Why Your Avatar is so Important.

Avatars are the thing- the image that you want to project to the internet world. They can be different for different sites or the same one can follow you wherever you go, giving you, as a writer, a bit of personality. You probably have one or more yourself; a cute animal picture, an old college photo with your drinking buddies, your business icon or a more formal headshot. Most people are unaware how important their avatar can be. An avatar is not only an expression of self; it also dictates the first impression people have of you. If you are using an inappropriate avatar in a certain situation, you could potentially lose readership and therefore business from potential clients. It's worth having a closer look at your avatars - are they saying what you want them to?

Essentially, an avatar is an expression of some part of yourself. It can range from a simple user name, through to a complicated picture or icon representation. This avatar can be used in blogs or social media sites. It is even possible to create a 3-D representation of you for use in computer games.


A Gravatar (globally recognized avatar), is an avatar that you can use on all websites that are gravatarly enabled. Regardless of whether you choose to use an avatar or a gravatar, whatever you choose to represent yourself is going to define you. It's very important to choose your avatar with care.
Social media is one of the key areas in which people use avatars. Given that most people use social media as a way to meet new friends, the first impression that your avatar creates can be particularly important.
· Facebook or MySpace
Social networking sites such as FaceBook and MySpace are full of people with avatars. Most of these avatars portray 'fun' party pictures, with lots of very drunk people enjoying yet another glass of vino. While this is a great party image, is this really the image of yourself that you want the world to see?


Nowadays, with the popularity of social media, more and more employers are Googling potential employees and checking out their Facebook or MySpace pages. Due to the nature of those pages, the employers are limited to what they can see in way of information. But what can they see? Of course, they can see the potential employees avatar, the one showing them being great party people, not necessarily great employees.

You could definitely argue that what an employee does with his or her free time is optional and really shouldn't affect their job prospects. However, if you consider that an employer looks at hundreds of applicants and is keen to find the most responsible and capable employee. Based on an innocently partying avatar they could easily conclude that you might be coming to work hung over; a conclusion which could put you out of the running for that perfect job.

Get your own Avatar today by downloading your own zwinky

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How you can Build Your personal MySpace Avatars

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MySpace avatars are available in all styles and categories. You could have static images or animated videos. You are able to select animals, ethnocentric images, celebrities, gothic/emo/rock icons, love avatars, music avatars, funny/scary/party theme icons, games, cartoons, brands, artistic themes or sports icons. If your pre-made icons at "Glitter-Graphics", "Cool Avatars" or "MySpace Avatars" don't suit you, you'll be able to even make your own! If you want to generate your own personal MySpace avatars the computer geek way, then you will need some type of computer which has an internet connection, movie software like Quicktime or MovieSnapshot and picture editing software that can create layers, like Adobe Photoshop.

To create still images from the movie/AVI file, you'll need to choose an animated sequence, video or movie trailer. When you have a film on DVD you want to grab a scene from, then you'll rip your DVD into an AVI file using suitable computer software.

Next, you will have to try out the recording clip, pause within the shot you need to make an avatar out of. Some software will assist you to select "create thumbnail" or "save image," or in some cases you'll click "print screen" in your keyboard and paste into MS Paint of saving as a screen shot. Advance the clip for the next frame and create a still image, and continue carrying this out provided you would like the sequence to go on. Then you can open all of the still images in Photoshop and place each image in a layer, saving the animation being a GIF file.
For many, MySpace avatars can be a nice anonymous outlet to self expression. Not everyone is comfortable posting their actual photographs online. In the end, anyone can see you. Girls sometimes worry that men will be drooling over their pictures and several adults fear that their particular likeness or identity could possibly be stolen. The last thing you may need is an ex-lover following you down or incriminating photos to come to light. Instead, you will want to use MySpace images that say something about you? Or some people prefer to produce a digital person on sites like "Meez", selecting a similar eye color, hair color, clothing style and facial features with characters that seem like "Zwinkys," "Sims" or "Second Lifers."

Want to send your MySpace friend a message? Check out the wide selection of MySpace avatars! You are able to send your sweetheart an animated avatar of two cartoon monkeys kissing, or you can send other people you know a "friends forever" icon with two cats hugging. You can find birthday animations or simply plain funny animations that you could post because they remind you of someone specifically. Avatars are the best way to let MySpace friends know you will be thinking them, in addition to expressing yourself.



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About the Zwinky ZCard

ZBucks are the currency that is used throughout Zwinktopia. Zwinky members can use ZBucks to purchase virtual goods and services within the Zwinky world.

As a new Zwinky user you will receive 100 ZBucks. With your ZCard you can purchase a variety of goods, including premium items that you must have a ZCard to purchase. So how do Zwinkies earn ZBucks? Well, there's more than one way. For instance, simply walking around and exploring Zwinktopia is one way to earn ZBucks. For each different place you visit, whether it's a single building or a larger, general area, you can earn one ZBuck, and you can collect up to 30 ZBucks per day. Playing games, however, is where the real cash is found. After finishing a game, you have the option of cashing in your score, which turns your performance into cold, hard ZBucks. The average game generates between 15 and 30 ZBucks for players, and Zwinkies can earn up to 300 ZBucks per day playing games. You can also earn ZBucks by inviting friends to join Zwinkys. For each friend you invite to join you can earn10 ZBucks, there is a limit of 10 friends/100 ZBucks a month. You can earn an additional 50 ZBucks for every friend that accepts your invitation to join Zwinky. There is also a limit of 10 new member/500 ZBucks per month. You can also purchase ZBucks using a paypal account or your credit card. They can also be used to buy refreshments from the Java Jolt or The Caf. These can be quite expensive; dorm rooms usually cost approximately 1250 ZBucks.

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About the Zwinky ZCard

Zwinktopia, just like every other world has its own currency. This virtual currency is called ZBucks. Zwinkys can use these ZBucks to purchase goods and services within Zwinktopia.

When you become a Zwinky member you will automatically receive 100 ZBucks to get you started in Zwinktopia. You can put your ZBUcks into a ZCard account; you can then use your ZCard to purchase goods within Zwinktopia, including specialty items that you can only buy with a ZCard.
There are a number of ways to earn ZBucks. Every time your Zwinky visits a new area, be it a single building or a larger general area you can earn one ZBuck. You can collect up to 30 ZBucks simply by moving around Zwinktopia. You can earn lots of ZBucks by playing games. Your game score can be converted into ZBucks. Game playing can be very fruitful, you could make up to 300 ZBucks a day.


You can also earn ZBucks by inviting friends to join Zwinky. For each friend you invite to join you can earn10 ZBucks, there is a limit of 10 friends/100 ZBucks a month. You can earn an additional 50 ZBucks for every friend that accepts your invitation to join Zwinky. There is also a limit of 10 new member/500 ZBucks per month. You can also purchase ZBucks using a paypal account or your credit card.

ZBucks can be used to purchase items of clothing in Zwinchester mall. They can also be used to buy refreshments from the Java Jolt or The Caf. You can even use your ZBucks to purchase a Zwinkys dorm room in the ZSU Quad. These can be quite expensive; dorm rooms usually cost approximately 1250 ZBucks.

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