>Recently, an update was pushed now requiring all new accounts to upload a picture. So far, this has worked well. It is interesting to see new users having their profile picture linked to their messages from day 1.
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>On that, I would like to provide some benefits as to know why it is important or be seen as a benefit.
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>The Universal Thread has always adopted a policy to provide an interface allowing better interactions with other users and making it more real. As opposed to see an avatar picture and a username such as Mary799, this site is serious about the user's account image it projects and it helps to show that this site is doing a good job and users, in turn, are providing valuable content to an ever increasing knowledge base.
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>The goal would be to have all users to have a profile pictures. Actual users are not obligated to. But, if you have a minute, it would be greatly appreciated you upload one, if you do not already have one.
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>We have a bunch of new features about to be released, new incoming users from various locations, and it would certainly help to show them this site is quite interesting and it projects the feeling we are interacting with a person and not a username with a bunch of digits at the end.
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Without reading the thread, I'm going to tell you why I don't have a profile picture here or on any other VFP forum. One of the things that was most impressive to me back in the CompuServe days was how the community worked together without worrying about anyone's sex, race, ethnicity, etc. I can't tell you how many times I met someone and was totally surprised by that person's appearance. (At my first DevCon, someone I'd known online for several years read my name tag and exclaimed "Tamar, you're a woman!")

I think pictures make it too easy to form stereotypes, so prefer to not use one.

Tamar