diff --git a/api/js/etemplate/et2_widget_selectbox.js b/api/js/etemplate/et2_widget_selectbox.js
index 86d43652b7..a0e035949c 100644
--- a/api/js/etemplate/et2_widget_selectbox.js
+++ b/api/js/etemplate/et2_widget_selectbox.js
@@ -237,8 +237,9 @@ var et2_selectbox = (function(){ "use strict"; return et2_inputWidget.extend(
 
 	change: function(_node, _widget, _value) {
 		var valid = this._super.apply(this, arguments);
+		if (!this.input) return valid;
 		var selected = this.input.siblings().find('a.chzn-single');
-		var val = _value && _value.selected ? _value.selected : this.value;
+		var val = _value && _value.selected ? _value.selected : this.input.val();
 		switch (this._type)
 		{
 			case 'select-country':
@@ -551,6 +552,19 @@ var et2_selectbox = (function(){ "use strict"; return et2_inputWidget.extend(
 				chosen.addClass('cat_'+this.value);
 			}
 		}
+		if (this._type == 'select-country' && this.options.tags)
+		{
+			var selected = this.input.siblings().find('a.chzn-single');
+			if (selected && selected.length == 1 && _value)
+			{
+				selected.removeClass (function (index, className) {
+					return (className.match (/(^|\s)flag-\S+/g) || []).join(' ');
+				});
+				selected.find('span.img').remove();
+				selected.prepend('<span class="img"></span>');
+				selected.addClass('et2_country-select flag-'+ _value.toLowerCase());
+			}
+		}
 		this._oldValue = this.value;
 		if(this.input !== null && (this.options.tags || this.options.search))
 		{
diff --git a/api/templates/default/css/flags.css b/api/templates/default/css/flags.css
index f141a08f25..a4c2ea9290 100644
--- a/api/templates/default/css/flags.css
+++ b/api/templates/default/css/flags.css
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
 	margin-right: 10px;
 }
 
+.et2_country-select.flag-0 span.img,
+.et2_country-select.flag- span.img,
 .et2_country-select.flag--custom- span.img{
 	background-image: none;
 }
diff --git a/api/templates/default/etemplate2.css b/api/templates/default/etemplate2.css
index 74b6e398e9..b1ab619450 100644
--- a/api/templates/default/etemplate2.css
+++ b/api/templates/default/etemplate2.css
@@ -2881,6 +2881,12 @@ tr.dialogHeader2 td {padding-top:15px;}
 	box-shadow: 0px 0px 10px 2px #888888;
 }
 
+/*Posion the selected flag better*/
+a.chzn-single.et2_country-select span.img {
+    color: transparent;
+    top: -4px;
+}
+
 .et2_avatar {
 
 }
diff --git a/preferences/inc/class.preferences_hooks.inc.php b/preferences/inc/class.preferences_hooks.inc.php
index 4750c3fa2d..42f8126009 100644
--- a/preferences/inc/class.preferences_hooks.inc.php
+++ b/preferences/inc/class.preferences_hooks.inc.php
@@ -261,6 +261,7 @@ class preferences_hooks
 				'help'   => 'In which country are you. This is used to set certain defaults for you.',
 				'xmlrpc' => True,
 				'admin'  => False,
+				'values' => array(''),
 				'default'=> strtoupper($country),
 				'attributes' => array (
 					'tags' => true