, no logos for personal tweets.

Peace!

For a long time I felt most comfortable using my Second Life avatar as my avatar everywhere. When I was new to social media I felt a bit shy about putting my face everywhere.

Obviously a lot has changed since then! I'm still approached as chelpixie and that's pretty cool to me, but my face is associated with it so they get ME, not the avatar.

Plus when I use a photo of me in real life then there is always someone at social events that recognizes me and gives them a way to introduce themselves easily. I love that it makes easy on them to say hi, I'm so and so. I also really like it when other use their faces so I know who they are instantly too.

I have two pictures. One is cropped down from a snapshot at my son's birthday party. I use because I thought it was a decent picture of me. The other I use is a photo my wife took of me right after I finished the Harrisburg, PA marathon. I use that one because running is a big part of my life and was a good pic.
I agree that it is nice for people to use their actual picture. It helps when talking to someone to know what they actually look like. Personalizes the experience. Avatars are nice and sometimes funny but a picture is better.

I kind of feel like my red pumps have become my logo so to speak. I like being a mystery to most and not having my picture up and now that most of my friends are familiar with my shoes it seems like a mistake to change it. I like avatars that have colorful logos, good pics or something kind of funky. But unless it is your face and everyone knows what you look like, I don't think it should be changed all too often.

I feel kind of obligated to have some form of picture of myself, it's meant to humanize the person behind the blog/comment/twitter account right? I'm wasn't especially comfortable about it because I don't want every stranger in the world being able to see me but it's just another obstacle I'm having to overcome as I advance my blogging and delve deeper into social networking.

I think that my avatar, that little pic by my name, well, it does not mean much.
It's nice to have, but I just pay attention to the text.
(disclosure: I hate to be targeted by a cam. That may explain a lot. :) )

I made a video of MY avatar.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU

Totally agree that icons are totems for our personas and those personas change overtime based on our personal lives.

I was impressed by the amount of participation in "Superhero Week" on Twitter. I think it's a testament to your philosophy.

They are so very critical to your image, and the recognization factor. In my own social circles, I am virtually anonymous if I put just a standard photo up. But the one of me in my firesuit at the racetrack, instantly stirs conversations.

I've tested the theory... gone from my default firesuit pic, to another just simple headshot, and then back to the firesuit pic. More people recognize, and converse with the firesuit pic than the regular one.

The first time that I really got an inkling as to the power of an avatar was when I met Jason Falls in January 2008. I didn't know him and he didn't know me at the time (or so I thought). After he gave a little talk to our social media group I chatted him with a few minutes and told him I was a blogger and a social media enthusiast. I told him about my avatar and he's like, "You're THAT guy? I've seen that around before." I don't think I would have made an impression without that avatar.

The fact is that the Broadcasting Brain avatar (purple skin, green glowing brain) has caught enough attention on social news sites and Twitter that it's part of my on-line identity now, so I would find it hard to change it. It seems to fit with my blog name and it's essentially my brand or image. It catches your eye and it does make it stand out from a lot of other avatars (Muhammad Saleem's spade is quite ingenious, however.)

I haven't done the clever things like mixing pea images for special occasions because: a) I don't personally have the skills to do that and b) why would I make it harder to recognize something that already stands out quite well? It not that I don't support these causes but, quite frankly, I'm still fairly new to the whole blogging and social media scene, so I can't really afford to put multiple images out there, IMHO.

One minor downside to using this kind of avatar is that most people who meet me in person might be disappointed by how pale my skin really is. I'm thinking about getting a neon green skullcap, plus purple face paint, if I ever go to a social media or industry conference, but a button or sticker with the avatar might be a bit less geeky. :)


FYI, the avatar's look and color scheme were inspired by the character Dr. Manhattan from the comic book maxi-series Watchmen (except the green glowing brain part.)

Several folks mentioned not liking their own picture, or not having one they like. Just take a pic, and put it out there. Get used to it. Take lots more photos, until you get some that make you smile. We don't care about perfection, just personality.

avatars == ALIVE , IMHO, avatars are not just a pic, its a personal emoticon and true life is always works in progress.

YTs the order of things during the development of "amplified human beings" :)

That avatar business is a tough one for me. Only because I'm always shy about it. Having a picture of myself up there has been difficult and a big step for me this past year. I've experienced the negatives of being stalked online & in real life, so, in many ways it's been a HUGE step for me. All my avatars are of me. Whether it's been Stripper Friday or a different era, day or month of me. I don't generally use anything other than a pic. of myself, unless supporting a cause or friend, despite it not always being easy for me.

That being said, because I get shy about it, the picture I use most frequently, with my hair covering up the most of my face is the one I'm most comfortable with. My font is real. I am real. I don't pretend to be anything different than what I am. A sometimes silly, sometimes shy, sometimes serious, always, hopefully kind, and on occasion a very *hey the lights went on*, smart kinda girl. Since I'm in the middle of another transition and positive change in my life, maybe I'll start playing with my avatars more to express that.

Good idea, great thoughts. Thanks Chris. *hugs*

while at it have you heard of Ambient Avatars and chinposin ?
http://www.chinposin.com/

My avatar is a picture of my youngest son Daniel aka the king. I had a picture of myself up first but really didn't like it, (sorry Becky) having thought about it though I think a picture of my son is appropriate because he is where I am at in my life right now, besides a just beginning a new career thanks to Becky McCray, I wouldn't mind a using a picture of myself if I could find one I like, however I really like the one of my son... he's so darn cute.

By the way, Laurie Reyes is very new to all this tech stuff, and I think this may have been her first comment on a blog! (Go, Laurie!)

She has started a blog at http://lauriereyes.blogspot.com as a learning tool. You might stop by and cheer her on, leave some tips, or link her to some good resources.

Great post Chris. I recently got a cartoony self portrait done for the redesign of my blog and I love it - it seems to capture me much better than any photo I have. Now I find myself signing up to the latest social app just so I can use the pic :) The great thing about it is that it's still 'me' but it stands out a bit from other images...

I prefer when people use their photos for avatars because it puts a face with the name, especially if I've never met them before. As for my own, I definetly want one that represents who I am. Speaking of which, it's probably time to update mine.

i don't think people should put a photo out there
if it's something they feel judged by
we're not all attractive average white males.
(the median)
some of us get judged for our "looks" enough on a daily basis in real time
it's nice to have somewhere to speak where the lamest most insignificant part of our being is discarded

it's not always "self esteem"
it's sometimes annoyance that it matters
and often times causes folks to dismiss what we are saying

the elderly can have an equal voice here
the fat
the unattractive
the middle aged
etc

don't take that away from us
it's simply another judgment on something we're trying to skip judgment on

if you all care about what a person says
then why do you need to see a their physical form?
when it's just a superficial skin that we got stuck with randomly at birth

I always use a photo of myself, and I usually choose the one I consider the best at this time. So sometimes I change, usually not because I have a 'better' photo but because my perspective has changed.

The photo I use depends as well on the context. For example, right now I use two different avatars depending on whether I consider the context more professional or more personal.

Well, my Twitter avatar is me in my usual high energy look. However, IMHO, the avatars I love are on oddcast.com/SitePal. But - I can't use them on my real estate web site. Wah.
The Twitter avatar - I would like to change it occasionally but frankly don't have time to. If I find a neat photo or take one, or have a new one of me, I likely will. With spring coming, I may take my own photos of flowers etc. and pop a new one up there at any time - be ready!!

I'm new to most of the social sites and the idea of NOT being anonymous is a new concept. Anonymity on message boards was the norm. I now use a photograph. I enjoy putting a face to a name and on twitter, flickr, friendfeed, etc. I think most of the photos are authentic. The photo makes for a better connection. It won't be long before we have the option to put a video clip in the little avatar box.

The photo avatar is usually a last resort for me. I try to choose something that inspires me or embodies a character trait on which I'd like to focus. If Ben Franklin were still around and decided to start Twittering, I suspect he'd keep switching out his avatars and icons between the 13 Virtues by which he tried to live his life.
http://www.changingminds.org/explanations/value...

I use a shot of myself for my avatar. It is actually a still of the first video I did in my W8 Loss Wednesday series. I just felt it embodied my goofiness so well. I wasn't actually doing a 'thumbs up' but was pointing to something above with my thump, but paired with the goofy look on my face it just struck me.

I don't take myself too seriously. My avatar screams that.

I always say that my avatar represents the inner me because I know the inner Jeri is thin and always beautiful. ;) She doesn't, however embody the whole of who I am, only a portion. I have my avatar photo on my main VW profile, and my real photo under the 1st life portion of my profile.

I actually have more than one avatar, one who represents the caring, friendly Jeri that has a lot of friends, but only a few that are truly close. The other represents my introverted nature, the side of me that likes to spend time alone, study, learn new things and explore. :)

I always use the same pic for what I suppose could be called "branding." If someone runs across a blog post then see me on a forum or some other venue, I want them to make that connection, "oh, wait, I sort of know who she is." It helps them remember that we've met, if you will.

I sometimes use a funny picture of my little boy when he was about 8 months old, with a big pouty crybaby face. I use it because it makes me laugh and it helps me remember to lighten up. We are not curing cancer, we are just yakkin' on the Internets. Sometimes I find it useful to remind myself of that.

p.s. your avatar on Twitter looks to me like nothing so much as a big cheerful monkey ear. I find it very endearing.

I've never given much thought to using a picture of yourself, within your avatar, as a 'brand' before. It makes perfect sense, of course.

Now, the problem of finding a photo you won't want to change in two days!

I use an image of a wingnut... because I go by Wingnut... kind of obvious. I have thought of changing to a picture of my face for twitter... with maybe the wingnut added in...

I think I will leave it the same everywhere else though. On twitter with a face picture it might make it more personal... and would be fun to just be walking around and have someone say "Hey, you're Wingnut of WingnutSEO right?"

In my case, I always use the same avatar in all my social sites so that when I meet my friends on other social sites they can easily identify me..^^ also I used my real picture so that other members won't become suspicious of me.

With all these replies, it is hard to capture the feeling of what people think about avatars. I think an unscientific online survey might be worth while.

Great post, excellent info.

Appreciate it.

Hi Chris, what an interesting look at avatars. I think some people don't think much about it at all while for others, it has multiple meanings.

I was actually thinking about this a few weeks ago because I have an art website running, a marketing blog plus 2 new websites and another blog in the works so...

Since I do multiple things, I was wondering how to represent myself online, especially with widgets like MyBlogLog.

I finally decided to stick with the avatar I've been using for awhile because a lot of people recognize me just from the pic.

It's basically another form of branding and consistency pays off long term...

I like to use my real picture as ewll..i believe it's important to be transparent as an internet marketer...

I use a picture of my ticking when I leave in dormitory for 3 years. It just because I loved that picture and the stories behind.

But after read Matt & your posts (I was directed here from Matt`s blog), I think I am not going to hide anymore. Big thanks to both of you.