a kind of relation, between the representer and the thing represented

a set of syntactic and semantic conventions that make it possible to describe things

Peirce] A basic principle of semiotics; refers to a sign standing for something other than itself. In Peirce's words, "That character of a thing by virtue of which, for the production of a certain mental effect, it may stand in place of another thing. The thing having this character I term a representamen, the mental effect, or thought, its interpretant, the thing for which it stands, its object." Links: [S4B] representation.

The ability of pictures to represent a real thing.

All aspects of an avatar's appearance. This includes such things as geometric description language (VRML or otherwise), relative sizes of avatars (scaling and complexity), decency controls, copyright controls.