Almost every social web service features an avatar to represent and identify users… these small user-chosen pictures stand out for identification. Whether it’s Twitter, Flickr, discussion forums, or Facebook, your user picture helps others to quickly identify you. There are some interesting articles on avatars as online identity, but I see two key points for photographers using online services:
- Your avatar should be consistent across sites. Your Flickr user picture should match your Twitter avatar which should match your default Facebook user photo. The consistency of your avatar will help friends, associates, and clients easily identify you across services.
- Ideally, your avatar should have some sort of photo-related branding. My standard user picture, although a bit cliche, prominently features a camera. I’ve seen other photographers with different camera poses or with a tripod in their picture. You don’t need the avatar to loudly scream photographer, but a bit of photo branding helps reinforce who you are and what you do. I’ve met several folks offline who recognized me from my avatar, occasionally making a joke about how I looked different without a camera over my chin.
A consistent personal avatar will help to strengthen one’s identity across the web. Is your avatar in line with your goals?
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