My job, birdstrike, as both a new and very old TalkBoard member, is to ask a lot of questions, get a lot of input and then analyze the input and think about it as objectively as I possibly can.

So far the only negative that has been raised against avatars, by a very small group of folks, is that they personally like the uncluttered look. Well the off/on switch handles that problem with just a flick of the switch.

We are not even talking about general avatars, which I agree can be messy and distracting, but instead about small, personal head shots (similar to driver's license pictures) of FlyerTalkers to help us identify one another when we meet in real life and remember one another when we are posting. On the positive side, being able to put a face with a name will go a long, long way toward building and strenghtening our already amazing real-life community.

Thus far in this discussion, I see one strong positive and one weak negative, which has a very easy fix.

I can't even think about making a motion until tomorrow and then I am sure that there will be weeks of discussion before we approach a vote. In the meantime, I hope that lots and lots of FlyerTalk members will weigh in with their opinions.