We've seen Ellen DeGeneres in a variety of ways...doing standup, in a sitcom, on a talk show, as a fish in Finding Nemo, and now, as an avatar.  She was always the funny woman on TV – but we never really connected until we shot the breeze together for the first time last month, virtually that is. Ellen, a spokesperson for AmEx, put herself out there as an avatar, allowing users to pair up with her and do online comedy skits together in one of our latest applications. 

Here are a couple of funny examples...   a young singing turtle and a neurotic kangaroo.

Now Ellen put her Avatar on her own MySpace page.  Avatars and social networks are a perfect fit, especially if the avatar is "alive", animated and speaking.  We've seen a lot of users try out avatars in social networks, but most avatars do not speak or move much.  Compared to all of the multimedia widgets covering these social networks, what we've seen so far has been a bit stagnant.  Interactive applications like Ellen's joke workshop, storytelling platforms, and other consumer products soon to be launched will help Oddcast make 2007 a big year for talking avatars in social networks.