Avatars - More effect than you might think?

[Leper_Kahn]

Earlier today I found myself noticing that I haven't seen a friend of mine post for a while... I thought about it and I went through all the threads he used to go to, and nothing. Then I figured it out! I didn't remember the name! How dumb of me, and yet... How could I have let that happen at all? Every time he posted there was his little name... The thing was he got a new avatar! I only knew this guy by his avatar picture.

So, my point is that if you have a distinctive avatar people may look at your posts more. (I know I do... Sorry, but it's really true.) However, it seems more likely that if you change it they'll forget who exactly you were. Or forget for a while, until they remember again and get all embarrassed like I have.

Anyone have any thoughts on the subject? Are you sad like me and only know some GitPers by their avatars? Do you read people's posts who have more exciting avatars than those that don't? Do you read a lot into the personality of the person by their avatar?

More importantly, does anyone have any cures to this non-sense? I feel so discriminatory right now. :smallfrown:

[Hoplite]

I find it more confusing that some users have almost identical avatars that look rather similar and are drawn by the same artist.

[Amotis]

We've had more then a few experiments that prove yes, avatars have more of an effect on people then you assume. Especially oneself. :smalltongue:

My avatar rocks, plain and simple. Made especially for me by kuja.girl and I am forever thankful. Rooooocks.

[Zeb The Troll]

Since most of my viewing of the forums is done when I'm at work right now (stupid internet not getting installed for another two weeks <grumble grumble grumble>) and Photobucket is blocked, I can't see most people's avatars anyway. Even before then, though, I was the opposite in that I might not notice that someone had a new avatar for several days.

[Raiser Blade]

My avatar simultaneously repels and attracts people. :smalltongue:

[Hell Puppi]

Heh I can only find my posts by my own avatar, that and I kind if get used to other avatars.

[Tempest Fennac]

I don't actually get confused by avatar changes due to the username being the first thing that registers with me 99% of the time when I see a new post. You'd really hate Mistaken Identity Week due to it involving people swapping avatars and sigs.

[thubby]

Heh I can only find my posts by my own avatar, that and I kind if get used to other avatars.

ctrl+F dude.

artificial post lengthening powers, ACTIVATE!

[Ceska]

I don't actually recognise people by their avatar, but their username. That means it's not really an issue for me, although people have complained about me changing my avatar too much.
Right now I first see the avatar, then the name, but I always double check. I recognise Serpie, for example, on her avatar first.
And I've been going a time without showing avatars or signatures, so I remember most members at that time by their name only. New ones not so much, though.

[Xefas]

Geez, I remember when I first joined. There were four homebrewers in the forum I really really liked. I would still check out 90% of the stuff posted in the homebrew forums, but I always knew that the stuff these guys posted was going to be quality.

Later, after familiarizing myself with their user names, I realized that one of them was named Vorpal Tribble, and the other three were named Fax_Celestis. To this day, every time he changes his avatar, I spend the next two weeks thinking its a different person entirely.

Please, no one change their avatars. It confuses me so :smallfrown:

[Castaras]

I recognise by names first and foremost. When I'm awake.

When I'm tired, it'll be the avatars.

I'm pretty good at recognising people though. =)

[hyperfreak497]

My avatar rocks, plain and simple. Made especially for me by kuja.girl and I am forever thankful. Rooooocks.

All hail the Amotisatar, lord of us all! *Bows down*

Personally, I try to memorize username and avatar, because I was in a play-by-post game where two different people had the same avatar. I don't think what you're doing is discriminatory, though. Of course you'll give your friends (be they online or RL) more attention than those you don't know.

[smellie_hippie]

It's all by user names for me. Avatar changes strike me as nothing more than changing clothes... typically when one starts to smell bad from wearing to too long.

As an aside... I'm very flattered by all the folks who have changed their avatar to suit the games that they are playing. :smalltongue:

[Rare Pink Leech]

I definitely pay a lot of attention to avatars, although I also know the names of people too. If anyone changes their avatar I'll still know who they are, even though it may take a few days to realize that their avatar has changed.

I like identifying people by their avatars because you can see them in your peripheral vision while reading a thread, so you never really have to look over and read the name :smallyuk: Which is why when multiple people in the same thread have the same avatar it really, really confuses me :smallannoyed:

I should point out that often I will read peoples' names before I read their post, but sometimes (such as when I'm in a rush or really engrossed in a discussion) I'll just go by avatars.

I don't mind when people change their avatars, although it's easiest when someone has a base avatar and makes cosmetic changes to it - they can change it up whenver they want, but there's still something noticeable for everyone else to go by. Which is partially why I decided to finally put a pink leech in my avvie - no more random Rorschachs or Beatles for me.

[RTGoodman]

I usually identify people by their avatar first, but I'm pretty good at recognizing them by name eventually. I used to try to change my avatar by what character I was playing in RL games, but that got tedious and I decided to make one I'd keep for a while.


Later, after familiarizing myself with their user names, I realized that one of them was named Vorpal Tribble, and the other three were named Fax_Celestis.

Yeah, I felt the same way about Fax - I kept thinking, "Man, that's a cool name - why haven't I seen this person around before?" Then I realized I had, but he'd changed his avatar several times!

[Rumda]

well usually I notice a person form there avatar but even when they change it I can get used to that avatar as theirs relatively quickly, but it is still kinda confusing when to people switch there avatars or just have similar avatars either by having the same artist or just by pure random chance, that one of the reasons I suppose why I make my own avatar

[NEO|Phyte]

I do some wierd blend of name/avatar, which seems to work out fairly well for me.

As for changing avatars to fit games, I tend to change avatars when I find an idea nifty enough to motivate me to make something. This happens to coincide with finding character ideas nifty enough to play. Sometimes.

[Ego Slayer]

Yes, le avatars are important in ID-ing people because I just glance at the avatar next to the post without really having to read the name and know who it is. If it's something I don't recognize, I take a look at the name. For a most of you I can see a name (from the main page or "last posted", and know your avatar(s)... even some people who don't post much, but have been around long enough. =P

So, I guess they matter just 'cos I don't have to really look at the name of the person posting, because I know the avatars of... a lot of people.

I like changing avatars, and I like when others change theirs...I do get confused sometimes, though, when it's someone I don't really know.

[Rykaj]

First two years of me being here I didn't even have an avatar. Too timid to ask, not posting enough to really make people care anyway. I learned to recognize posts by their name and I still do.

Then that week with the gaia avatars got around and I finally made myself a little avvie! Doesn't change old habits though :smallredface:

[Cubey]

I recall people by their avatars, but when I see a new one I check out its username, and if it's someone I know with an another avatar I start associating them with the new one. So it isn't a problem for me.

However, I personally was mistaken for Cuddly when I didn't have an avatar of my own. Not having an avatar makes you blend into the nameless crowd - it's much easier to be recognized when you have an unique avatar.

[wxdruid]

I change avatars as I feel like it, depending on my moods. I have a nice collection of them thanks to Vael, Lykan and the Librarian. I notice the user name when I'm at work, because the gov't blocks photobucket. So, when I'm at home, I get distracted more by the avies and tend to notice them more, (after all, they are a cute little picture...most of the time). I know certain people by their avi and user name because they tend to stand out.

And when people were using Atreyu's avi's? That always got me.

[Jibar]

I've built my legacy upon being the one and only Cat-Muffin here.
I bet if I changed to a non-Cat-Muffin, nobody would recognise me.
Huh, that would be funny. They'd be all "Oh noes, where is Jibar?" and I'd be all "Yo! Wassup!" and then they'd be all "Yay! Now we can have Cat-Muffinurday!" and I would be truly happy.

[sktarq]

When I joined the only custom avies that were in the whole OotS style where the Mods and Gorbash. A few others, like a flaming rooster existed but were very rare. Veera figured out how do nail down the style at almost exactly that time and the whole explosion began. But by then I'd learned to just about ignore avatars completly. For the most part still do.

[Pyrian]

I turn off avatars and sigs. :smallcool:

[bosssmiley]

@ Sktarq: Flaming rooster. Hee hee hee. Trog observe that to be funny on so many levels. :thog:

I'll endorse the hivemind opinion here. Avatar > writing style/content > username for me. Perhaps strangely I'll usually spot someone's conversational tics before I do their username.

But what do I know, I'm an egg... :smallwink:

[Dallas-Dakota]

I would use something of my name but really : Dallas and Dakota are not co-operative.... Hmm I know something... Might take a while...

But I usually recognize people by they´re avatars, if I see new ones, I check their status. (like bugbears and such) and then I usually check the name.
(sorry if it offends anybody but there are thousands of pixies flying out there on the boards... And I don´t have time for all of them:smallfrown: )

[Flickerdart]

I always draw my own avatars, and refuse to keep OotS sticks anywhere near it. This both means that my avatars change infrequently, and that they're easy to spot from the crowd.

[Closet_Skeleton]

My avatar rocks, plain and simple. Made especially for me by kuja.girl and I am forever thankful. Rooooocks.

Meh, I prefer your old avatars.

I should probably at one point get an avatar of a skeleton in a closet, rather than my badly done MS Paint attempt to draw a guy with a sword and a leather jacket.

[TRM]

My avatar simultaneously repels and attracts people. :smalltongue:
Heh. Funny you should post here, since you are literally the only person I recognize by avatar only... and I mix up your non-oots style dragon and your hinjo as different people. But can't for the life of me remember your name unless I'm looking at it.
EDIT: I was wrong. There are a few other people I know by avatar better than username.

But mostly I recognize people by user name, the avatars change too often to be of much use.

EDIT: I also confuse three (?) posters that all have manga-style avatars even when the specific image changes. I believe they are Rutee, Tengu and ...? Someone else, or maybe it's just those two.

[Winterwind]

And here I thought this thread would be about either how the avatar influences the initial reaction and general attitude of other posters to oneself, or how much other posters attempt to deduce one's personality from the avatar (the latter being something that causes me to wonder whether I shouldn't change my avatar all the time; I like it a lot, but I'm not sure whether it reflects my personality or the light-hearted tone I usually intend for my posts properly). :smallbiggrin:

Anyway, I usually go by usernames first, and I can remember them fairly well. No, that's not entirely correct; I identify the avatars first, but then I usually read the username anyway, just to make sure (and, if it's a generic forum avatar, to determine which one of the people possible it is).

[Mc. Lovin']

There definitely are people I recognize by Avatar, like Amotis, Tempest or the ... snake avatar one ...

[Rockphed]

There definitely are people I recognize by Avatar, like Amotis, Tempest or the ... snake avatar one ...

Do you mean Serpentine, who is a snake-chick-thing, or Cobra-Ikari, who is a cobra.

Also, Amotis's new avvie is not as cool as his old, androgynous, guitar player. That thing played havoc with everyone's gender scanners.

[Pyro]

I recognize people based partly on their avatars and partly on their names. Usually I learn the avatar, then the name quickly after.

[Jack Squat]

I identify people by both...but I look at the avatar first to see if I recognize it. If I know it, then it saves me reading time.

Also, I don't change my avatar too often because I'm too lazy to whip up more. I mean, I've got a few holiday ones, but nothing radically different.

[Phase]

I'm glad my avatar changes regularly...

[Collin152]

I identify based on Avatar, but oddly enough, I pay little attention to my own. I just... kind of know when I posted.

[Bitzeralisis]

Meh. My brain, being naturally strange, does a double-identification, cross-checking thing, where it looks at both the name and the avatar, then cross-references them in order to give me the complete identity of the person. If that person had a recent avatar change, then it will take me some time to re-calibrate my mindset to see that avatar as that person. I will, however, still know who it is; I'll just expect them to be... different.

Anyways, on the subject of avatar effects: my mind thinks that the person whom an avatar belongs to will partially have the mannerisms of the avatar's implied mannerisms. I mean, I can't even tell if someone is an adult of child. Then again, that's probably because I don't pay enough attention to people's typing to figure out what they're like. I wish I knew psychology. Anyways, back to the subject...

...

*cough* What was the subject again?

[EmeraldRose]

Ah...the days of avatar switching! It was more fun when it was random twos or threes, the whole 40 people or so, was a bit much...

This makes me think, I'm about ready to switch mine up again. Though, I usually rotate through my regular ones. :smallwink:

[Orzel]

I scroll past post so quickly that the avatars are all I get most of the time. I recognize how your avatars look when scrolled past and have little memory of the content.

[The Extinguisher]

Apparantly, people don't read my posts because I regained my Y chromosome. I mean, Lexa didn't even have cleavage! :smalltongue:

I do this all the time, over many forums.
It gets worse when you know someone on two forums :smallsigh:

[RTGoodman]

EDIT: I also confuse three (?) posters that all have manga-style avatars even when the specific image changes. I believe they are Rutee, Tengu and ...? Someone else, or maybe it's just those two.

I have the same problem (and can't think of the third person). Also, EE's new avatar confuses me - it's not anime or anything, but I just notice that it's not OotS-style or Erfworld-style and confuse it with Tengu, Rutee, and other people's avatar's that don't follow the styles of the comics here.

[Yoritomo Himeko]

Well, I only have avatars during the "special" weeks, like "old school", Gaia, and most recently, "gender bender". Usually, I have them off. Some of them take too long to load, and others I'd rather not see. (Death kills V, and stuff like that.)

There are a few distinct avatars I recognize, but I usually go by the name. People change their avatars too often for me to link them to their name.

[Brickwall]

See, my avatar IS my name. That's a clever stroke of mine. People are kind of forced to associate them. Which will make it a masterstroke if I change it to throw people for a loop. And also good if someone just takes mine to throw people for a loop. Good fun, that.

Oh, wait, we're supposed to DISCOURAGE confusion that results of identification by avatar?

Umm...

Look! A distraction!

*flee*

[Tempest Fennac]

That is one reason why I started using my current avatar (it suits my personality and usename much better then my original Lupin Wizard avatar:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/Tobi-Sean/LupinWizard-TempestFennac.png

I really like that one, but I didn't know anyone who cold photoshop my current fennec fox/lightning storm avatar.

[banjo1985]

I only really use avatars to recognise people who are relatively new to the forums. People who have been here a while are fine, I know them by name so its fine. But with new people it's quite useful to have a unique avatar, that way I know if I've seen them before.

I suppose my avatars are fairly unique and effective, so I suppose they do their job :smallbiggrin:

[T'ze'hai]

I just picked a standard OOTS avatar. It suits me, fits me. There is the chance that others pick the same avatar, but I just hope they won't.

I know people by the combination of their avatar and name. Some people have an outstanding name, and I don't really need the avatar to know them, but others have a really non-telling name (not pronouncable) and then I need that avatar.

[Mr. Moon]

Generaly, I go by avatars, and if it's a default one, or one I don't recognize, I double-check the username. Sometimes I asorb names as I scroll down, but if I've already recognized the avatar, I rarely double-check. So avatar-change really threw me off, even though I knew who everyone was trading with...

[Zarrexaij]

This is probably insanely weird, but I tend to act like my avatars when I post online. For example, on a very populated forum I was on, I had a very snarky-looking avatar of Maynard James Keenan (lead singer of TOOL). Almost every post I made with that avatar was heavy with sarcasm, irony, or general shenanigans.

...what?? *stomps around with a spear in hand*

[someonenonotyou]

i memorize the username by the avatar when i see then username i remeber the avatar i see them with:smallbiggrin:

A^ i do that too :smallbiggrin:

[Pocketa]

I think I have the kind of avatar people would remember, hopefully they know the name too!

[Shiny, Bearer of the Pokystick]

It's possible, I suppose. I'm pretty verbally oriented in some respects, so I usually pin my recognition on names.

And I don't suppose I've ever gotten a chance to be confused with anyone, since I've always been a Shiny of one sort or another.

Except once when I was a goat.

[dehro]

I tend to gravitate around topics of a certain kind or related to certain arguments, and I've noticed that, mostly, those who answer to them are always the same people. I've got by now a shortlist of people I recognize both by avatar and nickname, so it doesn't really affect me that much..but yes, I've been startled by some new avatars in the past and had to double-check the names to make sure I was relating to the "right" person behind the screen.
as for my avatar, it's the character I play with both in d&d and in online RPG, so I would not change it for any money (that and I'd be hard pressed to come up with anything more complex than a smily face, as my artistic leanings tend to lean over the cliffs of insanity, rather than leaning towards any ability in the "drawing and painting" department.) thanks again to wojiz who made me my very own special avatar.

[Arang]

I got my avatar in true Rockefeller fashion, boldly going where nobody had gone before. Actually Dispozition drew it for The Vorpal Tribble and he put it up for grabs in the Heroes thread and I was the first.

I'd say I recognize more names than I do avatars, but I do know the avatars for most of the names I remember. Then again, I've always been better at remembering things when they have other things, even if they're completely random, associated with them.

[Mauve Shirt]

I learn the username first and then remember their avatar. When I'm scrolling down a page really fast I recognize avatars first, but most avatars I recognize I know the username of the person already. I notice pretty quickly when someone changes their avatar.

[Darius Midnite]

I've discovered that I judge people on these boards according to their avatars. If I don't like their avatar I find myself being annoyed by them every time they post. Yeah, I'm that petty. Same in real life, first time I meet a person their face will tell me everything I need to know about them...

[Vuzzmop]

I go by a bit of both. I think though, that I am definately lesss memorable now that I'm not a christmas present full of writhing tentacles, or a one-eyed spaghetti monster, or...I really do have a tentacle fetish.:smalleek:

That, and the pixies/dwarves probably don't remember me, mostly because I've almost stopped introducing myself as Vuzzmop, Destroyer of Worlds, Breaker of Hearts!

[Shraik]

I'm glad my avatar changes regularly...

I've noticed that, does it actually change according to the moon?

[Drascin]

And here I thought this thread would be about either how the avatar influences the initial reaction and general attitude of other posters to oneself, or how much other posters attempt to deduce one's personality from the avatar (the latter being something that causes me to wonder whether I shouldn't change my avatar all the time; I like it a lot, but I'm not sure whether it reflects my personality or the light-hearted tone I usually intend for my posts properly). :smallbiggrin: .

Same here, actually. I even clicked with a response to such a topic half-thought in my head, all ready to start blabbering about how the avatar is curiously important in your first impression and how people are influenced by particular avatar themes in their posting. Heh :smallredface:.

Anyway, I am usually one to change avatars a lot (even though I haven't really done that here to avoid being much of a hassle to the good gents in the Arts and Crafts thread), so I tend to memorize interesting people by name, not avatar.

On this matters, I really should start thinking of giving my avatar a change. I think I've been a solid year with this one already, it's been a good run. On the other hand, this guy is Drascin, the original one and pretty much my alter ego, so it's kind of fitting. Ah, decisions, decisions...

[Tempest Fennac]

My avatar was designed around my username and personality. I tend to assume that people often base their avatars around their personality to a degree, but I don't think most people do.

[CrazedGoblin]

i recognise people by avatars, its more interesting than remembering them by text

[The Orange Zergling]

I look at both, pretty much simultaneously. I don't really remember getting confused about anybody switching avatars, and it's not like we can change our names anymore.


I've discovered that I judge people on these boards according to their avatars. If I don't like their avatar I find myself being annoyed by them every time they post. Yeah, I'm that petty.

I do that too... in fact I hold some silent grudges against people because I don't like their avatars or I think it looks really arrogant or something.