Avatars: Your Virtual Identity – Part I of III
Welcome to the first in a three part series of a special PepperjamBLOG. Throughout this series I will explore, in-depth a current phenomenon that everyone seems to be taking for granted – Avatars. Avatars have been a part of the internet and its culture as since the beginning. They have stood the test of time and have outlasted other gadgets in the Internets rich history such as chat room and AltaVista. We have seen avatars morph from a quaint graphic to full 3D models. Lets take a deeper look at the avatar. Also, I have given myself a special picture to help me look more like an avatar, I don’t really look like this 
In The Beginning
Avatars, icons or whatever you choose to call them, there is one thing that you cannot deny: They are everywhere. From simple programs like Gtalk, and AOL Instant Messenger to more advanced platforms like the Mii’s on the Wii, Playstation Home and Second Life, avatars are becoming as much a part of everyday business on the web as business cards in the real world. They remind people of who you are, what you do, and where you met. Your avatar is your life line to your friends and colleagues on the internet. An electronic calling card if you will. Over the past few years we have seen the avatar grow in depth and popularity. Avatars are quickly becoming the marketing tools of the future.
Avatars started out as simple pictures that one would place next to their screen name on AOL Instant Messenger, a message board or a forum. The pictures acted as your online identity and gave others a glimpse of who you really are. They often showed the world one of three things:
1.) What you ideally want to look like.
2.) Your current celebrity crush.
3.) Your creative side.
It was somewhat of a contest in the beginning to see who could have the coolest avatar or icon to describe them. This little contest is what pushed the avatar from a “snazzy little icon” to the awesome marketing identity that it is becoming today. Essentially it is your personal calling card or “dressing your business to impress”, all of your creativity is going to waste if you don’t have the means to advertise all of your skills to potential clients
As avatars grew in popularity they started to become animated and more customizable and interactive. (which is probably how they have become so ingrained into web 2.0) The avatar eventually grew into a full fledged “character” in video games and they are becoming a very important and awe-inspiring marketing tool.
As we watch the web make it’s transition from 2.0 to 3.0 you will see that a fully customizable version of yourself will not only act as a recognizable business card but will also help you craft your identity online and it will be available to use at every website.
The Real Life Avatar
In recent years we have seen the avatar leap off of the computer screen and into the real world. As we often see, online phenomenons sometimes blur the line between the real world and the virtual world. One recent example is the introduction of Moo Cards. Moo Cards are mini business cards that have many custom images printed on them in one printing. It allows for a truly customizable business card and one that does not grow stale and stagnant to the owner. Moo Cards also stand out because of the size. They are roughly half the size of a normal business card.
Moo Cards have become very popular with the gaming convention circles and the blogging community. They often have peoples gaming avatar on the back and their personal information on the front, you are able to choose an image from Moo Cards personal collection or upload your own images. The ability to customize is a desirable feature in any web 2.0 application and since Moo Cards are tied very closely to web 2.0 it only makes sense that they are customizable as well.
As we delve deeper into the phenomenon of Avatars you will discover that the more involved a user is in an avatar the more emotional/personal attachment they have to it. They will continue to change the avatar based on their likes and dislikes, buy it new things and give it a new haircut. The avatar often changes along with the person it is linked too. As we progress through the series we will look at how this is beneficial to companies like Nintendo, EA, Sony and Linden Labs and how they have created or supplemented a sustainable business model with something as simple as a customizable character.
In coming articles I will take an in-depth look at how avatars are being used as powerful tools to gain user and customer loyalty and how this “virtual” version of yourself shows your consumer profile. I will also look at what the future of web 3.0 holds and how I already see it forming.
I would love to hear comments and suggestions from anyone reading this, so please feel free to use them.
