My last post titled SezWho Promotes Interaction On Your Blog got an interesting comment by Brian of Domain Structure, who on a side note has a great list of sites who use the “do follow”, that basically states that providing an actual picture of myself, rather than a random avatar, would help to build trust with our readers. Whilst I agreed with him I said that the avatar I have used since the very beginning could almost be seen as part of my ‘branding’ and that I couldn’t possibly change it.
Then I got to thinking that perhaps Brian was right and there was a way around this dilemma. All I had to do was take a black and white photo of myself striking the same pose. So out comes my trusty Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX50 digital point and shoot camera and with the aid of my son Frank we took some photos. Unfortunately the flash wasn’t very becoming and even after playing around with Paint Shop Pro I still wasn’t satisfied.
Those that know me know that I am very impulsive and the only thing that I will wait patiently for is sex and that is only because that is the only way I will get any. So out comes the Sony DCR-SR300 digital camcorder which has a 6.1megapixels still photo capabilities. As my son had left by now and I didn’t want to bother him again, I mounted it on my new Manfrotto tripod and got ready for action.
The beauty about the Sony is that it comes with a remote control and I was able to zoom in and out whilst posing and after a couple of manipulations with the tripod I was ready to go. I then loaded the best of the photos onto the computer and with the help of Paint Shop Pro I produced a new avatar of yours truly as well as a new favicon.
As you can see from my new avatar I definitely have nothing up my sleeve and so the avatar just oozes trust worthiness, not to mention a fair amount of sexual appeal. My only problem now is to keep all the women from trying to contact me in order to gain sexual favors. 
[eminimall]
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Tagged with: Lumix • Paint Shop Pro • Sony
Filed under: Blogging Tips
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I think what you have done is an excellent idea. Creating a photo of your self but still keeping it in the same aspect of your avatar. Brilliant idea.
Webmasters Worlds last blog post..Duplicate Content Penalty
Twitter: AussieSire
I am known to have a moment of brilliance or two, just not that many.
Great stuff, and now we know what Sire looks like for sure. Course, if I could get the avatar thing correct on my own, I’d have my picture with my comments, but anyone who wants to see me can look at my business blog.
Course, who’d want to see that? lol
Mitchs last blog post..The Big Blogging Names Aren’t Dofollow
I like the new photo-avatar, Sire.
Lately, I’ve been noticing these things more than I have in the past, and it’s probably due to joining SezWho. I don’t really know.
I have learned that I like to see people’s real photos rather than drawings or icons and I prefer real names to handles. I’m not sure why it makes a difference; perhaps it just feels more personal, like talking with a friend rather than interacting with a stranger.
I think it was a stroke of genius to make your photo look so much like your previous avatar. Well done!
Act on your dream!
JD
John Dilbecks last blog post..Twitter Updates for 2008-09-16
Twitter: AussieSire
And you being such a handsome bloke and all Mitch. So, my post couldn’t convince you to join SezWho?
No, not yet; still thinking about it, though.
Mitchs last blog post..Be Responsible For Your Own Life
Twitter: AussieSire
Damn it Mitch, why don’t you lean over some so that I can twist your arm a little. :grin1_ee:
Let’s not and say we did. LOL
Mitchs last blog post..Be Responsible For Your Own Life
Twitter: AussieSire
What can I say John, having a hunky torso and handsome good looks made it a whole lot easier :tongue_rolleye_ee: otherwise I wouldn’t have attempted it.
Actually, I was a little worried that it wasn’t going to work out, but I am pretty happy with the results. As for the name, I can’t see me changing that anytime soon. It would be like killing my blogging persona.
Great looking photo.
As far as fighting off the women, I am almost sorry I shot you down, earlier. But I don’t think my husband would have been too happy if I didn’t.
While a photo can be good, there are times when it can work against you.
I can’t remember which advice columnist used a photo of his grandmother and wrote under a female pseudonym, but he did it because married women wouldn’t want to read an advice column, especially marriage advice, written by a young single guy.
Way back in the 20′s my grandmother was a newspaper reporter for a major newspaper that wrote under the byline of the publisher’s son, mainly because nobody would consider serious news reporting as credible, if they knew a woman was writing it. Back then, women only wrote articles in the cooking, advice, and gossip sections…never about murders, mobsters, and politics, and never appearing on the front page.
Some of that kind of thinking lingers today in some ways, and it could be in your best interest not to spoil any preconceived notions people might have about you, if it’s already working in your favor.
Imagine seeing a pic of what looks like a 12 year old kid and reading material that seems like it has the wisdom of the ancients. One could get the impression the guy isn’t for real or that he’s stealing his material from somewhere else. The photo wouldn’t lend too much credibility.
In the case of someone young but wise beyond their years, I might opt for a pic of an old man/woman rather than my own, just to be taken seriously.
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Twitter: AussieSire
App, you make very valid points, but as I don’t have to prove anything and as the photo is fairly close to my original avatar, I reckon I can live with it. I reckon people will accept my style of blogging for what it is regardless of what image I use as an avatar.
As for shooting me down, I probably deserved it.
Blog avatar can be an advantage and a disadvantage (as stated before). You can never know which nations are visiting your site, so If you ask me – business related avatar, a picture of an object or an image of something related to your business (I couldn’t come up with a better way of explaining this – what if your business is SEO)
By the way, nice picture, I hope it will produce the desired effect ;)
Twitter: AussieSire
Only time will tell whether the effect is favorable or not, but I have noticed that most of the so called ‘pro bloggers’ have a photo of themselves as an avatar. I suppose it’s a step in the right direction.