Zeraph

Just curious. I almost always have both turned off because they distract me. Though every couple months I turn both on to see new ones.

"Some variation" is meant to describe if you change them back and forth over a period of time, like me, and hopefully you will explain your reasoning in this thread.

cierah

I just turned the avators on and I like 'em because they do distract me and that distraction helps me keep ppl seperate and helps me remember who said what. It helps to personalize the messages. If that makes sense....

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Zeraph

Yeah, that's my main negative in turning them off. They really do help personalize and get rid of some anonymity. But then again it's kind of nice to try and read each post with objectivity.

lite campfire

There are too many people here for me to remember everyone's name, remembering pictures is easier, and sigs are often witty. (But then I don't learn to recognize the faceless, like... me, for example).
This would work, except people here change their avatars so often. It's confusing.

MsNobody

I love avatars. They represent you in a way, that your words could not.

Gilda

Turned on when at home, turned off (along with pictures) while at work. A lot of NSFW stuff shows up in Avatars, Zeraph's for example.

I keep them on at home because I can recognize the pictures more quickly than a name. Sigs I can take or leave.

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Seeker

I always have them both turned on.. I'm usually at home when I'm here and I find they both help me to remember who says what.. I found it difficult to find an avatar to have as a permanent one.. so I can understand how you can have a pic to represent how you feel at the time, but I wanted something that I didn't feel I had to change.. something constant because it helps me recognise the people here too.

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stevie667

I have both on, like people have said before, it makes it much easier to immediatly see who's posting.
I don't know about anyone else, but as soon as i realised i had an avatar and custom title, my involvment in the TFP sky rocketed on a personal level. Feels like i'm more a member of the community, as people will see my little Enterpise being built in some shipyard woefully illequiped for it, they know to stand well back and take everything i say with a salt mine

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Rodney

Doesn't matter to me whether they're on or not. I don't think they're important. I usually leave them on.

I've been here a while, and I've never even bothered with an avatar myself. When I first became acquainted with the TFP, seemed like the majority of avatars were porn-based, and that didn't say anything to me. Later, that changed, but I couldn't see the point. It's like having a bumper sticker or wearing a t-shirt that shows some band or political candidate that you identify with -- and I never bothered with that, either.

MSD

I keep both on because I have a minor case of obsessive-compulsive disorder and it bothers me when there's nothing there for anyone.

Slavakion

I keep avatars on because they become a picture of the person in my mind. Something to recognize them by. *glances at thread* Even if that happens to be anime, abstract art, or whoever that is in MSD's avatar. I have sigs on because they occasionaly entertain me.

guthmund

I keep both of them on.

Like most apparently, I'm a very visual person. Since I can't hear the voices behind the words, it's easier for me to keep track of who's who by their avatars.

The signatures work the same way. I recognize bolded or italicized words or perhaps how the signature is formatted and that helps me make my way through each thread.

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No signature. None. Seriously.

Elphaba

I can't read your signature. Sorry.

Redlemon's sig line.

tiltedbc

These FUCKERS who control this board won't let me have an avatar so I just decided to turn them all off.

The only way to deal with control freaks is to take away that little bit of control they have. hahaha.

mokle

My general observation about the TFP is that members without avatars are usually ignored.

I have them turned on.

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Mokle
"Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see" -Ali