Comment 16 for bug 812728

A checkbox sound best in my opinion, like the battery-option. To make it consistent with the battery-indicator, the option should be placed right above "Online Accounts" but in the same group, and the text should probably be "Show Name in Menu Bar".

If you hide the name, only the icon would be visible. I don't think it's necessary with some alternate text. A part of the "problem" as I see it is that the text takes up unnecessary space in the panel.

Regarding the icon: I think the current icon resembles user-relations more than a pawn among most users :-) Google uses a similar icon in Google+, Facebook uses it to indicate friends (as opposite to public). It has also been the previous default "avatar" in the Evolution address book. Anyway, it's not easy to make an icon that small without loosing some details.