Photos are optional. It's just easier for people to follow a discussion when not everyone looks the same. Any kind of graphic can achieve the end result.
Beginning tomorrow and through this weekend, if necessary, I will begin the culling of our membership numbers. Don't worry; if you've posted even once, you're safe, and I give people at least six months to make their first post before culling them, and maybe a year if they have an avatar. I am posting this only so you'll know what's happening when the membership numbers start dropping.
As someone has already mentioned, one of the popular forum sites is closing at the end of this month. You may see a surge in new members then. It's interesting that they had a problem with people joining but not staying very long. Personally, I think it was because the censorship was too stifling. It didn't allow for a proper, balanced discussion.
I think everyone has that problem, and some forums inflate their number by keeping them, while others go further than I do, and remove people who haven't been on in a specified number of days. A lot of people join a forum but then forget that they had joined or decide they weren't interested after all and never come back.
Okay, I got a late start, but we have a nice round number to begin with. Currently, we have precisely 900 members. Let the culling begin.
A-C brought us down to 853. As stated last year, I keep a running total here as much to remind myself of where I left off as to inform. Those with even one post remain. Those who have not posted but who have an Avatar will remain if they've logged in within the last year. Those who have not posted and do not have an Avatar will remain if they've logged in within the last six months.
I'm so ruthless that I removed my aunt. She signed up a few years ago but never logged in again. Due to rampant nepotism around here, I gave her a couple of years, but she's gone.