diff --git a/avatar/management/__init__.py b/avatar/management/__init__.py
index 86befb0..e69de29 100644
--- a/avatar/management/__init__.py
+++ b/avatar/management/__init__.py
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-from django.conf import settings
-from django.db.models import signals
-from django.utils.translation import ugettext_noop as _
-
-if "notification" in settings.INSTALLED_APPS:
-    from notification import models as notification
-    
-    def create_notice_types(app, created_models, verbosity, **kwargs):
-        notification.create_notice_type("avatar_updated", _("Avatar Updated"), _("your avatar has been updated"))
-        notification.create_notice_type("avatar_friend_updated", _("Friend Updated Avatar"), _("a friend has updated their avatar"))
-    
-    signals.post_syncdb.connect(create_notice_types, sender=notification)
-else:
-    print "Skipping creation of NoticeTypes as notification app not found"
diff --git a/avatar/signals.py b/avatar/signals.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9394445
--- /dev/null
+++ b/avatar/signals.py
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+import django.dispatch
+
+
+avatar_updated = django.dispatch.Signal(providing_args=["user", "avatar"])
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/avatar/views.py b/avatar/views.py
index 385109e..68ae338 100644
--- a/avatar/views.py
+++ b/avatar/views.py
@@ -9,16 +9,9 @@ from django.contrib.auth.decorators import login_required
 from avatar.forms import PrimaryAvatarForm, DeleteAvatarForm, UploadAvatarForm
 from avatar.models import Avatar
 from avatar.settings import AVATAR_MAX_AVATARS_PER_USER, AVATAR_DEFAULT_SIZE
+from avatar.signals import avatar_updated
 from avatar.util import get_primary_avatar, get_default_avatar_url
 
-notification = False
-if 'notification' in settings.INSTALLED_APPS:
-    from notification import models as notification
-
-friends = False
-if 'friends' in settings.INSTALLED_APPS:
-    friends = True
-    from friends.models import Friendship
 
 def _get_next(request):
     """
@@ -39,16 +32,6 @@ def _get_next(request):
     if not next:
         next = request.path
     return next
-    
-def _notification_updated(request, avatar):
-    notification.send([request.user], "avatar_updated",
-        {"user": request.user, "avatar": avatar})
-    if friends:
-        notification.send((x['friend'] for x in
-                Friendship.objects.friends_for_user(request.user)),
-            "avatar_friend_updated",
-            {"user": request.user, "avatar": avatar}
-        )
 
 def _get_avatars(user):
     # Default set. Needs to be sliced, but that's it. Keep the natural order.
@@ -66,7 +49,7 @@ def _get_avatars(user):
     else:
         # Slice the default set now that we used the queryset for the primary avatar
         avatars = avatars[:AVATAR_MAX_AVATARS_PER_USER]
-    return (avatar, avatars)    
+    return (avatar, avatars)
 
 @login_required
 def add(request, extra_context=None, next_override=None,
@@ -87,8 +70,7 @@ def add(request, extra_context=None, next_override=None,
             avatar.save()
             request.user.message_set.create(
                 message=_("Successfully uploaded a new avatar."))
-            if notification:
-                _notification_updated(request, avatar)
+            avatar_updated.send(sender=Avatar, user=request.user, avatar=avatar)
             return HttpResponseRedirect(next_override or _get_next(request))
     return render_to_response(
             'avatar/add.html',
@@ -126,8 +108,8 @@ def change(request, extra_context=None, next_override=None,
             updated = True
             request.user.message_set.create(
                 message=_("Successfully updated your avatar."))
-        if updated and notification:
-            _notification_updated(request, avatar)
+        if updated:
+            avatar_updated.send(sender=Avatar, user=request.user, avatar=avatar)
         return HttpResponseRedirect(next_override or _get_next(request))
     return render_to_response(
         'avatar/change.html',
@@ -158,8 +140,7 @@ def delete(request, extra_context=None, next_override=None, *args, **kwargs):
                     if unicode(a.id) not in ids:
                         a.primary = True
                         a.save()
-                        if notification:
-                            _notification_updated(request, a)
+                        avatar_updated.send(sender=Avatar, user=request.user, avatar=avatar)
                         break
             Avatar.objects.filter(id__in=ids).delete()
             request.user.message_set.create(