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Chat is all the rage these days, and the best way to keep in touch with friends, and maybe even family, is to use internet messengers like AIM or Yahoo. By using messengers or chat, you don't have to break your phone curfew, but you can still talk to your friends. Other places that are fun to visit are forums, discussion boards, and sites- communities like MySpace. The greatest thing about these sites is the opportunity to personalize your screen name by using avatars. Avatars are those little pictures that pop up by your name when you type or post.

As your avatar is your self portrait in a sense, it should reflect who you really are ' trendy, stylish, and beautiful. If you are anything like most of the girls in the world today, you probably change your mind about five times a day on what would truly reflect you, but there is a perfect solution for that ' use online paper dolls. Use these online paper dolls, such as the ones you find at The Doll Palace (http://www.thedollpalace.com) as avatars, and you will have endless style and image opportunities available. That way, you can change your online image as often as you change your virtual hairstyle.

Getting Started

To begin, you can use many of the provided dollmakers (http://www.thedollpalace.com/doll-maker/dress-up-games.php) and create your personalized avatar. Most of the activities on The Doll Palace require you to create an account, which is free. The folks at the Doll Palace seem to add new outfits and dolls on an almost weekly basis, so there is always something new to try out.

Saving you Avatar

Once you have your doll completed, whether you are punk or princess for the day, simply save her, and you will have the option to create an icon, or avatar, for any of the popular messengers or forums. If you need your best friend's approval before committing to an avatar, you can also email you doll to her so she can check it out and give you compliments or suggestions.

Creating the Avatar

Once the image is saved, and emailed as the case may be, to create the actual Avatar, you select 'Create Free Icon,' and go to town. A sizing box will appear that will allow you to frame your doll in the middle of a window, then save it again. Now the doll will be downloaded to your computer so that you can upload it into your messenger or forum.

Using the Avatar

There are no limits on the number of avatars you can create, so you can have one for every day of the week or every single one of you online boyfriends. Try on new hairstyles and outfits, then show how fashion-forward you are to everyone you talk to online. You are one totally stylish chick, and it's about time the whole world, or at least your buddy list, knew about it.