Why use your own pic in avatar?
 

I have never understood why someoneone would want to take a picture of themselves and have it as their avatar. I think it's kind of weird to be surfing the T.B. and seeing another dude looking back at me. Comments?

For me its a personal thing. Im a social creature so I like for people to be able to see me as a person behind the posts (my normal avatar is this: http://numist.net/images/avatars/numist.jpg)

Its so people can link the words, thoughts, and emotions to the person, and give it a face, rather than a mysterious nick.

Some people like it that way, some dont. We all do it our how we like it.

On the other hand, is it weird for you to use someone elses name and picture who is more famous in order to get name recognition? Seems like another side of the same coin to me...

Yes, I used to have mine up for the same reason. When you post a picture of yourself as an avatar you're there or the world to see. You notice people will act more like you are a person than a faceless text jockey.

not that mine is incredibly obviously me, since I've had quite a few people asking "hey who is that guy in your avatar?"

I was thinking on using myself... I'm new.. just browsing kinda right now... then I was gonna use a diff graphic I have... but I can't figure out hot to upload one yet :p need I have 50 posts first or something?

youll need more than that, but you are on your way.

Suffice to say it is 3 digits, but it makes the accomplishment all the more sweet.

(Do a search and youll find an answer, but we tend to be vague around here about such things, participation leads to success, giving people numbers leads to spamming, you understand)

LoL I am not trying to put you down or anything. I chose Jericho because he is a tricky, funny guy that resembles myself in many ways.

Are we talking number of posts started - which is a thread I know, or number of replies and shit?

Only I think I'm doing quite well to get to 220+ posts considering I do this from my work PC. I even manage to do a bit of work every now and then!

Come on, throw me a bone!

Replies.

Sorry to ChrisJericho for hijacking his thread, I'll stop now.

For all further questions regarding post count, please do not post here, but go to this thread with your questions.

ChrisJericho - I understand, but the same would go for me, I chose an image (and a very unknown nick) because I couldnt think of anything offhand that represented my varied interests at all, so I used myself as my face, and force people to actually learn who I am.

Of course, if they choose not to, thats fine too, but my aim is there.

oh I understand.. and I respect that.. shouldn't take me too long.. I'm a lil bit of a post whore... not terribly.. but I post bout 8 times a day or better.. I bet some ppl on this board blow me WAY outta the water though :p

but yeah.. I'll just sit low and stare at my avatar til I can use it :thumbsup:

Make sure you use a picture of yourself ;)

your avatar is supposed to bring out the 'real' you
what better way than your pic

I have a bunch of avatars that I've used. Over time, I noticed that I really felt like I KNEW the people who used their own pictures in their avatars. You could see the face, almost hear the voice...

So I figured I'd give people that with me.

Hey, you don't like seeing me smiling back at you in the TB, just turn off avatars! You have a setting about that in your preferences.

People's personal avatars are also a reminder that this is a community. The TB is not just a personal porn palace. To be consistent, do you object to the presence of other guys when you go to a strip club?

God I love alliteration. :D

Interesting point made here...I think I'll go and change mine now :)

I tried using another avatar for a day or two and it just wasnt doign it for me, so I started using the avatar I use for my Live Journal...and it made me feel more at home :)

I'm shy. Also, I invented this username for this site only; it isn't even my USUAL anonymous username.

Aha! You're extra super anonymous here!

I hear you. ratbastid was a new nick for me when I registered here, lo those many moons ago. I'm using it more and more places these days, though.

It's not the quantity, but the quality. :D

I use my photo occasionally because 1. I'm an attention whore and 2. I wanted to do something quite out of character for me. Besides, I like the way my hands look, don't you? :crazy:

I enjoy when people use their pictures as avatars. Like many of you have already said, it makes members more "real" and not just intangible internet personalities. On the other hand, it irks me when the male contingent of these boards use pictures of girls as their avatars. I'm so used to people using pictures of themselves or cartoons or recognizable celebrities that when I see a hott female paired with a guy's post i get a little confused. :)

And then 200 more. Don't rush and give 250 meanlingless "one word" posts, either. Contribute to the community.

I have wanted to put my personal pic up there but have been to lazy. Plus, being the non-technical guy I am, what takes ya'll a few seconds to do will probably take me an hour. lol

Like many have already said, it just feels much more personal, that you're actually talking to a real person, not a faceless name. That, and I like to play around with black and white photos, and this shot turned out really well. :p

I used to have a pic of me as an avatar just because I thought it looked cool. If I can remember to put it on a floppy I'll bring it here and put it back up now that the server is back up and running.

I choose my avatars by what entertains me. I don't use them for self-expression...just a pic that I like and want to see next to my post.

It "entertains" me too, Holo!

I hope to someday have a flasher beneath me.

Because I like people to know how unique I am.



I mean, how many other people have purple skin, floating eyebrows, and cel shading?

Ok, the original poster seemed to generally be referring to our male members...

but i'll respond anyways.

i do it basically for the reason several have mentioned - it's more personal.
and, i think it looks cool. granted it's just my eyes, and i don't know how many people even kno they really *are* mine, but, it's me.

:)

[edit]and i appreciate it when others use their own pics too. makes things more intimate, personal.[/edit]

SiN - Wow, I haven't seen a post from you in so long. Hi!

Anyway, I DONT use me mostly because I think the Internet is a place to be creative. Sometimes an avatar is a piece of you that you cannot explain or a fun way of expressing yourself without a pic of yourself. Like a little tiny Halloween costume every day!

Incidentally, avatar in the dictionary reads like this: "...The incarnation of a Hindu deity, especially Vishnu, in human or animal form..." I suppose that could help my case or kill it.

thanks, and hi back :)
i was pretty busy over the holidays, but gettin settled back in here now ;)

thx for the definition, learn something new. :)

I dont qualify for one yet....but I'll get there one day!!
When that does happen, I think mine will not be a picture of me, simply because
a) I dont like to look at myself because I have bad teeth
b) People wont appreciate looking at a picture of a person with jacked up teeth.

I've had a couple of pics of myself as my avatar. I change it to other stuff sometimes. It all depends on my mood, and when I can be bothered to actually change it. I've been trying to decide what to put up right now, so I think I'm gonna root through some old pics now...

<-- Edit, found one

I might do it soon- but with my helm on and in full battle gear- I like being somewhat anonomous- just due to my natural (and hard learned) paranoia

I like the feeling of anomnyity created by NOT using your face in your avatar, makes you feel like you're able to get away with anything. Plus I made my Avatar here, it's based on a big drawing of the main character in a novel I've been writing for the past 10 years.

However, were I to use my face, I'd use this...
http://wwww.trademe.co.nz/photoserve...ofile96200.jpg
Of course I'd alter it a bit more in PS.

EDIT: Actually, do you guys think I should change my avatar to the above pic? I'd get rid of the text in the image and make it a more appropriate size first though.

i know deflok by the flickering little guy that looks like me! don't change it! :)

Strangely enough, i changed my avatar to a photo of me right before i noticed this thread. I know your thinking, "Yeah right filtherton, you changed it because of my argument for it," but honestly i changed it before i read this thread.

Anyway, i did it cause i found this picture of me from a photo I class i took a few years ago on my hard drive from when my scanner still worked. Its kind of blurry, but i like the effect. I have a more current one and perhaps that will end up there eventually.
Oh yeah, and i like the idea of my picture creeping people out while they are surfing the TB.

I had never really thought about it but I have to go with Art on this one. This is a community and several of us have lived here long enough to know what each other look like. To put a face with the name.

My avatars are random, as it this one. I never gave it much thought as to meaning when I posted it but I guess it is just a "hi there, this is me" kind of thing. I like to see the same thing from the rest of you.

You might have noticed that few of us are stunningly handsome or ravishing beautiful on the outside. I think that it makes it easier to express yourself when you see that the other people involved are pretty much like you.

I'm home sick today and just probably have too much time on my hands but I couldn't think a a better place to occupy my mind.

I use myself because I really enjoy looking at myself.


And I like people to know the face all this bullshit is coming out of.

as far as i'm concerned, people use avitars as visual representations of oneself in an otherwise text-based environment. now i've been online and done the whole made-up persona thing before, and it finally came crashing down in flames, so i decided that from there on out i was just gonna be me. it's so much easier to just be one's self than to make up and continue to support an ongoing lie, so when it comes to visual representations of myself, i stick with the simplest form, me. i've been doing this for a couple years now, i think the only avitars i've had that weren't of me were a shot of thora birch, a shot of lupin the 3rd, and a shot from a twiztid album. all of which were placed when that specific subject matter had an overwhelming effect on me. beyond that, it's just been me, and as far as i'm concerned, that's exactly how i want to be known within this great big interweb.