# Improving the SDMB **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 25, 2008, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640 "2008-03-25T03:48:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/261 "2008-04-18T17:41:10Z")
I’d still love to know the reasoning behind the belief of some Dopers that avatars will completely change the intellectual feel of the SDMB to that of a MMORPG gamer clan or rave-and-clubbing forum, turning us all into a bunch of blithering dOOds!!!1!! who will post one-line “me too!” messages followed by [B1FF](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIFF)-like signatures with emo poetry and unicorn graphics, accompanied by huge avatars with MySpace-like glitter effects; or that it will attract “undesirables” that would do the same. Seriously, if people value extreme simplicity, just put up a forum skin intended for PDA visitors, and modify it so it resembles a 1980s-era BBS or text-based Usenet reader. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/262 "2008-04-18T18:31:53Z")
[QUOTE=elmwood] …Seriously, if people value extreme simplicity, just put up a forum skin intended for PDA visitors, and modify it so it resembles a 1980s-era BBS or text-based Usenet reader. [/QUOTE] I’d go for that! ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/263 "2008-04-18T23:51:28Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] [my current self portrait painting](http://gallery.opalcat.com/gallery/being_art/being_art_day8?full=1)\* [/QUOTE] Lovely! I love the way you played with the tile texture on your hand in the lower right and the color mixing on your face. Back to your regularly scheduled thread… ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/264 "2008-04-19T00:13:26Z")
Tile texture? Do you mean the masking tape that was protecting the fingers while I painted the hair? It’s gone now: [after today’s work](http://gallery.opalcat.com/gallery/being_art/being_art_day10?full=1) But anyway, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/265 "2008-04-19T19:51:25Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] Tile texture? Do you mean the masking tape that was protecting the fingers while I painted the hair? It’s gone now: [after today’s work](http://gallery.opalcat.com/gallery/being_art/being_art_day10?full=1) But anyway, thanks! [/QUOTE] Oh. I feel silly. But no, it’s very nice. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/266 "2008-04-19T20:16:55Z")
Hehe, don’t feel that way. Looking at the picture at that resolution I can see how it would look like tile. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/267 "2008-04-19T22:59:26Z")
Wow, that’s amazing. It’s beautiful, **Opal**. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/268 "2008-04-22T16:58:46Z")
Now that this thread has been hijacked it’s time to close it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640.md?page=13)