My Social Media Avatar

Posted by David on July 6, 2009 · Comments 

I was inspired to write this story after reading this great article by Gina LaGuardia on her blog.

In it Gina explains (much better than I could) what the 12for12k charity means to her and how important using the special avatar is for her. I strongly suggest you read what Gina has to say.

It got me thinking because people often ask me about my social media avatar and I don’t think I’ve ever done a very good job of explaining it. So here is an attempt to do so.

There are two parts to my avatar – the 12for12k design and the picture of me; both of these are important parts of what I do.

The 12for12k charity is something I really relate to. I’ve never really been involved in any charitable organizations before so this is all quite new to me. I’ve always used the excuse that I’m too busy or too broke to make contributions to anything – of course neither is really true.

Like many people I heard of 12for12k by coming across Danny Brown on Twitter. It seemed that everywhere I went, the guy in the cap was already there and (despite of the damage he does to the English language) I found I often related to what he had to say. As the founder of the movement, what Danny often had to say was that through 12for12k, a lot of ordinary each making a small contribution could really make a difference. Sounds good to me.

So since then, I’ve become an enthusiastic supporter of 12for12k which supports a different worthy charity each month. Sure, some appeal to me more than others but I think the movement is really important. We all get so much (a lot of it for free) from social media so there’s really no excuse at all not to give a bit back.

The photo of me is special to me as well. Our family has a wedding business. Photography for my daughter and I, hair and beauty for my wife.

Last year we shot a sunrise wedding at the summit of Mount Washington – the highest point in the north eastern United States. We were at the summit of the mountain at about 5.00 AM hoping for an outdoor ceremony. Of course, Mount Washington is famous for its bad weather so we were forced inside. The image of me was taken by my daughter on the steps of the Tip-Top House, a small building right on the summit where the wedding took place.

After the wedding we hiked down the mountain with the couple and their friends, an unforgettable experience.

So Gina is right – an avatar can be very important. Here are some images from the wedding.





Thanks for the inspiration Gina!

Oh, if you’d like to learn more about our wedding photography and beauty services, head on over to our UniqueDay Events site.

Related posts:

  1. Social Media – Over Hyped?
  2. Social Media – keeping it under control
  3. Social Media Icons

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  • David,

    Great story and thanks for supporting 12for12k.

    These photos from the wedding are incredible.. seriously, absolutely stunning!

    Thanks for pointing me to your post.

    Doc
  • David
    Hi Doc,

    Thank you for visiting and for commenting on the story. This was quite a
    wedding and it was great to have the opportunity to get some unique wedding
    images - even though my daughter and I were sore for a week afterwards. I'd
    do it again in a heartbeat.

    I'm enjoying supporting 12for12k as well. The idea of using social media to
    actually do something good is very appealing to me.

    Take care!
    David
  • David,

    What a great post! I'm touched to have "inspired" you to use your avatar to represent your passions. It's amazing how, even in the "world" of social networking, images speak volumes. Certainly, these photos of yours are amazing and serve to share an even greater picture -- literally -- of who you are: genuine, caring, and deeply touched by the beauty within others.

    Thanks for making my day, and for giving me some beautiful eye candy to see and read. :)

    Cheers!

    Gina LaGuardia
  • David
    Hi Gina,

    Thank you so much for stopping by. I really appreciate the very kind words.
    I so much enjoy all that I learn and the people I meet in the social media world. That's one of the things that is so nice about 12for12k - we get so much out of these networks (basically for free) that it is good to have the opportunity to give something back - especially to people who can't take advantage of all these things we tend to take for granted.

    I hope you have a great weekend.
    Cheers!
    David
  • Social media continues to gain in effectiveness as a way to build networks and communicate about the needs of nonprofits and NGOs. 12for12k is a perfect example of extending reach beyond traditional media in an effort to engage people around the world.
  • David
    Hey Mark,

    Thank you for the visiting. I agree that allowing people wanting to help nonprofits is one of the ways that social media can make a difference to many people.

    It is clear we are just starting to find ways to make this work, but the potential is fantastic.

    Cheers!
    David
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