Custom avatars

[The Wizard]

The poll ended and we have a draw. Do we enter a new round of voting about this, will we extract a conclusion out of these results, will we throw a dice or is staff going to cut a decision?

I'd say our most distinguished staff, which has proven itself to be capable of choosing the right thing before.



~Wiz

[Uesugi Kenshin]

I would say the mods get to choose and if there is still no decision they could pm a few long-members to try break the tie.

[Epistolary Richard]

Having mandatory criteria requires a staff member to take time out to vet each avatar (either before or shortly after they're uploaded) and communicate with the user so I think it should be a staff decision as to whether they have someone who is prepared to take this task on.

[Pindar]

How many patrons were actually aware of this poll? I wasn't.

Polls suggest wanting opinions. I suggest, another poll: with an announcement in other forums to generate more awareness/participation. When casting a net, a larger cast has the more promise.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Well people should also check the watchtower for rule changes or if say the signature rules are going to be enforced more strictly. So it is really their fault if they cannot take a few seconds to check.

[Epistolary Richard]

I think generally speaking polls on significant policy decisions should be more widely advertised, presumably through an announcement. In this particular case, the initial question about custom avatars did receive cross-forum advertising (which is why I ended up visiting the Watchtower in the first place) and - as there are several more decisions to be made on the topic and the majority of people want them as quickly as possible - I'd prefer the staff just to make a quick decision on this and then we can move forwards.

[SpencerH]

Well people should also check the watchtower for rule changes or if say the signature rules are going to be enforced more strictly. So it is really their fault if they cannot take a few seconds to check.

LOL You posted that while a Hitchhikers remake is at the movie theatres!

[SpencerH]

I understand the desire to maintain a certain style at this forum. That said, the current crop of avatars are boring. Custom avatars will change the feel of the forums, but that will happen anyway when Spartan is released. Allow custom avatars of any type (non-moving) but set up some suggested guidelines as to content and reserve the right to restrict avatars (which you already plan to do).

In fact, you could set up a forum to decide the fate of avatars that were borderline.

NB: my avatar is my family coat of arms so I assume it'll pass muster

[Navaros]

Well people should also check the watchtower for rule changes or if say the signature rules are going to be enforced more strictly. So it is really their fault if they cannot take a few seconds to check.

yes, you are correct in that it is their fault

however, despite the fact that it is their fault for not checking Watchtower, the simple fact of that matter is that most people will not check the Watchtower

therefore, if threads such as this are not advertised on all forums, the participation will indeed be very low

it reminds me back in the old days when i used to post on the boards for my favorite RTS game. i would post everything on the main "General Discussion" board. mainly the threads that i would make would be discussing in-depth strategy and tactics. the mods would often move those threads to the "Strategy Boards" - and i hated that vehemently because most people, especially the really good players, only ever read and posted on the main board. so by taking my thread off the main board, the intended audience that i wrote the thread for, never saw it. when i talked to the mods about cursing my threads by moving them to the "Abyss that no one ever sees" aka "Strategy Boards", they told me: "it's not our fault if the members here don't go to the strategy boards". well sure...true, it's not their fault. however, knowing that people will not go there, does it not make more sense to accomodate the original poster by leaving his strategy thread on the main board where the people he wants to talk with will be able to see and discuss his ideas?

my point of that example, is that sometimes human nature makes people not conduct themselves in an ideal way.

by the same token as the example above; here on the Org since people will not participate in Watchtower in large numbers, is it not better to forgive them and accomodate their laziness/ignorance/indifference/whatnot by bringing major policy discussions like custom avatars to them?

then on the other hand, there is an argument to be made that it is the highest quality members who already post in Watchtower. therefore perhaps it is better to limit decisions to feedback based exclusively on their opinions.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

No custom avatars please, unless they're made by a mod staff or somthing (like Duke John's avatar). I coudlnt vote but hey, thats my 2 cents

[Epistolary Richard]

by the same token as the example above; here on the Org since people will not participate in Watchtower in large numbers, is it not better to forgive them and accomodate their laziness/ignorance/indifference/whatnot by bringing major policy discussions like custom avatars to them?

I agree that where a forum's administration is completely detached from the desires of its community, that forum will inevitably wither. However, in this case the potential of custom avatars did receive cross-forum advertising. This specific poll didn't because it is just a small step towards advising on policy - it's a relatively technical, albeit significant in its way, question.

I would expect that the priority for the majority of users is to have custom avatars introduced as soon as possible and are happy to leave the technicalities of specific policy consultation with those few of us who take an interest in the minutiae.

Kaiser of Arabia
As far as I'm aware Tosa has already settled the decision to work towards allowing custom avatars - as viewing them or not would be the individual decision of each poster. These polls are intended to work towards what policy should be in place around them.

It's a matter of choice now Epistolary Richard. I've been experimenting a bit, and one simply gets another toggle in view options (where the toggles for displaying avatars, signatures and pictures are). Toggle URL avatars and normal avatars on, and you'll see both images (there's a size limitation now to prevent huge pictures, but we'll have to find out which limits we'll use). Turn one or both off if you like that.