On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog. In fact they don't know you at all.

The famous anonymity of the internet can be very freeing, but it also changes the nature of social interaction in online communities. For this reason, many social internet sites offer tools that help a site member to introduce and define themselves to others. Indeed, in communities like Facebook, identity and networking are the central purposes of the site.

This module will help you think about how much information you want to share about yourself as you join the various communities online. It will also help you create an avatar for yourself that you can upload to this wiki and use on your profiles.

Identity and Privacy: The trick is to find a balance between introducing yourself and giving away crucial information that could be used without your knowledge. As you fill out your various member profiles weigh each request and keep this balance in mind. For example, Yahoo! may ask for your income level but you can choose 'other' and not provide this to them. Other no-nos: address, phone number -- you get the idea.

On the other hand, many of the things about you that will help you be "real" and interesting to others are fine to share: favorite books, hobbies, the restaurant you love to visit, the cat that keeps you laughing, and the quotes that inspire you. As you use these modules we suspect that your idea of what you want to share will change.

Why do they need to know my birthday? COPA, the Child Online Protection Act requires many types of social websites to know if someone is 14 years and under, so they will ask for your birthday. If you don't want to give out your birthyear I would recommend using one that is reasonably close to yours that you will remember. True story: on an old Flickr account I fudged the birthday, then lost the password only to find that the birthday was needed to get back into the site. So if you use a different birthyear, use one you'll remember. Now I use my husband's birthyear.

I don't want to tell them anything!
If you wish to be super cautious about privacy, use an alias here and on all of the communities you join. Jen or Sho from PCPL will e-mail you to request your real name but this information will not be shared with anyone. Check out the "Setting up your profile" section of the Wiki module for more information.

The bottom line: Share as little information about yourself as possible, especially crucial information like birthplace and family names that banks and other sites use for authentication. This doesn't mean you can't have fun with your online identity, or create an interesting persona online.



Avatar: An image which represents a user in a virtual reality/Internet setting. --urbandictionary.com. The term comes from Neal Stephenson's cyberpunk novel Snow Crash (1992). Also referred to as a 'profile image' or a 'member icon.'

Why do I need an avatar? We'll be joining several communities online. When participants in a community are faceless it is harder to interact in constructive ways. It is as simple as that. Would you show up for a dinner party or a meeting with a paper bag over your head? Your avatar can be as simple or as creative as you wish. You're the boss.


In MySpace and Facebook an avatar is often a photograph or a cartoon. This avatar was made with two generators, the one at ALA (currently unavailable)(source) and the one at Yahoo! (source).


On movie and book fan websites an avatar is usually some kind of inside joke for fellow fans. Most fandom communites have places where the more creative members can share the avatars they've made with the others. (source)


In gaming communities an avatar is usually completely fictional, a persona created specifically for the game. (source)


However, for work-related collaboration, the avatar is usually a photograph. Online collaboration at work is usually closed to the public so people tend to feel more comfortable showing their true appearance. Please note that while membership in this wiki is limited to Arizona library employees, anyone can view what is posted here.

For the purposes of this project, you can use whatever you feel most comfortable to represent you online.

Your avatar can also be:

• a bookcover of something you enjoyed from your library's online catalog (easy and fast)
  
• a photograph of something you drew or made yourself (easy if you have the photo already)
  
• an avatar someone else made (easy; however picking one out can be time-consuming)
  
• your library's logo or a picture of your library card (easy if you have the photo already)
  
• a photograph of your pet(s) (easy if you have the photo already)
• An avatar from a free avatar maker (very fun, but time-consuming and the difficulty depends on the generator)
  

Discovery Exercise

Get out your license to play! What do you want to represent you online?

You will be making or locating an avatar and uploading it to your Baker's Dozen "My Profile" area.
Start by printing these instructions out for reference or opening a new browser tab. Then pick the type of avatar you want.

I want to upload a photo that is saved on the computer I am using right now.

1. Go to your wiki "My Profile" area (hint: it is on the right side of the green bar at the top of each page)
   
2. Click the “Add Image” button in the middle box (it may say "Edit Image" if you have already uploaded one)
   
3. Select button next to “On my computer…”
   
4. Click “Browse...”
   
5. Select picture from a saved location
   
6. Click “Open” button
   
7. Click “Add Image”
   

I want to upload something from the internet or my library's website.

1. Go to the image you want to use.
2. Right-mouse click on the image and select "Save Picture As..." from the menu that appears
   
3. Save the image to your desktop, or anyplace you can easily remember and access
   
4. Go to your wiki "My Profile" area
5. Click the “Add Image” button in the middle box (it may say "Edit Image" if you have already uploaded one)
6. Select button next to “On my computer…”
   
7. Click “Browse...”
   
8. Select picture from desktop or wherever you saved it
   
9. Click “Open” button
10. Click “Add Image”

I want to search the internet for an avatar someone else made.

1. Go to your favorite search engine and search for avatars. If you are looking for Lord of the Rings avatars, search LOTR and avatars.
2. When you find one you like right-mouse click on the image and select "Save Picture As..." from the menu that appears
3. Remember to make note of any copyright or Creative Commons stipulations the creator makes. For example, it is common for someone to request that they be given credit for the image somewhere on your webpage or member profile
4. Save the image to your desktop, or anyplace you can easily remember and access
5. Go to your wiki "My Profile" area
6. Click the “Add Image” button in the middle box (it may say "Edit Image" if you have already uploaded one)
7. Select button next to “On my computer…”
   
8. Click “Browse...”
   
9. Select picture from desktop or wherever you saved it
10. Click “Open” button
11. Click “Add Image”

I want to make something totally customized using an avatar maker.

Pick one or find your own!

Yahoo! avatar: Probably the most customizable of all. You will need to have a Yahoo! ID to make one. Time estimate: 20 min. if you know what you want, more if you want to experiment. Difficulty: making the avatar is moderately easy but downloading it may be a tricky if you haven't done that before. Download instructions for Yahoo!

ALA mini-READ poster:poster: you will need a photo or graphic of something to make one. Time estimate: 5 min. Difficulty: easy. Sorry! This generator is currently unavailable!

Simpsons avatar: You will need to have the Flash plugin on your computer to make one (most do), and the image you make will have to be cropped. Time estimate: 25 min. if you know what you want, more if you want to experiment. Difficulty: easy if you have software that can crop images.

Face Your Manga: You will need to have the Flash plugin on your computer to make one (most do). Time estimate: 20 min.if you know what you want, more if you want to experiment. Difficulty: this interface is a little more difficult to use than the others.

1. Pick the type of avatar (above) you want, or find your own generator
   
2. Follow directions (these are different depending on the generator) and save it to your computer's desktop
3. Go to your wiki "My Profile" area
4. Click the “Add Image” button in the middle box (it may say "Edit Image" if you have already uploaded one)
5. Select button next to “On my computer…”
   
6. Click “Browse...”
   
7. Select picture from desktop or wherever you saved it
8. Click “Open” button
9. Click “Add Image”

Now what? More information for the curious

Why are avatars important to libraries?
One answer is that they're fun. Do you have an online Summer Reading Club? Consider having avatar creation parties for teens and adults to personalize their accounts and bring your online customers into the library. LibraryThing has fun with the avatar concept with their periodic "bookpile" contests. How else can you use them?

Another answer is that avatars are just one way communities encourage members to make a personal connection to everyone else. An online community is like an ecosystem with checks and balances. In my observation the healthy, vibrant, beloved ones are constructed in ways that counter the anonymity of the web and encourage active participation and interaction. I think this is because when most people invest themselves they have a stake in the group's well-being.
For example, a forum might have avatars, signature blocks, clever contests and incentives for post counts. In a news community like Digg (see image on right), avatars are less important than clever sarcasm or informed commentary, and there are simple ways for readers to give a thumbs up to stories they find interesting -- or to see who else is promoting it. In communities like Flickr and LibraryThing identity is created through the collections people amass and share.
As you look around the communities you will discover this fall, think of them as an ecosystem. Where are the checks and balances? How have people invested themselves? Take a look at member profiles and the social give and take. What identity-creating tools have the planners offered?

Is your library considering doing some online outreach or community building? How do you plan to provide incentives for participation? How can you build an online community that allows people be stakeholders in the project?

Now, I hope I haven't overstated the case here. Avatars and identity tools are important, but they won't make your community thrive in and of themselves. It is far more crucial that the central purpose or activity of the community be appealing to your audience. The successful communities on the web offer far more than a place to have a member profile and an opinion, they offer an irresistible service, 'why-didn't-I-think-of-that' inventiveness and an interface with as few barriers as possible. As with our traditional library services, people respond to a place that is welcoming and well-planned that puts them at the center of importance.

Wikipedia on avatars

More avatar generators and photo fun:

• FD's Flickr toys: This list includes ways to make a magazine cover, name badge, inspirational poster, and much more, with a photo of your own.
• Mr. Picassohead Create your own Picasso-style painting. [Note that this image is not downloadable.]
  

• Meez: popular for MySpace.
  
• Zwinky: Popular on MySpace. Zwinky may require a download.
  

• Yearbook yourself: upload a photo of yourself and this generator will adjust your photo to fit different time periods.
• More...
  

Back to 13 Things list.