How do you encourage new users to set up an avatar?

A question for the forum pros around here -- how do you encourage new users to set up an avatar on their account?

I feel like a community comes across as much more vibrant and interactive when the majority of users have avatars set for their accounts.

Currently we send all new registrations an automatic PM telling them about our forum rules and a link to where they could set up their avatar, but that's about it.

Does anyone have any tips on how we could get more users to start using avatars?

 

I don't bother. Most forum members do set their avatars. Few who don't either don't really fancy the feature or don't plan on being too active anyway.

 

I usually don't, when they see they need one, they tend to upload their own. We don't have a default avatar or anything[its just a background]

 

I always thought that most users with the intentions of staying on a forum would upload an avatar. It's part of a user's identity and honestly adding an avatar is one of the first things I do when I join a community.

 

I won a RP forum. Though we donot impose any strict regulations regarding adding an avatar, we would most definitely like to see members adding them. Since ours is a RP forum and each character they make would have different appearances, all members, irrespective of staff requesting them to do so or not, will put up an avatar. Rather than representing a member of themsleves, our members think that an avatar represent their character. That said, I am sure you understand that mine is a community that needs to whining about the avatar!

 

I don't they usually do it, if not it doesn't really bother me. Active members will almost always add a avatar eventually once they really start to like your forum.

 

I don't really encourage them at all. Sure, it would be nice if they all had different avatars to make things seem more original, but I know some newcomers wouldn't feel comfortable with me telling them "Hey, pick a damn picture!". If they want to change their avatars, it's already a simple task anyone can do, so... do it anytime you feel like doing it :p

 

It's rare that would need to recommend one anyway. As others said, most do it on their own anyway or have no intentions of ever doing it. Occasionally I'll see a regular who has been around for a long while and doesn't have an avatar, and I'll mention it to them casually that they should. I don't tend to take the time to do that, though.

 

Most of the users shall upload their avatars on their own. If they dont upload it simply means that they do not like to have an avatar on their own. Well most dont, and as for others, they simply dont know.

In certainly forums I had even seeing the forum admins paying members to do such small tasks, like liking their page, installing the Alexa toolbar and even uploading an avatar. That can encourage them to use one.

 

I have some avatars members can select from on my website as an easy option to get started with. ​

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Sometimes members are not only new to your forum but also new to the whole dynamics of participating in a forum. In that case, they have a lot to learn and get used to and may not always know how to download a custom avatar. I would suggest creating a helpful tutorial on how to download an avatar and perhaps include some helpful links in their welcome message to where you have have your help and guide section for your forum, if you have something like that. I need to re-develop my guide and tutorial section.​

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I agree, avatars give the user some sense of identity and likewise, other users easy recognition to who is posting.​

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Blimey, I never created an avatar here at Admin Talk, I guess I better do that right now! ​

 

I just created this plugin
http://www.forumediainc.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1002#post1002

Its for vB4. I will release it for vB3 in the coming days

 

For you vB3 people, I just released a version here too
http://www.forumediainc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=244

Put an annoying avatar and people will click it to change it


Rick