What do you think your avatar says about you? Do you think that others' avatars influence your impressions of other people?
I realized that I base part of my mental image of a person on their avatar. A couple of examples:
I have a visceral negative reaction to Valhalla's avatar. It makes him seem like the bad guy to me, no matter what he says. I don't even read his posts anymore because I don't want to look at the picture.
CatHerder's "Mr. Incredible" looks arrogant and supremely proud of himself for saving the world. I realized interpret almost everything he says from that viewpoint. I don't think Cat is a consciously arrogant person, but at some point I stopped seeing the avatar as Mr. Incredible, and instead incorporated that illustration into my mental picture of Cat. I see that picture and it makes me want to slap the infuriating expression right off his face.
Arbilad: an inflexible unfeeling guy with absolutely no sense of humor.
Ray: a little boy sticking his tongue out at the world
Bok: a pea brained fowl who is repeatedly surprised at getting herself into more than she bargained for.
Keen catch on my avatar! I figured, hey nearly everyone thought as much about me anyway (or so it was strongly inferred to me by some individuals) across the river when all there was was words and pseudonyms for a logon that I thought why not play along with it here where we are allowed to let our hair down and not get upset by it... Now, if I can only come up with a version where the smirky face is actually gettin' slapped, we both can gain some satisfaction!
I never really thought of anything other than "bok" when I looking at bok's avatar though. It would be funnier to see a picture of one of those fisher price chickens though from namesake standpoint...
Yeah, ray's definitely bespeaks of a little boy sticking his tongue out at the world
roper, well the only thing that would speak more to Chuck Norris and a roundhouse kick to the face would be a picture of Walker Texas Ranger...
I was actually glad Mahonri changed his from Conan O'Brien... was hard to take him seriously for a couple days! One time Mrs. Cat even asked if that was a picture of Mahonri!
Jason's reminds me of Stormship Troopers for some odd reason... Of course, Jason reminds me of a Stormship Trooper anyway... crusty get the job done sort of guy who doesn't mind getting his hands dirty.
Euphrasie... well, I've never been able to figure it out other than it probably reflects something about a sweet personality...
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It seems to me the only thing you've learned is that Caesar is a "salad dressing dude."
Mahonri seems indecisive. I'm really glad he got rid of the Conan pic. Ugh.
Roper, now that avatar brings to mind comfortable, casual, easygoing and plain speaking. The kind of guy you can feel safe letting your hair down with. Now, that's been my experience in conversing with him too; the mental image is a combination of interaction and visual assumptions.
Euphrasie's avatar says, "don't yell at me! I'm just an innocent little cutie"
I don't have much of a response to Jason's avatar... other than I figure he's addicted to gun totin' video games.
I have never been able to figure out Shiz's avatar... is that from veggie tales or something?
Fregramis... what movie is that from? He looks like a mad scientist or something equally alarming... better treat everything he says with suspicion.
Hmmmm... <looking to see who I missed>
Ros! How could I forget Ros! Loud, wild and crazy in a most endearing way... and funny. I always give her the benefit of the doubt because I like her avatar so much.
Further, Team Rocket always gets into trouble and their mission is to make trouble... and yet somehow in the effort they often end up either confused or helping save the day. . . That and I love Poke'mon.
--Ray
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I'm not slow; I'm special. (Don't take it personally, everyone finds me offensive. Yet somehow I manage to live with myself.)
As a matter of fact, here's what I posted in the avatar thread over in Intros... Ummm...I don't know. It looks nothing like me. It's cute, though, right? And it totally looks innocent. You wouldn't call my opinion dumb and uninformed with an avatar like that sitting next to the post, would you? 'Cause if you did, you'd probably hurt its feelings. Then I'd have to find a crying girl avatar.
So, are we projecting the real 'us' or the 'us' as we want to be perceived?
That's what I want to know. Maybe some of each?
I don't see myself as a cowardly peabrain; I picked that avatar to go with my nym. Sometimes I worry that people won't take me seriously because of my avatar, and I really really want to be respected as an intelligent, reasonable person. So, I don't think I did either one. I'm curious to know what everyone else thinks of me, and of my avatar.
What do you guys think? Did you pick your avatar to project an image, or to express who you really are? (And don't forget -- no spin.)
I chose that avatar because I wear those exact boots (Justin Ropers made right here in Fort Worth) and the're the most comfortable boots I've ever owned. And the cross-counrty callsign of my old C-130 unit in the Air Force was Roper.
I'll try not to tarnish the image you have of me.
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The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life. - Julie Beck
And... what is your impression of me? Come on, I'm feeling magnanimous today. I promise not to be offended.
Oh, I dunno, maybe that you're consistently surprised that you just pull something out of your butt and it becomes a huge colorful issue that gets lots of attention?
Okay, I'll be nice
I actually like your avatar best because it's animated. Maybe that says something about your personality--you're intelligent enough to figure out how to do that, and you're usually quite animated in your discussions.
Okay, I'm grasping here. The truth is that I've never really associated avatars with personalities. I just use them as a quick reference as I'm scanning to see who's responded to what.
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The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life. - Julie Beck
No indecision here... just constant new decisions.
I figure if I can change my avatar, I'll change it. Frequently.
Roper, if I'dve been eating cereal while reading your comments about bok, milk would've most certainly exited my nostrils.
Boks avatar: a proud mamma. very opinionated. makes good horse sense most of the time. there you have it.
It's true... all I can hear is spok's voice when I read arbilad.
CH's posts are all read with Mr. Incredibles voice.
OK... new idea for an avatar!
Thanks
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no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing... the truth of God will go forth till it has penetrated every website, sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done
Oh, I dunno, maybe that you're consistently surprised that you just pull something out of your butt and it becomes a huge colorful issue that gets lots of attention?
Wow. I should ask you what you think more often. I think you might be on to something there Roper.
Mahonri, I had to look up "horse sense" to know whether you had insulted me or not.
Anyway, the reason I started this thread was to examine the phenomenon of building mental pictures. In the OP I listed my initial, gut reactions to a few avatars... but I know those people are not really their pictures. Arbilad, for example: I know he has a sense of humor, and that he's got feelings. But I have to keep reminding myself of that, because the Spock image says all those other things to me beyond just "logical". I don't believe Valhalla is an evil person, but the avatar distorts the way I view his posts.
So, sometimes, there is a conflict between the way I perceive the avatar and what I know about the person.
I don't have much of a response to Jason's avatar... other than I figure he's addicted to gun totin' video games.
-- Edited by bokbadok at 18:03, 2007-02-28 Are there really any other video games out there. I actually only have two video games and I don't play that often. I am hooked on that Lego Star Wars 2 right now. It's addicting.
I actually like this avatar because it is kind of tough looking and mysterious. You only get the visor but no face. If cat thinks it's like Starship Troopers, that's cool. I liked that movie (the edited version). If I could get one of the Lego Star Wars 2 Boba Fet I would probably use that. That little guy is too cute!
It is interesting how an avatar can leave an impression of someone. I knew Cat from another forum so I pretty much knew his personality before coming here. I do find myself using a Leonard Nimoy voice in my head when reading Arbi's quotes. I have a hard time reading Mohonri's posts with the Prophet Avitar. It's just weird. Bok's comes across as a bit high strung like chickens I know. Maybe because it's animated also contributes to that impression. When I see Roper's Avatar I think of the Republic of Texas, my future home should Nazifornia turn bad. It also helps me remeber that even when we dissagree that he's still and OK guy because he likes a nice set of boots. Euphrasie and Ray....well Japanese animation gives me the impression of folks who just like watching way too many silly cartoons but that are fun and good natured. Darth Potato, that's just funny!
Hmmm...I wonder what people get from mine? I wonder if anyone even knows what character it is?
Anywhoo... I honestly don't put much to the various avatars here. Bok's and Roper's illustrate their usernames, Arbilad is a Star Trek fan, and Jason is a game fan (first impression, of course). Mahonri uses his to illustrate different things - from the forum he is participating in, to things that mean something in his life from humor to religion. I have to admit I got the same image from Cat's that Bok did . Euphrasie's has given me little to go on but I bet if I thought about it I probably get the same mental connection of sweetness and innocense that others have brought up.
I've always got a negative vibe from Ray's. First of all, I dislike pokemon (we've gratefully kept our kids from getting into it successfully though they watch it occasionally). What I have seen of pokemon, Team Rocket is annoying and good for nothing. They are also the bad guys. Now, that runs contrary to the impression I have had of Ray at Nauvoo where there are no avatars. I think he tries to be annoying at times but...well, he doesn't succeed with me but others...that's another thing .
Steamboat Willie was a Mickey Mouse cartoon. My avatar is a character that preceded Mickey Mouse and on which Mickey Mouse was based on - Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Mickey Mouse was created after Walt Disney refused a new contract with Universal due to a budget cut (he wanted an increase). Universal owned the Oswald character and thus Walt Disney lost it to Universal. Disney recently reaquired the rights to Oswald after 78 years from Universal.
Older than dirt? Nah...I haven't even had my mid-life crisis yet.
Glad that you figured out that for me at least, "Horse sense" is a huge compliment.
With the GBH avitar, perhaps I'll behave myself. :o)
Who knows... I could go back to Conan any day now.
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no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing... the truth of God will go forth till it has penetrated every website, sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done
I figured, hey nearly everyone thought as much about me anyway (or so it was strongly inferred to me by some individuals) across the river when all there was was words and pseudonyms for a logon that I thought why not play along with it here where we are allowed to let our hair down and not get upset by it... Now, if I can only come up with a version where the smirky face is actually gettin' slapped, we both can gain some satisfaction! 
