I tried the code shown in the OP with a smilie sized .gif that I have. The .gif image displays in front of the username as expected, but it doesn't scale with the size of the text.
When I hover over the username in the who's online, the "profile pop-up" displays the username in a "large" font and the .gif image I selected is almost the right size (just slightly too tall). Inside the who's online block, the text is "small" and the .gif is cut in half (same issue with username/.gif display next to posts).
Is there an easy way to ensure the image scales with the text (or container) size?
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