As more an more people are joining Facebook & Twitter , it becomes harder & harder to be noticed in the ‘crowd’. The one thing that almost all social media networks now have in common is the ability for each user to upload an ‘avatar‘ or an ‘icon‘ that represents the user.
This little image – normally a square, cropped image – is what the users see whenever messages or status updates are sent. It should therefore be representative.
Seth Godin has written an excellent post about how to create the best representation of yourself online:
Seth’s Blog: The power of a tiny picture (how to improve your social network brand)
If you’re serious about socialising online, I highly recommend you make an appointment with a professional photographer & together create a small portfolio of close-up, 3/4 & full body photographs. You should be dressed professionally, as you wish to be seen in public. You won’t need to print them out, simple request a CD or have them copied straight to a flash disk. Some studios will offer to ‘touch-up’ your photographs; unless you’re familiar with professional graphics applications, I suggest you spend the extra money to have the professional make you look good.
Or watch this video to see how you can make a ‘manga’-style avatar without a photograph.
As suggested by my mentor, I used the 6 Power Poses to create a collection of photographs that I can use for practically any purpose. Some of them have been cropped for my avatars, others work well for printing. But the hour or so it took me to have the different poses caught on film has been well spent, as I no longer need to search to find an appropriate photograph for a press release, newsletter or blog post.
I can highly recommend Ant from That’s Me Photographic Studios.
You can contact him here:
Physical Address: Unit A112, The Old Biscuit Mill, 373 Albert Road, Woodstock, Cape Town, 7925
Website: http://www.thatsme.co.za
Tel: (021) 447 1280
(My upcoming seminar, “The Magic Experience: De-Mystifying Marketing For Entrepreneurs“, will include information about the best Power Poses for photographs, how this images can be used & how to ensure that you look fantastic in the shot.)
