Aloofguru wrote:are you still on there?
I have an account but use it without the chat just to play around with clothes for the most part. Actually, the only people I have chatted with there in the last year are my husband, fun way to spend time together when away from home or a girlfriend of mine who is a transgender woman. In her case it is an ideal use of an avatar chat giving her a body she wishes she was born with and an opportunity to have a large wardrobe inexpensively.
I agree with the others that have said a simple text only chat is more to their tastes. When I want to talk with my friends online I think of them as they are and like to focus on their thoughts rather than trying to keep track of little talk bubbles above people's heads. I think there is a text chat button somewhere in the IMVU window but I can't remember if I ever used that or not. Anyway, there are lots of text only ways to chat online that do run simpler and smoother.
Though for IMVU play I'll share what I've learned in the past year. First the daily links for credits, promotional credits only so you can only spend them on your avatar but not for buying gifts for others which takes credits bought with real money. Make sure you are logged in to do these.
[*]Free Spin- may give you nothing, 17, 132, or 5000 credits and can be done once every 24 hours[*]
http://www.imvu.com/catalog/web_spinfree.php
[*]View the New Products Page which gives you 50 credits and can be done once every 24 hours[*]
http://www.imvu.com/catalog/products_new.php
Also when looking at products make use of the "Try It" button to view the item on your avatar. I have much more in my wish list there than my bought inventory because just using the wish list as a way to keep track of what I like to put on works for me. Since I use IMVU to play by myself putting different outfits together I don't need to buy them to enjoy the pieces.
Sasquatch, I too am wondering about the effect the looks of these avatars has on teens. While escapism is fun you don't want them getting into the trap that what they really look like is not good enough. While I don't know about male options there the curvaceous avatar for women is something I've gotten for times I want to look more like myself. As in real life though clothes for one body size won't fit the other so it can be tough finding something I like that isn't too tight and tarty made for the curvaceous avatar.
On the other hand I see avatar communities like IMVU as a safe way for men to have the experience of being skirted in public even if that is not something they do in real life. As Skip mentioned, there are accepting people out there and that is good to know. Sometimes too accepting perhaps, skirts can be seen as a kink and that might be attention you don't want.
There is a big selection of male skirts although many lean pretty far toward the kinky end of the spectrum...but that's allright for my own alter-ego. 
