There are several other functions you can choose as your 'personal settings' which will override the default settings here.
We've always used a vertical stack of information about the individual who posted the message. (Name, Avatar, Title, etc. on the left side of the post)
Here's a link to show you the horizontal layout:
http://screencast.com/t/7AUd2Pfk21 To change your default, choose "Post Layout" under "My Stuff/Edit Preferences"