In the online world an avatar is your identity, the only difference between an avatar and your body is that you can't change the latter. Online you get to have the identity you want, so ensuring you get it just right is vital. Many people choose to participate in forums and social sites such as Myspace without evening selecting an avatar; however this is a big mistake. An avatar is the way by which you remember people online, how many times have you visited a forum and not recognized the person's name but remember their avatar? The chances are more than once, and whether you like it or not the chances are that the avatar gave you an insight into their personality, way of thinking and the way in which you interpreted their contribution.

If you want to stand out from the crowd, choosing an avatar is vital. With so many free avatars in animated and static form, there really is no excuse for not making an impact where you go on the web. If you go to Google or another search engine and perform a search for “free animated avatars” or “free avatars” you will be presented with a host of options that are all copyright free, meaning you can use them without fear of getting into trouble. When you are presented with a host of options, you should be careful in which one you pick.

Remember that whichever one you choose will say something unique about you. If you have a particular passion for music then you will perhaps be considering an avatar that indicates that. On the other hand, if you have an artistic side, you might feel that a certain avatar entices you because of its artistic qualities. Both of the examples above show a means by which you can express yourself online, and give others an indication of what makes you tick and what your personality may be like.

If you feel that you an uncomfortable with expressing yourself though an avatar, then there is a solution. Because it is still important that you have unique, identifying features, why not uploads a picture of yourself and use it as your avatar? Usually your picture taken on your digital camera will be too large a file to use as an avatar, so simply put it into Microsoft paint and edit the picture until it is around 100kb (some forums may require a larger or smaller avatar, however 100kb is generally a good call). Now people will be able to tell make you out from the noise.

Uploading an avatar is usually simple; however it can vary from community to community on the web. If you are having problems with a specific forum or social site then you should consider emailing support, you will be surprised by how helpful they can be; they may even offer to upload it for you if you are really lucky! Good luck selecting your free animated avatar.