1- Badges were useful too
2- Wasn't aware of this. Good.
3- Rules sometime have to be reformulated.. A Graphics Marketplace wouldn't add any improvement to the Forum itself but would be appealing to many Graphic designers to showoff their work. I don't know the stats, but i would say 50%+ of the community owns a Forum signature and a Profile picture. Avatars and Signatures/Banners will always be popular inside the Forums. Why not support the artists if they provide something that we do appreciate. Gfx has always been a huge part of any Forum. People always liked to "costumize" their profile.
4- Alright