talkmagic.co.uk

I've noticed that other forums have the option to asign avatars to your profile. Anybody discussed this before/any future plans on this?

regards,
Valentino

Avatars are a great idea - but the one thing that makes this forum so good is the load times and speed of page display.

I was an admin/moderator of a design BB not long ago, and the amount of grief caused by avatars, pictoral signoffs and the like was crazy.

Before your time here, the board suffered many unstable bouts - which seem to have been resolved. It would seem we're running on a rather tame server currently, and the overload of adding avatars would possibly cause the quality of life to diminish.

It's only my own opinion, obviously - by I'd rather NOT see avatars.

Good point, not everyone has broadband.

regards,
Valentino

Broadband - indeed!

I am lucky (as I assume are you) that we have 'high speed access' - but in part of my role as a web designer, we have to check things like load times, server load, bandwith usage... to that effect, we've got a PC here rigged up with both a 28.8k (yes, you read right) and a 56k modem for checking our internet site's load speeds.

Broadband has made web designers and content creators very lazy - there is still a great 'human' skill in tweaking sites so they load quickly.

yup, I too have broadband but as I also build and maintain our own website (www.partyweb.co.uk) I fully understand the need to keep file sizes low.

On other forums I use this avatar:



which is only 8k in size, and is stored externally so should keep the board server load down!

I do feel it adds a bit of individuality to users on the forum, makes everyone seem a bit more real, adds a bit of fun and helps when users read through posts to find replies from their favourite posters.

regards,
Valentino

'Know what you're saying, but even though the avatars are externally stored, it's the *bandwidth* total of the page that counts... 15 avatars on a page means 15 x 8kb coming via the TalkMagic server, which, by virtue of them being external files, also means the TalkMagic server has to go and load the files first...

You do have a very valid point about the personality, though. Perhaps if there was a size restriction ruling then it would work...

Also, if I'm not mistaken, the script which this board runs from (php) is able to let people selectively display avatars in their preferences... so people on a slow connection could opt out...

Yes, you've turned me round (Easily persuaded? Or the offer of a drink in the MagiBar??? )

Send a PM to Laurence (name: support) and offer the query... he may or may not have had his own reasons for omitting the feature in the first place.

Oh I never knew that external links/content would have to be loaded via the talkmagic server. I just thought they were pulled externally by the client's browser.

I have pm'd support to get Laurence's views on this.

If they were allowed would you have one?

regards,
Valentino

Of course!

Although I'd probably not use a mugshot... I've definately got a face made for radio... however... mine would probably be quite mysterious and profoundly baffling - cos that's the kind of guy I am.

Although, I must say, if the site started to get lots of handsome magician's showing thier faces, I'd probably consider corrective surgery (Photoshop) and post my own mug - so as not to look like non-conformist!

Oh, and on the external files thing - I'm pretty sure the phpBB script which runs this forum stores the avatars locally - so yes, they WOULD load as part of the site - not an external reference.

But heck, lets stop worrying about the technicalities - I'm getting excited now...

After seige's 'worm' has turned, he forgets all the serious and practical points he made earlier and scurries of to make an avatar - just in case... don't you just hate it when people are right? (Thanks, Valentino!!!)

Just got a PM from Laurence & as the man from Del Monte once said.....



....Well Laurence has gone one better!!


As you can see from my post AVATARS are here, hooray!!

If you don't know how to add one just click on the profile button at the top and scroll down to the bottom of the list to upload it, and yes in this case Laurence has opted to store them locally!

Now you have to be a bit creative as you only have 6k and80 x 80 max size to play with but as you can see from mine this still is enough to play with.

Oh BTW for those who have not written anything about themselves in their profile, now's the chance.

A big thank you to Laurence (I'm impressed at the speed in which he replied and upgraded things), and here's to a more colourful and fun board.

Regards,
Valentino

I wonder if anyone will let me in the restricted area now.

You know what? Yesterday morning I thought 'wouldn't it be great if we had Avatars?' the you suggested it and now we do, so one quick Gimp later (and I mean the image editing software before you say anything!) and I have my very own lemon avatar to love and to cherish.

Get your own cool avatars here:

http://askearth.com/go/avatar_change

Just right click and save to your machine. I personally like the nutter in the strait jacket.

regards,
Valentino

Hhhhhhmm. I'm not so sure about this. Makes it all look very busy busy ESPecially the animated ones.

Still, as I don't want to be a party pooper I guess I could give it a go for a while. This will do for now. - I'll have to see what software I have at home for creating my own.

Here's a couple more avatar sites btw:-

http://www.gamespy.com/avatars/
http://www.hotavatars.com/

Makes it all look very busy busy ESPecially the animated ones.

said the wise one above!

My avatar is actually a still from an animated one but the animated version is larger than the Forum limit. seige has had a go at reducing the file size but it won't reduce enough so, any chance of increasing the Forum limit please?

(If not, I'll probably have to shave the avatar's beard off or something!)