Avatars

In terms of the web world, an avatar is an electronic representation of yourself. There are many places on the web to design your own avatar, but for this program we recommend using Yahoo! Avatars as there are numerous clothing, background and style options available and it is absolutely free.

Click here to begin designing your own avatar (link will open in a new window so that you can view that page and the instructions on this page simultaneously). If you don't already use Yahoo! you will need to set up an account. Use the tabs at the top of the page to navigate between design features or use the search box to find a specific item (e.g. fish mask). You can make an avatar that resembles the "real you" or create an entirely new you (If only it were so easy!)

Once you have designed the perfect avatar, save your avatar and add it to your blog.
Add the avatar to your blog by downloading it to your computer and then uploading it to your blog:

Download

1. When you are on your Avatars.Yahoo.com page, go to "Home" tab and look at the right column. One of the options is: "EXPORT: Use your avatar in web pages and blogs and more." Click there.


2. Under the title you will see three links: "return to avatars main page", "export" and "download". Click "download".


3. Choose the large or small version of your avatar and then choose to use either JPG (more common format) or PNG. Click on your choice and then save the avatar on your computer.

Upload

1. From the "Dashboard" of your blog, click on "Layout"


2. Click on one of the "Add a Gadget" links.


3. Choose "Picture" from the list of options and click on the "+" button.


4. Add a title or caption (optional), and choose "From computer"


5. Click on "browse" button and navigate to the location where you saved your avatar


6. Click Save


7. Once the picture has been uploaded, you can drag and drop it within the layout page to the place where you want it to appear on your blog.

CHALLENGE (optional)

Exporting an image (in this case an avatar) using a URL or html can often be preferable to downloading as it does not take up space on your computer and will automatically update in your blog (or target location) when you make changes to it online.

Downloading was described above as not all avatar and image sites have an export option. Learning how to export can still be valuable so if you are interested, from the Avatars.Yahoo.com page, go to "Home" tab and look at the right column. One of the options is: "EXPORT: Use your avatar in web pages and blogs and more." Click there. From here you can try both the URL and Html options. NOTE: You must have the latest version of Adobe Flash and Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 or FireFox 3.o for your avatar to display correctly using either of these methods.

Here's how to export using Html:

1. When you are on your Avatars.Yahoo.com page, go to "Home" tab and look at the right column. One of the options is: "EXPORT: Use your avatar in web pages and blogs and more." Click there.


2. In the Center of the page, select whether you want to use the large or small version of your avatar and select JPG (more common) or PNG. Then one option is your avatar's HTML code. Copy (Control C) the code, and then return to your blog.


3. On Blogger Dashboard (seen when you first log in or there is a link in the upper-right corner) there is an option to edit posts, Settings, or Layout; Go to "Layout." You will see various page elements.


4. Click Add a Gadget from the page. From the pop-up box that opens, choose the item marked "HTML/Java Script


5. Paste (Control V) the HTML code into the Content box. Add a title in the title box if you wish.


6. Click Save Changes.


7. Back on the Layout page, you can drag and drop your page element/avatar to wherever you would like it to appear on your blog.

Using the URL option:

1. Follow step one above.
2. Follow step two above, except change the HTML option to URL.
3. Copy the URL from the box and return to your blog.
4. On Blogger Dashboard (seen when you first log in or there is a link in the upper-right corner) there is an option to edit posts, Settings, or Layout; Go to "Layout." You will see various page elements.
5. You can click on Add a Gadget and select "picture" instead of HTML/Java and follow the pop up box instructions for posting.
6. Back on the Layout page, you can drag and drop your page element/avatar to wherever you would like it to appear on your blog
7. You can also use the URL to place your avatar in the header if preferred (you cannot do this by drag and drop). Click on "edit" in the Header box and follow the instructions in the pop up box.

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