Avatars (no not the movie)

[Bob Booth]

Well? do they?


I've found that avatars significantly affect the way that I read posts. If someone has an avatar of a person who looks grumpy...I automatically read their post as sounding grumpy. If someone has a avatar of a kitten... automatically hear their post in my head in the voice of a kitten. . . (well, maybe not that drastic) .

So how 'bout you?

[V-lady]

I guess maybe when I first joined it did play a big role in how I thought of people. Now that I've been here a while though, and know how most of the people on here usually are, it doesn't really make a difference what their avatar is. But yeah, when I first joined I would have definitely agreed with you.

[snubs]

It does for me, most of the time. I mean, what their avatar's and signature's are show you a little bit of their personality. Which helps figure out how they may or may not say things. But sometimes what their signature's and avatar's are doesn't really mean anything to me. Mostly, what helps me figure their personality is their gender and name... avatar and signature come after that.

[Marvin D.]

I've only been here for a month, but I really didn't think much about it. However, when I saw a really cool one, I'd be attracted to read it.

[Angel]

I definitely do that. But sometimes (like during this Christmas season) avatars don't help me since they all have a similar theme.
I've met quite a few members of this board, and knowing what they actually look and sound like helps me to understand their posts more...but in a way it has brought me to think that avatars can be deceptive. (I'm not saying that people would wear an avatar that doesn't fit their personality). They can be deceptive because some people have action oriented avatars and signatures (like comics, or action movies, etc.), but they're really quiet in real life.
Also, depending on the person, I'll sometimes read their posts with the same voice in my head all the time, no matter what they use (for instance, no matter what Top has as his avatar I still have a crazy, almost childlike voice almost shouting out the words of his posts).

I like this thread, it's brought up a topic I have thought of a lot while I'm browsing the ToO.

[snubs]

^ I agree with that.

[Laurie]

I don't pay attention to the avatars. I do look at them, but after I have read the post.

[J-man]

No, although they do help me to identify who's talking.

[KODY 105]

I concur with J-man. The avatars assist my identification of the user. The connotation of my attitude toward them then arises, not any sort of "tone of voice."

[Fang-wa]

I agree, it helps me identify the user and get confused for a few days whenever a set change occurs. Sometimes with new/previously unknown users they give me a (usually incorrect) impression of the user.

[Trixie Belden]

Sort of. I'm a member of another forum and whenever someone changes their avatar, it completely throws me off for a few days. I look at the avatar and think "Oh cool, a new member!" until I read the name of the person posting. I really only do that though when the avatar is a face, not an object. (Like mine).

[Sapphire]

Sometimes avatars affect me too.



~Sapphire~

[Sonuna]

Mostly I think of people as their avatar image rather than as, you know, anything they could possibly plausibly look like. Even in some cases after I have met them; I just go back to avatar-mental-image after a while.

As a result, when people change their avatars / have them changed it's mildly confusing, but I can always check the name. If avatar and name are changed at the same time, I have to fall back on signature identification, which is considerably more confusing. Not sure what I'd do if all three changed at once...

[StrongNChrist]

They don't affect me so I read the posts the same way I see the avatars. I do sometimes have difficulty imagining some people looking like real people instead of what they have as their avatar though...

[TigerintheShadows]

I actually didn't think about it until this thread came up, but I do remember it took forever for me to find my avatar and make a decision on one--I went through about five before I decided on one.

[snubs]

I am always changing my avatar and signature.

[TigerintheShadows]

I haven't changed mine since...about a month ago.