"Avatar" has become the latest buzz word in the Net world, with major providers and portals launching new Web sites in their search for fresh revenue sources.
Originally a Sanskrit word denoting the incarnation of a god, an avatar in cyber lingo represents a computer graphic that appears on the Internet as a user's alter ego.
In an effort to attract chat pals or just to impress others, many users are willing to splurge when dressing up their Net aliases.