Last week I went out with a few friends to see Avatar 3D at the iMax. It was an amazing movie, aside from the 3D technology, that really captured the power of community. Not just the good ones, but the bad ones too. Most importantly, Avatar captures how to join a community simply by being seen.

Why You Need An Avatar On Twitter Right Now!

Would you speak to someone without a face? Of course not. So don’t expect others to talk to you if they can’t even identify who you are. It makes it easier to remember people when you have a face to go with that name. For some, it’s even easier to remember faces more than names.

Here’s what you need to do right now:

• Go to your Twitter Settings
• Upload your avatar
• Tweet about it!

Choosing An Avatar for Twitter

You should always add an avatar to the social profiles you create. Avatars are important for establishing your reputation in web communities. People need something they can I identify you with. For me, it’s my mohawk in my avatars. People are able to immediately spot me at conferences and the first thing they mention is my mohawk on Twitter versus my mohawk in person. To top it off, it matches my personality. The tone you get from my avatar is the same tone you get from me in person. Excited! Not to mention it flows with the tone of my tweets (@corvida).

Go through your photos and find one picture that really expresses what someone might see when they really look at you. Think about these questions on your quest:

• What’s your tone in person?
• How about your attitude?
• If they met you right how you act?

If you’re using social networks for business, people love seeing a photo of the real you with a little personality. If you’re a designer, your company’s logo would make a great avatar. Use a logo that showcases your companies skills and services within the design. If you’re avatar looks like spam (and your tweets), you might as well beat it kid.

I See You: Twitter Avatars, Avatar, and the Na’vi

Just as Jake Sully was an outsider to the Na’vi in Avatar because know one knew him, you will look like a virgin on Twitter without an avatar. Twitter avatars help to establish your reputation. Seeing your avatar next to great tweets helps build your credibility. They allow people to see you for YOU.

Twitter Avatar Checklist

• Make sure you stand out. My mohawk and baby face do the job.
• Make it consistent across most of your social profiles. I would hope you don’t have multiple personalities, so one picture should be enough.
• Use a photo specific to your community interests. See third paragraph of Choosing An Avatar For Twitter.

Need some inspiration a little more visual inspiration? Take a look at 100 extremely creative Twitter avatars. See you in the comments!