Default: I do not think it means what you think it means.

[hafital]

I changed my default icon yesterday. Maria's expression pretty much perfectly depicts my state of being. heh.

I noticed, though, that most people keep the same default icon for much longer than I do. I get ansty, need to change, feel stagnant, get swayed by a pretty picture, take your pick. On the other hand, I tend to keep the same group of icons for longer than those that are not my default; I hate letting go of icons and totally angst over them when I want to add a new one but need to get rid of an old one to do that. It's much harder now with only 15 icons, but I made that choice when I cut back on my membership to LJ.

At VVC I really noticed this, that people use their default icons as a stand-in for who they are, as a sign that they are speaking, or to tell people they are now posting, while I use my default icon to reflect where I am right now, emotionally, fannishly, etc., which changes relatively frequently. hm.


[Poll #1249875]

Comments

[cereta.livejournal.com]

Every so often, I think about changing my default icon, but it's not only kind of the essence of my LJ, but also it's...me. And really, how many people can say their icon is a cartoon of them drawn by their father-in-law?

[hafital.livejournal.com]

It is you! It's very much you. See, I'd feel like I couldn't change that icon, either, but I'd probably want to. hm.

[mosca.livejournal.com]

You should have given me ticky boxes!

My default usually reflects my current fannish focus, but it's a picture that represents me, too. When I was focused on Firefly fandom, it was happy Kaylee; now that I'm all about the ice skaters, it's happy Johnny Weir. In both cases, I've had people assume that I look like my default, too, since they seem to reflect my personality.

[hafital.livejournal.com]

Oh, you're so right, I should have used ticky boxes! I love your happy ice skaters. :D And, you're right, it does look like you.

[taraljc.livejournal.com]

I change mine once every few years. I think I had the TARDIS door panel, tho for about 3 years...

[hafital.livejournal.com]

My first year on LJ, back when I only had 3 icon spaces, I think I kept the same default for ages. Well, at least a year. Now, I go through them at once a month, I think, sometimes a bit longer.

[rhi]

I change my default icon a few times a year, but it's usually one of a core 15 or so icons that I use a *lot*. You know: it's says something about where I am or want to be, but my friends are likely to look at it and go, 'Yup, that's Rhi posting.'

[hafital.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I just realized, like last week, that that's what people do with their default icons. Or, I guess I knew that before, but never really thought about how I don't have a recognizable default icon. I mean, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't mean much, but it's interesting, in any case.

[rhi]

Mmm. I don't have a single default icon either, nor even a handful. But there's ten or fifteen that people usually will recognize as me, if that makes sense. Sorry, apparently I'm not coherent on this one tonight.

[hafital.livejournal.com]

:) No, I understand what you're saying! Well, you're right, since I do tend to use the same icons for posting a lot, even if I swap out my default all the time. hm.

[rhi]

Hmm, and I reverse that: I use all sorts of icons for posts, matching them to the post. I tend to use a batch of icons for most of my replies, however, whether to comments in my LJ or posts in other people's LJ. Those reply icons are the ones I tend to cycle through my default icon slot.

[yahtzee63.livejournal.com]

Who else would this be?

[hafital.livejournal.com]

hee! Very true. I think of you each time I see a pug. :)

[sherrold.livejournal.com]

When I had a paid account, I had a million pictures, and I used them as a sign of my mood, or you know, different ones for Meta, for Vidtalk, etc.

Now, as a freebie user, I have three icons. Three. Sob! So, I have me, I have me asking questions/favors, and one for vidding that I don't use nearly often enough.

There -- more than you wanted to know, yes?

[hafital.livejournal.com]

*hugs!* Shouldn't you get 6 icons for a free account? I thought they upped it.

I'm sure I'd still swap them out all the time, even with just 3. I used to buy the extra icon space and had over 100! That was, like, glutenous. *g* I still changed my default all the time, but I felt guilty about it because there were icons I had that I never used, like the icon (or the fandom? the character? whatever) would feel unloved because I forgot to use it. How's that for misplaced anxiety? lol.

[sherrold.livejournal.com]

Yes, I totally should get 6 -- or 6 hundred! I love icons, and I have so many of them, and I'm too lazy to figure out how to make a cool table, which you almost have to if you want to give them away...

(And you not wanting to hurt your icons feelings reminds me that when Laura first got TiVo, she didn't want to hurt its feelings by interrupting it when it was recording completely random things that she had no interest in. [g]

It was great seeing you at the con, sweetie!

[lferion]

*Deliberately uses the icon that is the default*

I have the same default icon I have had since I started on LJ, but I almost never use it -- I do think it says 'me' -- certainly to the people who've known me that long, and there are a couple of others that are nearly as personally identifiable. As gryphonrhi says above, I do associate icons with people/posters.

I tend to match icons to posts & comments, and I have a lot of icons.

Interesting question!

[unovis-lj.livejournal.com]

For my default icon, I try to use one that's seasonal or relevant to the month. I don't have as many emotional icons as I should, or even enough fannish ones (I think I have one D/M icon that isn't a Christmas one). But my default default is this one.