Salute

A salute is a photo taken by internets users, especially LiveJournal users, to verify their identities. The salute photo usually includes a full face shot and a message including the individual's username and some stupid community-specific phrase. Lined notebook paper is a favored material for the message, the idea being that messages on lined paper are immune from Photoshop and are therefore infallible identity devices.

A bored guy and his notebook especially for salutes.

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The salute was probably invented by a camwhore as a way to show off to a captive audience. Though completely useless when compared to sharing IRL dox, it also carries less danger of identity theft. Salutes have become an initiating device into many different LJ communities.

One of the quickest ways to bring internet drama to an otherwise happy community is to require all current members to produce an original salute or risk being banned. The drama comes in two flavors: those who seek to find the most offensive way to create their salutes, and those who call a waaaambulance because they don't have access to a digital camera and are therefore being excluded. If the requirement of a salute doesn't cause enough drama on its own, moderators and other community members can amplify the situation by accusing posters of certain salutes of being posers.