Lotta Simulpost, MD
I don’t like them, but I also hate the smilies.
No, but that’s brilliant and I wish that I thought of it.
I swear, you just can’t please anywhere here, can you? Don’t like them? Turn them off. I have never seen a forum more resistant to change than this one. Most places do have them, and new users will probably expect to have that option.
I doubt it – I don’t see it happening much on other boards, and the mods can probably quash them pretty fast. If you’re that worried, just don’t browse that forum during work.
(Quite honestly, the more people worry that “omg, we’ll see trolls posting pr0n!!!” the more likely that will be. Streisand Effect, you know?)
Not just your aging eyes; the small size is a factor, for sure.
It’s a selfie I took in my old Stustu Studio after I had finished a project some years back; I’ve been using it as my profile pic on YouTube and other sites ever since so I figured I might as well use it here too. I saw that we can upload a slightly larger (125x125) pic for our profile page, so I posted that too; it’s a bit easier to see clearly.
No kidding. The reaction of some is eye roll inducing. They’re 50x50 pixel static images. The board is not going to make a rapid slide into bodybuilding or anime forum territory.
Phil Collins pronounces that Sussudio.
Why do you have to be like that? This thread is for the express purpose of asking people’s opinion on them. The people in this thread who dislike them a lot do seem to have them turned off. Maybe turn off your superiority complex.
I like them. I think it adds a little personality. And if you don’t like them, you can turn of them off. Win-win.
So…Geddy, Neil, or Alex? 
Paint or Photoshop should easily allow you to edit in the name.
Aye; that’s the gag. David Letterman’s constant jabbing at that godawful-but-catchy song was one of the funniest things I’ll ever experience; that phrase and my laughter are deeply entwined, so I decided that the place I most enjoyed spending my time could be associated with that too and voila!: the Stustu Studio!
Cool. Guess I was whoooshed, again.
Pretty much same here, except that I’m both trying to see if I can get used to seeing avatars, and providing my own for those who appreciate it.
But yeah, I don’t even usually look at people’s names before reading their posts, and prefer to only scroll up and note their name if the post was worthy of such note, whether it’s for positive or negative reasons. I think I’m finding that I can almost as easily ignore avatars before reading posts, but they are helpful for scrolling back and forth to quickly scan a particular conversation when I want to do that.
Comme ci, comme ça.
I really like it! It’s voluntary so, if avatars aren’t one’s cup of tea, just don’t upload one.
I find them useful for keeping track of who is saying what. Pictures stick better than names for me.
The opposite from my POV: you’re one of the few people to make what I thought would be an obvious connection. Believe it or not, most people don’t even notice the name and the next largest group ask who Stu is.
Welp, I just turned them off. I’ve been waffling on it for a day or two - I don’t mind the icons myself, but I mostly read this at work, and as the pages got more colorful I started to think I liked it better when the pages were basically monochrome and serious looking. So now they are again!
To the conversation, maybe no. To the reader, they offer a visual clue as to who is “speaking” and some people take in information faster that way. On forums where people have avatars, I know I tend to rely on them for major posters when scanning my way down the threads.
That’s not to say that we can’t live without them and they ARE primarily self-serving bling but they’re not entirely pointless.
Meh. Something that the whippersnappers might enjoy but not my cup of tea.