You are probably wondering what is up with that picture by your name when you post. It is called an Avatar. Avatars are small graphical images that you may choose in your profile.
Here's the list of currently available avatars:
If you have at least 1 post, you can choose these avatars:
Pippin
If you have at least 26 posts, you can choose these avatars:
Gimli
If you have at least 76 posts, you can choose these avatars:
Legolas
If you have at least 151 posts, you can choose these avatars:
Samwise
If you have at least 251 posts, you can choose these avatars:
Strider
If you have at least 401 posts, you can choose these avatars:
Frodo
If you have at least 601 posts, you can choose these avatars:
Gandalf
If you have more than 1001 posts, you may also specify your own custom avatar.