Do you need an avatar?

If you spend any amount of time online, you’ve probably needed to post a head shot or other image of yourself. If you're lazy, you leave the photo area blank or go with a random photo you have lying around. But some folks are adopting avatars, those tiny cartoon-y images which are becoming increasingly common.

During the election, Obamicons (avatars in the style of the iconic Shepard Fairy Obama poster) were flooding the Web thanks to a free program offered on Paste Magazine’s website. Now, during the a"Mad Men" frenzy, images like the one on the right above are cropping up, courtesy of the "MadMenYourself" campaign on the show's site.

So, why would you want one of these avatars? I’ve been talking to lots of folks who use them, and here’s what I’ve learned:

Avatars can provide privacy.  Avatars can be a way to get involved in online  conversations while preserving anonymity, like this guy has done with a blog and Twitter identity operating under the name PRDude.

Avatars are great conversation starters.
Jennifer Frank, a neighbor of mine, chose her "Mad Man" avatar (above right) by accident. “I’m really into the show and was messing around on the Mad Men site and saw the easy way to “MadMenYourself,” she told me.  I know Jen because we live in the same building. We rarely have time to talk, but when I saw her avatar on Facebook, knew we’d have something to connect about the next time I ran into her since I'm fairly obsessed with the show. Noticing her avatar also got me reading and responding to her updates about her wine shop, California Wine Merchants, which I’ve been meaning to visit. It’s not surprising that when you reveal an interest, you get into conversations with like-minded people. Classic networking. Just a new twist.

Avatars can enhance a personal brand. (And in geeky/artsy circles, they make nifty gifts).

William Hurley (aka Whurley), an expert in open source technology, told me by email that he frequently receives drawings of himself from artists who have seen him speak. The illustration (left) he has been using for about three years was sent to him by the artist Aaron M. Baxter. “The avatar was an instant success,” he wrote, “People recognize me as easily as they did my avatar and vice versa. So it’s turned into a very powerful component of my brand.”

Ron Hogan, a literary blogger, had a similar experience with his. He was meeting the writer Sarah Manguso for an interview, and when she arrived, she showed him a sketch she drew so that she would recognize him at the cafe. It turned out to be an uncannily accurate line drawing, and Hogan now uses it on his business card, as his Twitter icon and on his Web site. (He uses a Mad Man avatar on Facebook). When he hands people the card, he says there is always an “ooh” moment. He also says that he thinks the avatar has helped him “pop out of the pack a little bit, having an icon that is recognizable but isn't just another photograph”

If If you’re interested in getting an avatar, a quick online search will brings up scores of sites offering avatars in lots of categories -- from Japanese style manga cartoons to sites that create avatars from photographs you upload.

Have any of you had any interesting experiences using an avatar in your professional life?  Are there any free and paid sites you'd recommend to create one?