I like Avatars. They add some character to what would otherwise be just another boring looking forum. Most people pick an avatar associated with their gender, though not always. Some prefer ambiguous ones. If someone wants to use a picture of themselves, I have nothing against that. I'm too shy to post my picture in a public forum, not to mention I wouldn't want to run any of you off, LOL I'm female so tend to go with "girly" avatars. The one I selected to use is part of an image from my gallery. I have made others and will change them periodically just to add some variety. But I really like the one I'm using now so will probably stick with it for a long while.

"It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never
able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us.
This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good
heart whatever they might have to say." - Ghandi