I think we should have them, but turned off by default. I don't see how anyone could have an issue with that.

Brian doesn't have the time to do the extra coding for that.

...it requires extra coding? Pretty sure it's a built-in.

I don't think it would be anything more than a few mins of looking to find the necessary code to edit to change it to off by default...

Somehow, with the probably hundred or so coders that lie in the depths of Massassi, we don't have the time between any of us to do a bit of extra coding. (Okay, maybe not a hundred, but still). I know Brian's a busy guy--but outsourcing never hurt anyone

-reads Brian's earlier post-

Ah...this is what I get for not reading the whole thread first.

Anyway I tend to agree with Freelancer with regards to lurkers and avatars. It might actually be an incentive for some of them to sign up. :p

I'll put aside the fact I don't agree with pleasing the lurkers first...but how long could it really take? And, couldn't someone else simply do it?

I'm not pleasing anyone first. Whether you fancy schmancy "registered" users like it or not, there are many, many people that contribute to this site that aren't on the forums or that don't actively participate in the forums. There are others that don't visit any other part of the site. Honestly, I think avatars are pointless, annoying, and completely ruin the look and consistency of the forums. There's no quality control. If it was 100% up to me and I didn't take any other opinions into consideration, I would simply not ever have avatars. However, I respect your opinions and I understand that you want avatars. However, I'm not going to waver on this simply because I have the best interests of everyone involved in mind.

As of right now, there are more people in this poll saying they wouldn't want to look at them (either leave them away or they'd turn them off), so that's over 50% of registered users (who voted) right there that avatars wouldn't appeal to.

It's also another thing we have to moderate and we need to come up with some rules and whatnot. Plus the coding I mentioned earlier. The only options on the forum admin I can find are "enable or disable" avatars. If I enable them, they will be on for everyone unless you specifically log in and turn them off. Frankly, I don't like logging in in the first place, esp. when I don't want to post anything, I just want to browse. So the HAPPY MEDIAN is to have patience until we can code the solution.

But that's 90% of your "lurkers" right there, am I right?

What about titles? Seems to be equally pointless and annoying. Actually, as the poll reads, over 50% of people support avatars. Right now, exactly 50% support them fully, 18% support user option to enable or disable them (which doesn't mean they will automatically disable them), and the remaining don't want them at all. Yes; and each user can choose to have them displayed or not.
That's why when you log in, you choose "automatically log me in each visit," and you don't have to deal with logging in.
Still a bit unfamilliar with the new features? :p

ok im fairly new here to Massassi (i've only recently gotten a decent net connection) and im with those who say turn the avatars on! it's a really good way to express personality

I'm with Brian on this. I really don't see the need for avatars. Granted, users can have them turned off, but Admins will still have to check them for appropriateness. Also, sigs and titles are plain white text (for the most part), are simple, dont contrast with the color theme, and overall are just more aesthetically pleasing.

If you have an upload location for new avitars, I'm sure someone just like they do the EC, could moderate the avitars. I seriously think you guys are being all too closed minded about this. You can turn it off, or you can leave it on. That's what it comes down to. If you're not a member, or aren't logged in, than you probably shouldn't be reading the forums to begin with, should you? What exactly do you read a forum for? To 'learn?' No, you post to RESPOND.

BTW, I think it's ironic, that if a forum lurker didn't want avitars, he or she couldn't even vote that they didn't, because they aren't even logged in. You can't vote, you deal with it. Just like kids have to deal with getting the bill tomorrow for today's spending that voted presidents rack up.

JediKirby

That makes NO SENSE what so ever to me. You'd have to moderate them? Please. What's to stop me from creating a thread right now with nothing more than a porn pic tagged into it? Nothing. Point? It doesn't happen that often in that situation, I don't think it'd be a problem with avatars.

Who cares if they contrast a little? So do the smilies. And, Massassi isn't necessarily the best looking website out there.



People that don't visit the forums? Doesn't affect them then. People that don't actively participate in them? Well, if they cared that much they would have registered and voted for or against avatars, and since they did that, they could simply turn them off if they wished. If they didn't care that much to register to vote, doubt they give a damn either way.

Honestly how many non registered people visit these forums? They aren't exactly the kind to me that you read for fun, it's nothing interesting here unless you participate in the discussion.

Does any other staff member know anything about PHP? I mean seriously how hard could it be to code a solution to where they're off by default for everyone?

Josh, you're off the wall. If I enabled avatars, I would explicitly disable them in my user options and I would never see them. Thus, I would have to toggle that setting every time I got an abuse report. No, that option SPECIFICALLY states "I'll turn them off" - the option is there for people that want others to have the freedom to use avatars but they will turn them off on their account.

Regardless, you can moan all you want but I'm NOT globally turning them on. I'll turn them on when there's a way for me to disable them by default for everyone, including non-logged-in users.

Just go LOOK at that avatars thread (the one about posting the one you WOULD use were they enabled). 90% of them are distracting, annoying, and won't add anything meaniningful to the site.

Hell, only 34 people on the ENTIRE FORUM (out of 10k registered users) took the time to vote FOR AVATARS. That's hardly a majority of registered users, and it's hardly worth even talking about. It's a population way less than that of even the chat room.

Those 34 of you are very vocal and you're get your way as long as you're willing to compromise a bit. I am, even though I hate avatars, I will use my time to code a solution that will work for everyone. And you're still whining. Gimme a break.

Eh, re-count my vote as one for negative. I don't mind avatars but if it's going to take a lot of coding to do and is likely to cause conflict then I'd definitely prefer to pass on the whole thing. It's just icing.

Well last time you said something "wouldn't be done for a while" was the new forums, and even though they're here, how long were they in coming? :p

I know you're taking your own time and effort with this, but seriously--if someone else can and will do it, why not ask them? Ask the community. Pretty much the most vocal members want them on. That means in this millenia

But thanks, either way, for at least agreeing to EVENTUALLY turn them on. Better than going without.

Truth finds a voice once again. If people watching from the fringes of this little society don't like avatars, they can do something about it themselves. So, why break your back changing something Massassians like to please lurkers who will probably never participate? Also, I would find myself lost in a conversation w/o avatars.

Well...if Brian says no. Then that is the end of the story. His site, his forums, he can do what ever he damn well pleases. I, personally, would like them. I think they do give the user some personality. I do believe that we are mature enough NOT to have avatars consisting of inappropriate material. Of course there is always the moron out there who does so and thus the picture needs to be removed. I do not believe that is an insurmountable task. And there are quite a few PHP programmers here who would love to lend a hand. But it's his site.

True enough.

Moderators.

It's probably not a "lot" of coding, it's probably just a little bit. Finding my way through the crap code that is vbulletin is the real issue. And letting someone else do it is another issue - I'd have to give FTP access to the massassi forums in their entirety, and they'd also thus have the logins/passwords to the massassi mysql db used for the forums. It's not something I can just hand out to any willing coder.

I see your point. Not something I'd do unless I ABSOLUTELY TRUSTED someone else.

My reasons for wanting avatars:

• Easier to identify posters. You begin to assosciate an avatar with a person after a while. Of course, there are those that change avatars practically every time they post, but they are a minority.
• Allows you to express a little creativity and add a personal touch to your Massassian identity.

Now, with this extra bit of coding - can somebody not simply write the necessary coding, and then leave it to you to implement? I'm not quite sure how the coding works.

I would like to see avatars for reasons already mentioned above. If the default off is important, I'm willing to wait. But like Acharjay said, isn't the forums' code actually bought from somewhere? So, shouldn't it be, in principle, possible for somebody to study it elsewhere, and find the solution. Who knows, maybe the necessary changes are already invented, and are waiting somewhere out there.

However, I'd have nothing against a ban of animated avatars... And it has nothing to do with a connection speed.

I hate avatars.

To me Massassi isn't Massassi if it isn't clean and green.

Avatars are pretty much just like Long sigs, But MUCH more annoying. You read/look at them once and then just skip over it every other time. In the end its pretty much just pointless.

Also once there are avatars, people will start whining to git sig pics, and don't git me started on those..

1) You can turn Avatars off

2) Almost no one wants a sig pic. I don't even want them, and I have cable. They're just annoying.

i'll just turn them off.

there was a cool one of someoone doing cocaine. i lost it though i would of used it if i had it still

Honestly, I think the efforts of everyone who is fighting so hard for avatars is a bit mis-guided. You guys are arguing for something that the site will survive on its own without. If we never enable avatars, whether you believe or not, you will survive, and the site will not die because of it.

Where has all this sudden interest and energy been other times when we could have used it? We never had this many people voicing their support, or offering their services for M2 and other site upgrades. The amount of level and news submissions has slowed to a trickle over the past year. Brian has done an incredible amount of work for the site, and yet you guys throw up a fuss because he can not or does not want to take the time to find a workable solution for something as silly as avatars. It is his site, and with everything he has done for it, I think everyone should respect his decision on something as trivial as this.

If you guys are really committed to making the community better, there are a lot of better things you could be focusing your energy and interests on.

...I don't really see what the big deal is about those people saying they'd like avatars. It's not like 99% of them are getting rowdy about it and throwing themselves down in protest. I never realised it was such a hotbed issue personally or I never would have touched it.

Sorry, DS, but I must disagree. We're not putting a whole lot of effort into this--and it's the triviality that confounds us as is. We just want avatars, and the fact that it takes but a few seconds to do and that it's finally readily available is the reason we asked. It's not that big of a deal, really, and nobody's put any effort into it yet other than posting.

And I thought we agreed--Brian will eventually get to it, everyone's happy.

Im with Brian and DS

So they're basically like the majority of people's posts. :p

(And I officially hate my new title. It should say "Official distributor of catloaf" in a creamy tan color. )

I think "ppl" should be censored.

Lurkers were always a very annoying unit to go against without observers. We need to build some. Anyone have some vespine gas?

It's funny how I hear so many "OMG LEIK I DUN WANTA AVATARTS BECAUSE THEY SUCK AND". For the love of flying baby jesus, you can turn them off. I think that needs to be made clear, that also screwed up the polls, because I bet many thought (and still do) that you can't turn them off.

Agreeing with this, I'm backing away and heading for the nearest bucket of water to douse this situation...

Call me a fool, but I'd follow Jaiph into battle anyday ;). Let us hope that this source of boundless knowledge from "Captain Tight Pants" lasts forever... (oh - can't forget the Gonk WoW mocking either - long may that prosper! ).

-Jackpot

I didn't know the admins were interior designers. :p

Dj Yoshi wins.

Yeah, I'll go with Yoshi's latest too.