Twitter Avatars; Is A Picture Worth A Thousand Words?

An avatar is a graphical image that represents a person on the Internet. You have an opportunity to choose a personal avatar when you register on Twitter. This avatar becomes your personal branding with other people in the Twitterverse.

If you want to make a good impression on Twitter, you should give your avatar careful consideration. Here are some of the avatars that I have observed on Twitter;

• Current photograph. This can be a formal picture or a very casual picture. The majority of people using Twitter use a personal photo as their avatar.
• Twitter generic avatar. If you don't upload a picture, your avatar will be the default Twitter logo.
• Business logo. Some Tweeple use their company logo as an avatar. This is good for the business but not so good for personal interaction. Most people like to have a mental image of the person they are communicating with.
• Animal pictures. Some Tweeps post a picture of their pet for an avatar. I am the biggest animal lover in the world, but I do not want people to identify with me by thinking about a picture of my dog.
• Clip art. These graphics are cute but they do not have the personal touch that a photograph has.
• Baby and children pictures. Proud parents have every right to display pictures of their kids but I would much rather see a picture of Mom or Dad so I could relate as an adult.
• Body Parts. Can you expect Tweeple to value your intellectual comments when your avatar is X-rated?

How Tweet It Is!

I am a tweet....a twit....even a twitaholic! I have been getting my feet wet on Twitter. It has been a great journey and a fantastic learning experience. I have met many marvelous people who have greatly added to my knowledge of social media and internet marketing.

It is truly amazing what can be communitcated in 140 characters or less. It is known as microblogging. Each time you post on Twitter, you answer a simple question - "What are you doing?"

As a newbie Twit, I often found myself wondering what to post. What am I doing that would be interesting to my followers? I gradually learned that there are many ways to share information with my Twitter friends.

Here are some ways that I connect with tweeple on Twitter:

1. I really post what I am doing. Getting the kids ready for school? Taking the dogs for a walk? Working on my next blog post? Waiting in the doctor's office? My followers are interested to know that I do the same kind of things that they do.
2. Being a good listener and posting comments. Everyone likes to get feedback. Everyone likes to be noticed. I post @ replies to tweets that I find interesting. Sometimes I ask questions or give my input on what was posted.
3. Giving sincere compliments. If I just read a fascinating blog article written by one of my Twitter friends, I provide a link and recommend the post to my followers.
4. Posting links to my blogs. I recommend products. I share recipes. I pass along good deals that I find online.

The Twitterverse is a fascinating place to visit. I am learning more everyday.