Why no avatars?
 

?

Because our opinions are distracting enough.

Because they have chosen not to have them. I asked the same question--you might want to do a search.

Because they are unnecessary and make our eyes bleed.

We are the board other boards aspire to be.

If I had my preference, there would be no smilies either.

People would have to, you know, like, talk, and shit, about stuff, and whatever, you know.

A smilie is worth 10 words.

I need smilies because my sarcasm throws people off.

I think they're fun, though I see the reason for not using them, language-wise. It's like a teacher who once said good writing negates the need for exclamation points. Formal writing, sure, but I am so animated when I speak that sometimes I feel it doesn't come across here in casual writing land if I don't spiff it up a bit. Someday if any of you actually talk to me IRL you will know exactly what I mean.

Avatars can be too much, imo. At other boards (GAME sites, I'm not cheating on the Cellar, I swear) they take up so much space and are distracting. Some of them flash and jump and you can't escape them; I was afraid I might go into a seizure.

:lol:

...while an avatar can erase them.

Avatars would be nice.

But paradoxically (is that a word?) the plainess of the Cellar's format is oddly efficient.

Once upon a time, there was a professional computer nerd (PCN) who worked at a particular company. As with most companies, this one had made some decisions along the way about what software it would supply for its employees to use. And as is also the case with most companies, those choices were not identical to those made by other companies. (Duh.)

So it was a source of puzzlement to PCN that when new employees would be hired and given computers, many of them would say, "Why don't you have [name of well-known computer program]? We had [name of well-known computer program] at my last job, and it was great." PCN would reply something to the effect of, "Well, we use [name of other well-known computer program that does the same thing]. We've found it's a good choice for us." The newbie would then say something like, "Oh yeah? Well I never used it. You ought to get [name of well-known computer program]. It's a lot better."

PCN found this to be insulting. He also found it to be whiny. All in all, a wonderful impression for a new employee to make. Over the years, he found it to be a good indicator of people who would turn out to be insulting and whiny in other interactions in the company.

I like not having avatars. They are nice to quickly know who posted but it helps make the site look more professional.

Yay Pierce...

And after all, we're not out for people who need to quickly know who posted. Read the names with your eyes. Respond with your brain.

the brain processes pictures must faster and more efficiently, though. Mindmaps are fabulous for knowledge recognition and retention!

My vote, again, no avatars.
The only way I would want them is if we could make a rule that they could only be, actual, photos of ourselves (not drawings, paintings, photos of our kids, lies, etc) but it would get out of hand, many would lie, bitch, whine more than now, bla, bla, bla... so, no avatars.

I wish we had them. It is fun to change them frequently and use them to show general changes in mood and personality projection. Most forums I belong to have them. Some are larger than others in that sense they control what you can put up through size restrictions. They really are a lot of fun and jazz up a forum.

We already know your personality projection and your mood doesn't seem to make much difference.

I know what else you could use to "show general changes in mood" etc. ...The English language.

Good point. I really couldn't care either way.

WTF?

Actually typing words which form sentences and paragraphs.

Not as accurate or expressive as a GIF of badgerphone, I'm sure, but it might...just...work.

Ummm... so what you are saying is that to bring in avatars would make people avert to smoke signals and impressionistic communications through pictures and no one would type anymore? Oh, ok... Well that makes perfect sense.:headshake :greenface

Only when they "use them to show general changes in mood and personality projection" ...right?

Correct. I would consider that a side light to the whole in the moment thing. Somehow or another you have twisted that into something else. Whatever.

avatars are for little sissy boys.....much like jazz flute.

I haven't twisted anything.

I think the lack of avatars is a quaint conceit of the Cellar; ironically anachronistic given the emphasis elsewhere on images.

but the PTB here have spoken, so I'm not complaining! I'm coping.

If all the other websites jumped off a bridge...

i think that signatures should be limited to two lines of plain black text, like the titles are.

i can;t even read boards that have those fucking garish sigs and avatars .....you cant tell where the post stops and the trite crap begins....


kudos on this basic decision, cellar.

I posted for years, and still do, on a board that has no signatures, no smilies, no hyperlinks, no nothing but text.

I thought this place had too many bells and whistles. I've come around to liking the way things are here, but I still don't really care for smilies.

yeah, fuck smilies....

i only use them when it's raining and there's nothing else to do.

Avatars provide a level of recognition

until there are too many people to have that

at which time they become more and more outrageous in order to gain attention. And then you have people using the walrus bucket face to gain attention, even if they claim to hate avatars!

http://cellar.org/showthread.php?p=3...tar#post328011

ha ha ha BlunderBloat is abscessed with me!

oh, snap!

Two posts about you and you think it's all about you again?

NO I WILL NOT MAKE OUT WITH YOU!

Straight to the cock eh? No romance?

I asked the same thing a month ago. Have avatars would be nice, but not really necessary. They're just eyecandy.

no avatars for you!

I have to ask, Drax, would your avatar be a huge muscley dude with green skin and a purple skull cap?

Never said I wanted one.

Why do you ask?

Drax The Destroyer
 

Because I'm a huge nerd.

:lol:

You can put an avitar on your profile page instead of a photograph of yourself.

I know.