Avatars and Icons - Whats the difference?

[idzone]

Avatars and Icons - Whats the difference?

Can someone explain?

[YabbaDoo]

Well, on MSN, it's the same thing, I call it my D/P (Display pic etc)
She calls it my Icons
He calls it my avatar
Personal preference I guess.
But on MySpace an icon can be the online now or whatever, avatar is just more clear what you're talking about! :)

[mawt]

Like what yabbadoo said; It's pretty much personal preference except when talking about online-now icons.

[Mixi]

well I always thought avatars were defined as 100px by 100px and icons were 50px by 50px

[idzone]

I am not talking of 'online now' icons. Online now icons are just to show that a person is online. Whereas an icon can be put as a person's display pic.

So is the display pic called the 'icon' by some and 'avatar' by some?

Or would you define 'avatar' as animated images as in yahoo or the 'zwinkies'?

[Andria]

Icon to me is an AIM Icon and Avatar is an MSN av, forum av, regular av. I never called avs (100x100) icons.

AV:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e278/dollieblisstuff/av-2.jpg

ICON:

http://divine-music.net/aimicons/images/celebicon3.gif

I made those a while ago, that's what avs/icons are to me anyway lol

[YabbaDoo]

Yeah, but then again to other people it might be different you know.
I think it is kinda a personal preference thing more than anything lol

[Andria]

^ Yea it is, but I can't picture myself calling an avatar an icon, if that makes any sense.

[Maz]

The words are pretty much interchangeable.

But they do mean different things to different people. For example, people who make graphics a lot for graphics sites and such would use definitions like Andria said.
But on other sites an icon would be a 100x100 px, like for Live Journal, and an avatar would be whatever size a forum allows.

[mincioni]

I always wondered about this...

What is the normal intended use of a 100x100 icon in MS?

As a display pic, comment, profile image or ?

[xlove]

i always wanted to know this to lol

[sshjustkissme]

Same with Andria, when I think of icon, I think of aim icons, which are 48x48px. But when people say avatars, I either think MSN avatars (96x96px) or LJ ..icons. LOL, which are 100x100px

[minnseoelite]

I have always thought that icons can be anything on a webpage while and avatar is always the little pic that people use in forums with their usernames

[hprofits]

Where do you all get your avatars/icons from? i'd like to add some to my site but haven't ever seen anybody selling these.

[sshjustkissme]

^ I make mine. :]

[LazyAK]

Where do you all get your avatars/icons from? i'd like to add some to my site but haven't ever seen anybody selling these.

I have a collection from all over the net that I have asembled, that I would be willing to sell.

About 1500 of them in 11 categories.

[pacman0r]

theres no difference your all crazy.