Do Avatars Strongly Affect How Your Read a Person's Posts?

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It's me, isn't it!? Please tell me it's me!

I got a new one.

This is an interesting topic. A while ago, I thought about changing my avatar to the Israeli flag. This reflects my new interest in Middle Eastern politics, and since a lot of them revolve around Israel, its flag seemed like a good choice for an avatar.

However, most people seemed to want me to keep the Illinois Central logo. After a brief discussion in the Members Only thread, I scrapped the flag idea and kept the railroad logo.

So this leads me to my question: if I did change my avatar to the Israeli flag, would you have started reading my posts differently, or would it be "just an avatar"?

It is obviously a baby falling down the stairs. Look at the ratio of head height to body length and the other proportions of its body. My mother died as a result of a fall down my stairs while she was visiting me, so I don't find it as funny as you do, but I see why some people find it funny.

Still, I think if someone finds an avatar that reflects an aspect of his or her personality, he or she should keep it regardless of whether others would choose it for themselves or not. It is a personal decision that should be made only by the owner of the avatar.

The baby is what makes it funny.

I'm not sure actually.. but It does give it a bit of extra spice

I think I'm a Routemaster, but I'm actually a Person.

Almost to be expected, really... all those deliveries in one night?
The worst postal job in the world, not surprising he might go...



(edit: in a non-literal way my avatar does represent me very well, and is unlikely to change)

That *is* a relief, but I can't think of you as anything else now.

I'm too lazy to find a perfect avatar but I kind of like the one I have now. I feel like that sometimes, a bit... um, unstable.

I'd say that some avatars do affect the way I read posts, but above all they help me to remember the person who is posting. The baby (?) eternally falling down the stairs is one of the best, and funniest, it alwys cracks me up too.

Aspen wrote: It is obviously a baby falling down the stairs. Look at the ratio of head height to body length and the other proportions of its body. My mother died as a result of a fall down my stairs while she was visiting me, so I don't find it as funny as you do, but I see why some people find it funny.


I agree with you and I'm ashamed at myself for laughing at it, but surprisingly, I still do. It must be because I'm a bit cracked!

I've changed my avatar so many times that I can't remember what all the ones I've had are. I like to identify people by the avatar they use, so it's easy for me to tell who's posting if I recongnise their avatar.

I think people's signiture says even more about them.

True. Words can be put into a signature and it can easily be customised to an individual's liking. I mostly have quotes in mine.

I have had my avatar since joining. I am unlikely to change it.
I may be biased but I really like GalileoAce's avatar.
And I am waiting for danlo to get one.... :)

I've seen many people without avators when they've said they have them. I don't if it's the fire wall on this computer that I use that's blocking the images or they really have nothing at all. I only changed mine twice or three times since joining.