An avatar is a small image used in internet forums and communities that is displayed to represent a member. It is usually displayed with each occurrence of the member's communication.

I've recently uploaded four new galleries of avatars for members to choose from.

Airline Staff – There are currently 18 avatars representing a male and female for each of the 9 jobs represented. These were custom made for our community.



Base Gallery – This is the default avatar gallery with several miscellaneous images.

Cartoons – So which of these characters best represents you? Choose from 79 cartoon characters.



Fantasy – Ok, this one might be a stretch but I chose 61 of the most conservative of the hundreds I found in this category just to give us a variety of male and female faces to choose from.



Flags – Choose your flag from this gallery representing 186 countries from around the globe.



You can also upload your own custom image or photo. It will be displayed at a maximum of 100 x 100 pixels but if the image you want to use is too big, it will automatically be scaled down when you upload it.

There are some fun sites for creating avatars too. Try http://meez.com/ to select your own character, hair style, background, and clothing.

I’ve changed the board to display a default avatar rather than none at all when a user has not selected one. This is to encourage all members to take a moment to select or upload one. This will really help to give the place some more character and help it to look more active, encouraging others to join in.

To select or upload an avatar, select the “My Controls” link from the top of the page. Select “Edit Avatar Settings” from the left hand menu under the “Personal Profile” heading.

Select or upload something that best represents you, is totally opposite, or is what you wish you were but most of all, have fun!