Number of views... important?

I also agree with no avatars. One of the reasons I like GTTP and Cbuzz. The biggest complaint I have with CoasterForum is (besides the out of control flaming) the number of users who post just to get their count up so the avatar changes.

And you know, I didn't realize there were moderators on GTTP until very recently. It would be kinda nice to know who they are in case of a problem. But not necessary.
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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead

A comment on avatars...

Instead of an avatar, would it be practical to generate a teeny-tiny version of the profile photo?

(Dave thinks for a moment)

Hmmm...The fact that I am sitting on the end of a big pipe here makes that practical, but a dial-up user would want to be able to turn that off.....

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Good Idea RideMan. When I think of an avatar I think of something like a personal identifying Icon or something that is static, unlike the forums that use avatars for count and rank changes. So the miniaturized version of the profile picture would be a great idea.

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- Chris -
http://www.thepointOL.com/~simplycp

WT 2002 - 0
MF 2002 - 0
*** This post was edited by Flisk 4/26/2002 1:57:00 PM ***

I think .Net may have base classes for checking the size (dimensions) of a graphic, in which case that would be a possibility. It could be uploaded in the same manner the photo is, and queued for approval.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

At somethingawful we use avatars for...umm...malicious purposes sometimes. Like, a really stupid post will get you a nice big flashing MORON title, either given by the moderators or bought by another user. Conversely, if you make a really good post and catch someone's eye, you might get a really nice custom title.

Also, the custom title/avatar images don't really take too long to view, seeing as how they'll become cached after the first time you download them, and they're small files anyway. I don't see where you'd implement them in this sort of interface, however.

I'm pretty sure you don't like this idea, but I also like to be able to insert images into a post instead of having to link to them. It would be nice for some picture threads, you know?

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Natalie
Mine Ride '99
Thunder Canyon '00
Millennium Force '01

It would really be a shame to have avatars at all. They clutter up the display and really distract from the content of the posts. The "info" link is good enough if you want to know about someone.

-- Harley

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CP fan since 68.

Here's the thing about embedding photos. On one hand, it would be a good idea as another feature to really sell the forums. On the other hand, I absolutely can't stand having my images ripped off and displayed out of context in other forums. The copyright policing you'd have to do in your forum suddenly is increased ten fold, and God knows those ThrillNetwork kids can't police it.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

...not to mention the ease with which a self-proclaimed k-k00l d00d can very quickly take the site from a "G" to an "X". If the photo isn't embedded, then I don't have to look at it if I don't want to.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Along with embedding pictures would also have to come an option to browse with the embedded pictures linked instead, and I'm sure any person who can write forum software would know that.

Also, Putz is correct in that bandwidth leeching could then be a problem, and copyright stuff is always a concern, but this is all stuff that isn't really THAT hard to police, if you've got mods with enough time on their hands.

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Natalie
Mine Ride '99
Thunder Canyon '00
Millennium Force '01

Did I ever tell you about the time that ThrillNetwork had an image on their home page for a day that said, "This image is being LEECHED from CoasterBuzz.com?" Those are good times. Of course, now they just steal your images and post them, like the Wicked Twister logo I so painstakenly removed from the concept art and put on this home page. What do you expect from someone who decides to create a site-related club only days after CoasterBuzz.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"