I certainly did ask Del to publicise the new forum, so hopefully there will be an upsurge in interest when the next magazine starts landing on the doormats.
In terms of your missing avatar, did you remember to hit the blue “Update Profile” button on the bottom of your profile page? It’s not an obvious thing to have to do, seeing that you already clicked “select” on the previous screen. Give that a try, and see if it helps.
Meanwhile, for everyone else, here’s a step-by-step guide to uploading a personalised avatar instead of the whirly pattern the system generates for you.