@anartist is correct.
Personally, I don’t look too much at the avatars – I find them small, and being both colour-blind and visually impaired, I take little notice of them (and thanks to Andrew and team for making them bigger when looking at the profile – that’s a great improvement – used to be it stayed tiny both in question and in profile – now I can see it without magnifying).
I like words. I love nicknames and am always curious as to the many creative possiblities in determining your avatar’s nickname. I read them, try to read into them; play on words, pun or typo even. Why a certain number (birthday, just the 75th Kevin etcetera) and then together with what they have written over a period of time – I connect the words with the nickname – and then real name, if I know it.
I have changed my account several times, starting with Zen. It was a mini-protest against the whole gamification of the site – but mostly out of personal frustration – I found myself glancing to the feed too often to see if I’d “won” anything – starting counting my lurve, GA’s and GQ’s – instead of just writing and chatting – as I’d loved for so long.
I do understand now that it was an inevitable advancement for the site to attract newcomers – especially younger people – who treat pretty much everything as a game on the internet. I hadn’t known any other QA sites – besides wis.dm (which didn’t have an awards feature) – but have since seen that they all do – some even pay you for points in some way. I understand this now.
But at the time, upon not quite reaching the 10k then subsequent 5k’s – so as to avoid the lurve parties and awards inherent, I’d leave and start anew.
This, I fear, has become hypocritical as well. So I shall remain zenele – little zen – until I die – or catch up to Astrochuck – whichever comes first.
If you like my (approx. 500 by now) questions, look for the Picard avatar, or twin dolphins – with Zen in the name (Zen. NewZen, Zen_Again…)
:-)