What is an Avatar?

An avatar is a graphical depiction of a computer user. Avatars are seen on web forums, blogs, social networking pages and applications like Skype to create a sense of character for the user. Think of it as a graphical signature, calling card or user brand identity. Sometimes avatars will link to a user profile where more information can be found on the user such as a bio or a link to the user’s personal website.

Avatar’s can create a sense of personality for the user that otherwise may not be present without the aid of the avatar image. Avatars take all kinds of forms. The most popular types include cropped photograph of the user’s face and a 3d character cartoon image.