# Straight Dope's New Year's Resolutions. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 28, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844 "2004-12-28T00:06:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/1 "2004-12-28T00:06:03Z")
I know this is strictly-speaking ATMB but it more closely resembles a MPSIMS thread… What should the message board’s resolutions be? I think they should be (categorised)… reasonable I will have a poll to keep or lose the thread hint popups. I will allow the search tool to search within quote tags for usernames (so that if a doper’s text is quoted the doper in question can see it and reply. reasonable I think) Not reasonable, but would be nice I will allow my users to have avatars. I will allow the ‘img’ tag, with strict limitations. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_griffin-kentzel/32/14787_2.png) [@Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Griffin-Kentzel)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/2 "2004-12-28T00:40:44Z")
> [@](#): > > I know this is strictly-speaking ATMB . . . Yes . . . yes it is. Off to **ATMB**. **Cajun Man** for the SDMB ---
**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:** [December 28, 2004, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/3 "2004-12-28T02:27:41Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > I will allow my users to have avatars. Og in Heaven, I will demand my money back if this ever happens. > [@](#): > > I will allow the ‘img’ tag, with strict limitations. We had this; it was abused, and the img feature was removed. I see know reason that would indicate the same wouldn’t happen again. SDMB resolution: > [@](#): > > **I will fix the ‘Go to First New Post’ feature so that it actually goes to the first unread post, instead of some arbitrary post determined by a time stamp.** ---
**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:** [December 28, 2004, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/4 "2004-12-28T02:28:57Z")
know!?!?! No!! ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/5 "2004-12-28T02:34:52Z")
What’s an “img tag”? ---
**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:** [December 28, 2004, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/6 "2004-12-28T02:55:26Z")
> [@BlueKangaroo](#): > > What’s an “img tag”? This feature is disabled: > [@](#): > > [The [img] tag allows you to embed images within your posts.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/misc.php?do=bbcode#imgcode) ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/7 "2004-12-28T03:04:16Z")
Thank you. I think I’m glad that we don’t have these features here. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/8 "2004-12-28T16:57:31Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > Not reasonable, but would be nice > > I will allow my users to have avatars. > > I will allow the ‘img’ tag, with strict limitations. Please please please no… I read several boards that allow both of these, and I am constantly bombarded by flashy pictures of Hello Kitty or someone’s online character. To me, the SDMB is a haven from these annoyances. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/9 "2004-12-28T17:38:46Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > I will allow my users to have avatars. No. Let me reiterate. NO! That is one of the most god-awful, inherently distracting, annoying things on the entire 'Net. No, please no! Have I made my feelings strong enough? ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/10 "2004-12-28T19:47:39Z")
I love the SDMB for many reasons. One is that it is strictly text. One is judged solely by the content of one’s post, not by the cutesy art one can come up with. And furthermore, no images means no _animated_ images. I hate reading the news and having bouncy distracting images all the hell over the place so I have great difficulty reading; even the New York Times is guilty of this. But the SDMB is a safe haven from all such nonsense. Aaaaaaahhhh … ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/11 "2004-12-28T23:33:45Z")
I believed that because the SDMB _is_ such a special and unique place compared to the typical mb that allows those features they would not be an annoyance here… and one ‘strict limitation’ on the img tag (and avatars) could be ‘NO ANIGIFS!’ ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/12 "2004-12-28T23:47:57Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > I believed that because the SDMB _is_ such a special and unique place compared to the typical mb that allows those features they would not be an annoyance here… > and one ‘strict limitation’ on the img tag (and avatars) could be ‘NO ANIGIFS!’ I agree that it would be kinda nice for modest images to be allowed, but _way_ too many people would go nuts with them, requiring the mods to go _way_ beyond their normal scope of work just to keep things reasonable (to our tightwad standards). Personally, I’d rather they hunt trolls and fix links than break anigifs and scale down big images. In short, it’d be nice, but the amount of babysitting the mods (of which, btw, IAN) would have to do would be ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/13 "2004-12-29T02:06:28Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > I believed that because the SDMB _is_ such a special and unique place compared to the typical mb that allows those features they would not be an annoyance here… > > and one ‘strict limitation’ on the img tag (and avatars) could be ‘NO ANIGIFS!’ The SDMB is not all that special. We have some very intelligent posters here but contrary to what some of the people that post here believe, we’re not all geniuses or “the best board EVAR”. I love it here but, really, I hate this constantly perpetuated myth that we’re some special breed. We’re not… if given the opportunity, people would abuse img tags and avatars just like some have (and others continue to) abuse the size, font, and color tags. Speaking of which, there’s a good resolution. Limited fonts, no colors, and only slightly larger or smaller sizes allowed. ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/14 "2004-12-29T02:23:43Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Speaking of which, there’s a good resolution. Limited fonts, no colors, and only slightly larger or smaller sizes allowed. Can I have an “amen,” brothers? ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/15 "2004-12-29T03:23:25Z")
I would like the img tag allowed, but to be limited to (by software or by policy) GQ, CCC, and CSR where an image is integral to a question or answer. No joke images. And a size limit to the image. Peace. ---
**Author:** ![5que](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/3bc359/32.png) [@5que](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5que)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/16 "2004-12-29T22:24:12Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > I will allow my users to have avatars. Excuse me (posting from my techological-backward cave and all), but what’s an avatar? ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/17 "2004-12-29T22:39:49Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > …We’re not all geniuses or “the best board EVAR”. I love it here but, really, I hate this constantly perpetuated myth that we’re some special breed… [Exhibit A: Blogs from Romper Room](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=294066) ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dopes-new-years-resolutions/281844/18 "2004-12-30T00:41:34Z")
> [@5que](#): > > Excuse me (posting from my techological-backward cave and all), but what’s an avatar? It’s an image that people use on message boards that goes underneath your user name and is used as a way to personalize a post, much like a signature. At boards where they are allowed, I use a Romulan since I’m a huge Trek geek, for instance. Unfortunately, a lot of people use more … provocative images, not to mention really annoying animated .gifs. I love that they’re not allowed here. With so many people, they’d need at least a couple more moderators \*JUST \*to police the avatars.