User avatars

[Orion Pobursky]

Toying with allowing users to have a small avatar picture next to their name. Thoughts?

[Max Martin Richter]

Mmh, I like this idea.
Maybe with some restrictions: Dimension not more than 60 x 60 pixels.
and it may not contain 3rd party pictures, due to the copyright.

/Max

[Willy Tschager]

No avatar, please! Let's keep this forum as sober as possible.

w.

[Orion Pobursky]

Even a small, static image that's moderated by admin? I definitely don't want large banners or anything animated but I think I'm ok with a small unique icon

[Roland Melkert]

Maybe use the minifig heads from the library? Or let the user state any .dat in their profile images are already there if I'm not mistaken.

This avoids the copyright issue Max mentioned (Although he might be a bit paranoid. Go to any site, avatars will be 99.99995% based upon copyrighted material one way or another).

[Max Martin Richter]

Roland, I'm not paranoid. Nevertheless, it's my own opinion;-) But why risk something when we could avoid it?
I know it from a German bike forum, where everything will be deleted which is copied from a 3rd party (even quotes from other websites), just for this reason. Maybe the advocates in Germany aren't busy enough that they find the time for such lawsuits.

In general:
If there are users who don't want to see the avatars in this forum, why not create a "disable avatars" option for the user settings.

/Max

[Travis Cobbs]

A agree with you, Orion, that small unique non-animated avatars make it easier to read a forum, not harder.

[Steffen]

+1

[Remco Canten]

steffen took my words.