What do you think about using your username or avatar as a means of promoting your site? For example, your username could be "TheAwesomeForums," and your avatar could be your site's logo.
Do you think doing this helps promotion or hurts it?
My personal opinion is that, to take full advantage of a promotion or webmaster forum, you have to be seen as part of the community. If you are a recognizable member, then I think your signature links will get more clicks than if you brand your account based off of your website. It's all about having a reputation. If your reputation is good in a community, people will be interested in your site.
To me, user names and avatars that are unique and resembles human or anything else outside website logo and name give me an impression that I'm talking to real human. And I generally like to talk to them more, easier to make friends, and may help them more in return. I know it's weird, because even those who choose to user their website's name and logo are still human, but I can't really change that mindset, haha.
In any case I believe a webmaster/administrator of a site should take advantage of all advertising spaces available, there's no such as things as too much publicity when it comes to promoting a website. If you were a celebrity and had millions of followers as is and couldn't catch a break from the media that'd be different as there's no level of public downtime. But in regards to owning and trying to grow a community, use every space you can get.
I don't really mind when a username is something like ForumPromotion, for example, but ForumPromotion.net bothers me for some reason. I think it looks a little tacky and it kind of gives an impression that they don't really care about being a part of the community, only advertising their website.
I think it's not effective unless you join a promotion forum, but even then a unique username would be more favorable. When you see a username like mysitedotnet or something like that don't you automatically think about a bot?
Well that's what I see, I do not want to offend anyone by any means but that's my first impression when I see such a username.
I can understand why someone might want to use their site name. My user name is based on my admin account on lemon-sauced and my avatar is a pic I made for the site. I plan to expand on lemon man more and make him into amusing comic strips and maybe even mini movies lol.
