# 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:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/161 "2008-03-30T21:56:17Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] Ooh, hey, can I have my title changed to “Hi.”? [/QUOTE] Seconded!! 😃 If we can have recognition for the Best of the Worst, we can certainly do this… She is a whole Meme here! I suspect Hal, however, might not want to have the title … ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/162 "2008-03-30T23:30:21Z")
[QUOTE=DSYoungEsq] I suspect Hal, however, might not want to have the title … [/QUOTE] Well, he _has_ been a little sheepish about the matter… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/163 "2008-03-31T02:48:17Z")
[QUOTE=Musicat] Heck, I don’t even like _looking_ at Slug’s scratches. I’l be damned if I’ll buy a mug or T-shirt with one on it. [/QUOTE] Ditto. Letting some of our artistic members produce images for sale on items through Cafe Press would be uber-cheap and almost all profit. Let’s face it, people. TPTB really don’t give a rat’s ass about us, the Board, or anything associated with it. We are more of a hassle to them than we are a benefit. That we get the slightest bit of attention is a miracle. We are a community, but one that is meaningless to those in control. Even a cursory review of the posts by TPTB shows that they will not exert the slightest bit of effort to promote said community, other than to find some effort-free method of extracting a bit of cash from it. We have suggested any number of ways of making money from this Board, and they have all been dismissed out of hand. That’s because **they don’t care, people!** If wer all disappeared tomorrow they wouldn’t notice for a month. -silenus, Teller of Ugly Truths ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/164 "2008-03-31T05:29:45Z")
[QUOTE=samclem] Well, he _has_ been a little sheepish about the matter… [/QUOTE] Screw ewe! ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/165 "2008-03-31T10:47:06Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Am I the only one who found the line in the OP amusing: “Now that the online ad market is developing…” ? Because yeah, that’s so new. Heh. Nope, it definitely has a quaint, 1998-like feel to it. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/166 "2008-03-31T21:12:03Z")
[QUOTE=levdrakon] Charter Member is meaningless, unless maybe you joined in '99. [/QUOTE] To me, it’s still meaningless. I let it lapse, mostly because using PayPal from outside the U.S. is somewhat tedious (sp?), and also because I was annoyed about the 'tude of one of the admins. After staying away for a while, I decided to rejoin. The CM means nothing to me. However, having been around for almost a decade means something, albeit not a lot. My join date clearly shows this, should anyone be interested. I doubt that, and I really don’t think that longevity on a MB should be an excuse for a jerkish posting style or an aloof posture. Having followed CA since the publication of the first book, I feel like a veteran. Working as a HS teacher has humbled me into realizing that being a vet amounts to nothing for the wippersnappers (sp?), so I’ll calmly await the celebration of the decade of the SDMB and be happy that I’ve been around for the ride for most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/167 "2008-04-01T19:30:40Z")
One problem with avatars is copyright, which the SD takes very seriously (and rightly so). So we could only use images that are properly authorized or known to be public domain, not just some image we found somewhere on the web. I’m guessing that in practical terms that would mean we could only choose avatars from those provided by the SDMB. Artistic members could authorize their own original work, but just making sure the legal niceties are observed may be more effort than TPTB would want to take on. I think many people would like to have some of Slug’s images for avatar choices. But he probably (and understandably) wouldn’t do it for free. ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/168 "2008-04-01T20:29:16Z")
[QUOTE=Ed Zotti] As a charter member, will I receive a 50% discount on the no-ads fee? Yes. **Strictly speaking, we’re not going to have “subscribers” any more, so arguably we’re not obligated to continue offering a 50% discount to charter members. However,** we’re grateful for charter members’ support at a time when we had few other revenue sources, and \*\*we don’t want to get into an argument over semantics. \*\* [/quote] (bolding mine) Does this make anyone else prickly? Okay, so _technically speaking_ you’re not _required_ to uphold anything, since you’re changing the name of the tax. However, we ponied up, we continued to pony up, and being snarky and condescending about “quibbling over semantics” makes me prickly. I appreciate that you’ve decided to continue to uphold the bargain made when the board went pay-to-post. I also appreciate that my decision to keep paying causes you to lose out on some ad revenue, and am grateful that you’ve made the decision in favor of pleasing your long-term members instead of maximizing revenue by a few extra bucks. I am also completely thrilled by the overall announcement. New blood is a very good thing. [QUOTE=robby] **If the board is modernized, I’d like to request that the background color of the windows remain white, as they always have.** [/QUOTE] Wasn’t the board shades of blue and gray originally? I seem to recall a very soothing bluey-gray background and being startled at and a little disappointed by the white when it changed. Last question–do the ads make noise? Occasionally I browse from work or at NajaHusband’s lab without signing in. Certainly it’s not a huge problem to do so if I need to shut the ads off, but I’d reeeeallly hate to be cadging a few minutes of 'Dope time on my break and draw attention to myself with a blaring ad. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/169 "2008-04-01T20:53:58Z")
I don’t see the background as white except around the edges of the screen. The posts themselves are against gray, at least on my end. ---
**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 1, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/170 "2008-04-01T21:30:24Z")
[QUOTE=rowrrbazzle] One problem with avatars is copyright, which the SD takes very seriously (and rightly so). So we could only use images that are properly authorized or known to be public domain, not just some image we found somewhere on the web. [/QUOTE] [Fair use](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use). Look into it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/171 "2008-04-01T23:37:49Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] And regarding the whole reputation thing… that is a built in feature of Vb and can be turned on and off and settings changed very easily–it’s not like additional software would need to be installed. I personally don’t see the point and have that functionality disabled on my boards. [/QUOTE] It works really well as a comment system. The other board I’m on, they created blank images for the blobs, but otherwise the system works as normal. Great way to make a quick joke, me-too post, LOL, or what-not that isn’t worth cluttering the board with. ---
**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 2, 2008, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/172 "2008-04-02T00:41:35Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] I agree. Small avatars would make it much easier for me to keep people straight. As it is I’ve been on the SDMB in it’s AOL and web incarnations for over 10 years and there are still only a very small percentage of people whose names I see and think “oh, I know what they’re like” because for the most part, I ignore the names. A small picture would give a much more concrete identity to people. And since it’s so easy to shut it off, I don’t see why people are so freaked out by it. Hoards of L33t kiddies are not going to race to our doorstep because we allow a 40x40 pixel image next to people’s names. You could probably find someone willing to be the staff member in charge of avatars (I think it would overload the moderators on top of what they already do, but give the gig to someone exclusively and it probably wouldn’t be such a big deal.) I’m assuming the idea is that one’s avatar would need to be approved by staff, not that staff would be picking them for us. [/QUOTE] So true. Some think that allowing avatars will attract the L33T one-line post teen crowd. Actually, obnoxious blinky-style avatars are a side effect of the kiddies presence. The forum I run has had avatars since its inception; 80x80 and 3K max, nonanimated only, for users with 25 or more posts. Allowing avatars isn’t something that attracted the L33T!!!1!!one crowd; the board’s subject matter and culture just doesn’t appeal to them. [Here’s a typical off-topic thread](http://www.cyburbia.org/forums/showthread.php?t=32670). Note that inline image attachments are also allowed, but we have to police them carefully to ensure that hotlinking doesn’t involve stealing bandwidth from some unsuspecting person. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/173 "2008-04-02T01:02:25Z")
I really like the idea of avatars as a means of remembering who’s who — except that people seem to change them all the time. Sends me back to square one. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/174 "2008-04-02T01:17:05Z")
[QUOTE=fessie] I really like the idea of avatars as a means of remembering who’s who — except that people seem to change them all the time. Sends me back to square one. [/QUOTE] And that’s why I want mod approval for avatar changes. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/175 "2008-04-02T01:34:35Z")
If avatars are added, I’m outa here. **crickets** OK, probably not, but I will shed my usual sunny personality and turn into a cheerless curmudgeon. Then you will be sorry… _damn avatars…_ ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/176 "2008-04-02T15:15:50Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] If avatars are added, I’m outa here. **crickets** OK, probably not, but I will shed my usual sunny personality and turn into a cheerless curmudgeon. Then you will be sorry… [/QUOTE] Well said. I don’t like the circusy teenage hangout look that avatars bring, but I do understand that they help in recognizing posters. I might not notice posts by VNIDOWUEKD, but I’d notice the animated avatar of the bikini model shaving a cat with a 1920’s-style death ray. If the board implemented avatars, I might even create one. Maybe an 80x80-pixel promotion for one of my books, or Einstein sticking his tongue out–I’ll bet nobody else would think of THAT… ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/177 "2008-04-02T15:49:34Z")
Forgive me if this has already been asked, but will the ads simply be at the bottom of the page as they always have been? Or separating the first post from the rest, like they do when one is not logged in? ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/178 "2008-04-02T15:57:19Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] I don’t see the background as white except around the edges of the screen. The posts themselves are against gray, at least on my end. [/QUOTE] I guess you’re right–on my screen, it is definitely gray now that I look, but it’s a very subtle gray. Either case, I like the colors just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/179 "2008-04-02T16:12:53Z")
I’ve learned to recognize names, locations, and posting styles well enough that I don’t ‘need avatars’ to remember who is who. I think avatars would only add noise and clutter to the visuals of the board (which I consider pretty graceful compared to the vast majority of the internet). I want the ASCII-based glyphs and graphemes that Dopers type to stand on their own–and I take pleasure in the fact that this is one of the few message boards that makes efforts to maintain that practice. I think the caliber and timbre in the content of this board has evolved to such a high point because of the lack of the “froo-froo” stuff (with some, notable exceptions [sub]it was for about twenty minutes in the 1960s[/sub]). If avatars become available, I would expect, nay, demand an option box to turn them off. Otherwise, I would think the Dope is just de-evolving into _just another message board_ instead of the high-brow place it’s become. :eek: :: removes boot and bangs it on the table :: I will bury your avatars!! Tripler Huh huh, I said “glyphs”. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640/180 "2008-04-02T16:29:00Z")
[QUOTE=Tripler] If avatars become available, I would expect, nay, demand an option box to turn them off. [/QUOTE] Don’t worry about that part. The option is already in place to turn off avatars. Take a look at edit options: In the Thread Display Options are the choices: Show Signatures Show **Avatars** Show Images (including attached images and images in [IMG] code) While you are looking at options, it is worth checking out the following: Also in the Thread Display Options is **Number of Posts to Show Per Page** , this could be set all the way up to \*\*200 \*\* from the default 50 so long threads are only a few pages and not over 10. Messaging & Notification: Default Thread Subscription Mode of No Email notification means you are automatically subscribe to any thread you post to and can use the User CP link to track your threads. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/improving-the-sdmb/442640.md?page=10)