I turned them on, I don’t like them, so I turned them off, so I don’t care.
Regards,
Shodan
Yeah, turning out pretty much as I dreaded. Annoying as can be. Very few folk have reasonably relevant actual, you know, “avatars”. Etc.
I’ll be turning them off, but not before I get mine up and tested. Trust me, it will be the best avatar ever. Make the SDMB great again.
Present company excluded, I assume.
Oh goody - then we could all see what each other is having for lunch… 
I like the idea of an image forum, but I wouldn’t want them everywhere.
How do you define “reasonably relevant”? I see many that are relevant to their usernames.
I’ve gotten used to them on other fora and even have a file of ones I’ve used elsewhere. But at only 50 x 50 pixels, I’n having a hard time finding one that looks like anything.
Its a nice option, but I shut them off. I don’t like how the username is pushed so far to the right.
All true, but if you browse by New Posts, ignoring a forum fails at times unless they add the vBulletin free ad-on that allows users to configure how New Posts works.
As to it happening, I know of a board where it got bad for a while then settled down. I was speaking from experience. Lots of complaints in both directions of course.
I’m used to seeing them on other forums. I find the avatars can help create a ‘voice’ for some posters.
They doh’t bother me, but I find most of them incomprehensible and too small to decipher.
Seems to be creating a stir.
Whatever floats your boat.
Pretty sure that’s not a root beer float.
I must admit, I’m on the edge of my seat wondering what avatar you think is relevant! Don’t make us wait too long!
I’m a fan, but I wish the file size could be a little larger so they were clearer. When I reduced mine to 50x50px, it was still too large of a file size and was rejected. Reducing the file size made it fuzzy. I should probably make some line art to replace it.
I find it easier to associate an image with a person than a name, so beyond “bling” I find them helpful to follow conversations. I hope people will mostly pick one and stick with it for continuity.
I think that the introduction of avatars is a great idea, a long time coming. The option to log in and then opt out gives even more chance for those anti-avatar to adjust.
If we have to make them “relevant” I don’t know what to do, though. 
I’m not even sure what relevance would mean in this context. It’s an image, it makes it easy to scroll down and see what’s been posted by me (or others) without deciphering similarly written user names. I like it. 100x100 might be nice too, but I’m in no rush. This alone is kind of a fun update to the boards, improved by being optional.
Like others, I wouldn’t be thrilled if we added giant image-based signatures with animation and flashing lights and such and such, but I somehow doubt that’s going to happen anytime soon. An actual image posting forum might be fun, especially if it keeps a majority of images from leaking out to the rest of the board. I’m not eager for this board to become a mass of flickering, animated images either… but I don’t see it going that way. A tiny change like itsy avatars isn’t really the first step to doom, imho.
I had not previously posted a similar sentiment so let me just say that I am in complete agreement and accord with everyone you wrote there; thanks for putting it so well.
I know you’re kidding, but I’m predicting lots of “check out my pets!” The servers will crash from the sheer cuteness of it all.
I thik Tuba said she might go up to 100 x 100 eventually, if the server can handle it. After awhile, people will get used to them and forget they’re there.
Don’t worry about them being “relevant”. And I don’t see many boards that have animated ones.
Too small to get much distinctive details in them. The ones I was seeing were like GIFs from the mid-1990s web. I turned them off.
It’s modern Stuart of Bute (the only one spelled my way).
There are variations in the red used, and I have always liked it at the maroon end of things.