Some of us need our privacy. I have children and I work in a very conservative field (medicine) and I can't take the chance that some idiot will try to slap me with an "ethics violation" due to something minor (and not ethically wrong to ME) like posting on a sex site. It used to be a free county, but it really isn't anymore.

I'd like to ask the OP what she does for a profession (or what profession she is going to school for) where it wouldn't be a problem if an employer saw here in an Adult Industry site.

Eden has some standard avatars that people may use. I have my own avatar that is a drawing of a graphic novel character whom I identify with. (She also looks kind of like me, but my waist is not as skinny by a long shot.)

We do have the right to privacy for family, professional and private reasons.

I don't see how it makes a difference.

The internet is wide open. I don't put my real picture anywhere. Jobs are scarce the way they are, employers even look on people's Facebook pages to dig up dirt on them.

If you want to post your real pic and think it will never come back to haunt you, that's up to you, but some of us have family and profession to worry about, although we wish that society would lighten up a little. My posting my pic isn't going to make the entire nursing profession change. Nor will it change the Engineering profession my husband works in. Also, I want to protect my children.

Many of us are professionals and we need to maintain privacy. You don't know where you will be or what you will be doing five or ten years from now, but your pic and words connected to that pic will be accessible forever. Unless you work in Adult Industry (which would rock, but there aren't that many jobs) many employers like to play judgement with their potential employees. Also, some of our spouses work in professional fields and we need to maintain privacy for their safety, too.

It doesn't make any difference to me if people post their pics or not. If someone uses Eden's own avatars, that is also up to them. less

The only times this makes me stumble is when an established member has a generic avatar, and then a new poster is using the same avatar. More than once I've blinked and said "Wow, that doesn't sound like something txymxy would say!" or "That's not like sarki at all!" ... only to realize that it's not, it's just somebody with the same avatar.

PS: And my avatar's not me because I bike way too fast for anyone to take my picture less

When I go through the forums, the unique ones catch my eye and I pay attention to those posters more. You don't have to post a picture of yourself, but you will stand out if you have something different than everyone else.

Personally, I like the people who have a picture of themselves. It's nice to get an idea of that person when you're reading their reviews and forum posts. less

My only minor problem is what other people already said, confusing users because they have the same pic. I think I'll look at the generic choices and memorize them to make my life easier

It's the easiest for me when everybody uses one, unique avatar pic and keeps it forever - I don't care what's on it. I remember pictures better than user names.

I might use my picture here - I already have it on my Google account that's tied to my blog, where I'm tons more explicit than here. less

Oh and I didn't notice the option about "fake avatar" but I don't think a person with an avatar other than their face should be considered "fake". Like Shellz had mentioned, her avatar is her dog. Her dog clearly means a lot to her. I think avatars can represent a part of you, or something meaningful to you rather than just a head shot less

i read this, and then started thinking more deeply about it. you're totally right.

this isn't a dating site, and we're not meeting eachother in person. so what does a person's face really have to do with who they are? very little, if nothing at all.

it's certainly more appropriate for the purpose of identifying and getting to know people here (if that's what's bugging you about the repetitive unoriginality of some avatars) to make your avatar something you really like.

this isn't facebook. either.



i've made my avatar one of my face since i started. mostly because i'm narcissistic and vain.

less