Comments on: Develop an Avatar Strategy for Social Media & Blogs

By: Boston SEO

Boston SEO — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:30:02 +0000

The good thing about an avatar is there is no way to search for it. The number of one’s blog posts and the right use of hashwords can bring more traffic to your profile than a pretty picture. I’m pretty sure it all comes down to what you are using your twitter profile for. If it is for business, then provide a picture of yourself in a suit. If it is to show that you are good with computers, then have an avatar of a picture of yourself with a green brain and a blue face. This isn’t neuroscience!

By: @FlowerBox

@FlowerBox — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:32:25 +0000

@FlowerBox changes avatars 3 times a week! Always a new species of flower.

By: Marko Manninen

Marko Manninen — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:26:58 +0000

Its all about, which sort/group of people you want to target. I’d like to know, what is the most acceptable and magnetic symbol or figure in the world. I’d be happy, if only half of the population would go with it. :)

By: Ann Smarty

Ann Smarty — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:14:19 +0000

@Christopher – thanks for making me smile :) Good additions.

@Malcolm – checked your post, loved it and included the link in the post – thanks!

@Mark, no one says breaking SOME rules won’t make you succeed :) If you describe your own avatar case study, we’ll be happy to publish it on SEJ. Your case is classic ;)

@Riscario, one avatar per one online identity. No one says you can’t have several online lives and separate them by using different avatars. To be frank, you’ll be very surprised if you found my other online identity. It is not so Ann and not so Smarty at all ;)

By: firmi

firmi — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:26:06 +0000

The avatar may be very marketing brandable :) I also use several different avatars for different blogs and social media

By: Riscario Insider

Riscario Insider — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 01:34:19 +0000

Thanks for the post and the comments.

I’m not sure about using the same avatar everywhere, though. I have two Twitter feeds, each for a different audience. Those who subscribe to both would have difficulty telling the feeds apart. Having similar avatars may be the solution (e.g, wearing a suit for a business audience and dressing casually in the other).

Seth points out the importance of cropping, which I’d ignored.

By: Mark Dykeman

Mark Dykeman — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 23:08:29 +0000

Ann, I think you might be familiar with my avatar. :)

My avatar kind of breaks a few of Seth’s rules but, hey, I’m smiling and I look like I’m having fun, so I guess it’s not too far off… (except for the blue skin and green, glowing brain…) ;)

I like how you elaborated on Seth’s article with additional tips.

By: malcolm coles

malcolm coles — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:49:44 +0000

Good tips I recently assembled several examples of good and bad ones, particularly faces and logos.
You can see them here, plus some rules (like may sure your face is lit, not the background; and we don’t need to see your chest – zoom in on your face!):
http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/twitter-avatars-choosing/

By: Loren Baker, Editor

Loren Baker, Editor — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:39:49 +0000

One Twitter avatar which really stood out to me today was a nice black and white photo, a head shot, but with a yellow border. Why did it stick out?

Because I was using Tweetdeck which is a very dark application in terms of its color scheme and that YELLOW border stuck out in my long stream of Tweets.

By: Christopher L. Jorgensen

Christopher L. Jorgensen — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:31:19 +0000

You covered most of these, these, but avatar selection is often done poorly. I have making jokes for/about social media marketers with my @SMmonkey account on twitter.

Some of mine:

Attn. Social Media Marketers: If you use an animated avatar it sends me into an epileptic fit and I twitch as I unfollow your ass!

Attn. Social Media Marketers: Nothing says you don’t know what the hell your doing like having the default Twitter avatar!

Attn. Social Media Marketers: If your avatar is ugly, creepy, or idiotic, & doesn’t make me want to spend time with you…you’re failing!

Attn. Social Media Marketers: If you’re butt ugly use a logo as an avatar. Using a fake hot chick just means you can never meet clients!

Attn. Social Media Marketers: Use of someone else’s copyrighted material as your avatar or background only shows you are unethical.

Attn. Social Media Marketers: 9 times out of 10 I can tell if you’re worth following by your avatar. I really can judge you by your cover.

I’m not sure if I agree with the not allowing abstract avatars. They are less obnoxious than many, and I think a lot of people eventually start to recognize these and associate then with the users. Some are quite pretty.