How Do Avatars Affect Your Perception Of Posts?

[Chandrasekhar]

I think it's always a good idea to have a nonstandard avatar. I used to have the GS from the nuke project in CIV as my avatar, then I decided that I needed something more distinctive, and chose the protagonist of Madness Combat as my avatar.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

And if they change their name and their avatar?

We require people who have changed their usernames to state so in their sigs for a while.

 

[Irish Caesar]

We require people who have changed their usernames to state so in their sigs for a while.

Would this be Forum Rule Number XIII?

 

[Elta]

This is all very strange to me - I am actually Ivete Sangalo.

 

[Ingvina Freyr]

Many interesting answers so far! As many of you have pointed out, sigs and usernames are also very important factors as we jump to conclusions, but text is less delusive IMO.

ABOUT A POSTER
It seems as if mating is most important to us, since we primarily try to find out the gender of the poster first. Then we try to seek out if it is a friend or an enemy (politics), and after that comes religion and culture.

ABOUT A POST
I would like to read more answers on this issue. How much to you think your subconsciousness affect you when a person with Bozo the Clown as avatar is seriously stating an historical fact not previously known to you? The example in the OP is not serious of course, but what if it was? Would you be more willing to believe it, if a poster with a professor as avatar stated it?

 

[GenMarshall]

ABOUT A POSTER
It seems as if mating is most important to us, since we primarily try to find out the gender of the poster first.

Somehow when I started using women avatars (Mainly from anime and manga) that people oftenly confuse me as a female

Then we try to seek out if it is a friend or an enemy (politics), and after that comes religion and culture.

Well, it seems that I am at a disadvantage here because currently I am still reviewing my own political stance. :-/

 

[PrinceOfLeigh]

Well, it seems that I am at a disadvantage here because currently I am still reviewing my own political stance. :-/

That will only put you at an advantage with those who believe that changing your mind is a sign of weakness rather than the sign of maturity which it actually is.

You may also find that people debate with you more because they know that you are the kind of person who will evaluate something before coming to a decision, rather than just declaring your stance based on established Left / Right, Religious / non-Religious, reasoning.

 

[Narz]

That hippie chick probably has a broader view than the old-school military dude.

 

[GenMarshall]

That will only put you at an advantage with those who believe that changing your mind is a sign of weakness rather than the sign of maturity which it actually is.

I have always thought and been told that changing one's views/mind is a sign of instability and a flip-flopper. (I have made it my New Years resolution to be more stable and be precived less of a flip-flopper.)

 

[Narz]

I have always thought and been told that changing one's views/mind is a sign of instability and a flip-flopper. (I have made it my New Years resolution to be more stable and be precived less of a flip-flopper.)

Better to change a stupid opinion than hold firmly on to it as it is battered to and fro by the forces of logic.

Here's a quote by rmsharpe's hero Mahatma Gandhi - “My commitment is to truth not consistency.”

 

[PrinceOfLeigh]

I have always thought and been told that changing one's views/mind is a sign of instability and a flip-flopper. (I have made it my New Years resolution to be more stable and be precived less of a flip-flopper.)

That perception is not one the I agree with. It's nothing to worry about on an internet forum, to each their own, but especially in politics the desire to avoid being labelled as a 'flip-flopper' has show itself to create a situation whereas politicians will continue along a path which is obviously wrong but will refuse to look to new ideas as it's an indication they are admitting they were wrong.

If they can't admit they were wrong, they should resign.

 

[Ingvina Freyr]

That hippie chick probably has a broader view than the old-school military dude.

I believe you, since you are the King.

 

[Stylesrj]

When I chose the Navy SEAL Avatar, I chose it because it my my favourite cIV unit. Latero n in the forums, I found many other people using the Navy SEAL (Nuclear Kid, The Navy SEAL as I can remember) so I decided that I wanted to keep the SEAL in, but change it around. Borrowing Perfection's idea (and many other ideas) I put otheri mages onto my avatar, such as a Soviet hat and a Stalin moustache and calling myself a Communist.
Right now, as you can see, I look like a Praetorian got mixed with the SEAL.

Anyway, back onto topic, I used to mistake CivGeneral for a woman (even my brother Stylesjl did that, but I told him CivGeneral wasn't a woman) because of those avatars. If I see the same avatar on two different people in the same topic, it can confuse me because I look at the avatar more than the name and this forces me to use the name to tell them apart. The avatar really distinguishes the poster from the others, and so can really long names

 

[The Last Conformist]

That hippie chick probably has a broader view than the old-school military dude.

A hippy with broad views? That's a contradiction in terms.


Avatars certainly affect how I preceive new posters - eg. aggressive avatar suggests insecurity - but for regulars they're mostly just recognition.

I still despise crossgender avvies. Stop it, dammit!

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Would this be Forum Rule Number XIII?

No. And I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

 

[The Last Conformist]

I still think of you as "XIII", if that's any consolation.

 

[El_Machinae]

I'll use specific examples; because they work.

Well, I've always assumed that Fifty is kidding, whenever he doesn't make much sense (or if it would be funny if it was assumed to be kidding). And that's mainly due to his avatar.

On another forum, someone had the American UN delegate as his avatar (the guy with the bushy mustache, in a bossy pose): I always assumed the fellow was arguing.

I used to think that Newfangle was a sanctimoneous butt, with his fedoraed avatar.

And you can always spot the sciency people with their avatars

 

[Abaddon]

how do people see me then?

 

[The Last Conformist]

And you can always spot the sciency people with their avatars

Perf is probably the most aggressively sciency poster here ...

how do people see me then?

I see you as a Slozenger.

 

[Abaddon]

damnation!