its not just about turning it on and off
its about the excess server load that they cause..
why should the site run slower because everyone wants to put the same stupid cartoon pictures next to their names?
not to mention the cost of the excess bandwidth that dvdtalk would incure

Another vote against Avatars. This is one of the main reasons I like DVDTalk.

Somehow, I can't imagine that the use of a 50x50 pixel, 4k avatar would even begin to compare to the bandwidth issues we all suffer due to the number of images posted in the "adult" forum.

I vote for avatars.

thats different
when someone posts a picture in a thread.. they are posting one that is hosted elsewhere.. and if it doesnt load correctly or takes a long time.. it is just accepted as normal

avatars are typically hosted locally.. and eat up a ton of bandwidth

and if you allow people to use avatars hosted elsewhere.. you will always have people using crappy hosting services that cause the pages to load slow, as that crappy image tries to load off whatever crappy host its on.

if avatars are ever allowed
hopefully they will ONLY be available to premium members

That would be a good incentive for those that like avatars.

and i believe that might be enough to keep down the bandwidth issues that could have happened

although.... i think its pretty safe to assume that avatars (if offered) will definitly only be available for premium members

Anyone try to reset your member status? Would hate to start from scratch.

WTF is a premium member? I've not heard of this on here. Man looks like this site is getting money hungry. So what does this premium get ya and when does it start?

Anyway avatars no avatars I not care. They are fun and even if they cost dvdtalk more money WTF do I care!? I don't pay their bills. If they get them fine I'll use them if not I not care about it.

Hmm...for some reason, the site's been kinda sluggish. Hasn't been loading as fast as it used to..

Damn avatars.

I wish DVDTalk did have a premium membership. I'd sign up in a heartbeat.

there has been a ton of discussion about the premium member option in this forum..
of course, it will only be an option.. the site will still be free for anyone that doesnt want to pay

premium will get some special benefits.. they have been mentioned, but nothing specific has been stated.. some of the ideas mentioned have been... avatars, private messages, custom titles, no ads at all, a premium member subforum, the ability for premium members to sell or advertise items, etc...

these have just been some of the suggestions.. and I know Im forgetting alot of them... no idea what the premium membership will actually include when it comes out..

I would like dvdtalk to be free of avatars. I get enough of them in other forums. If you have to only go by visuals to remember your name or others, then you have a problem.

Says YOU, twikoff!

Ive said ALOT today.. can you be more specific about what youre referencing?

Money hungry? The site costs a lot - not just in terms of money but also in time. A premium member program would be an option, it is no way required. I'm almost positive that Geoff doesn't plan on taking away anything that you're already used to. If people want to contribute financially instead of "paying" by viewing ads then I think they should have that option. Plus it's a nice way to show your support and appreciation for what goes into this site (and what you get out of it).

So let me help clarify. "Premium" membership is something that many members have ASKED for, it isn't something we're doing to make gobs and gobs of money. If we were money hungry we would have rushed to update to vb3 and added premium membership right out of the gate, but we didn't. Vb3 has been out for quite some time now and we waited till enough bug fixes were out there to ensure the best experience for our members.

Now as I mentioned, I AM a fan of avatars, we would have implemented them long ago if we didn't have to contend with resource issues. But now we're up on vb3 it's something we're looking at. I'm actually quite fond of my avatar that I use over at the veggieboards which is also VB3 (and an area where I've had a good chance to play with many of the features as a user of the forum).

Matter of fact, it was through spending some good time on another forum as a member that convinced me that moving to VB3 was a good idea.

So sit tight, be patient and we'll do what we can. We'll never plesae everyone, but our intentions are good and our commitment to making DVD Talk as good as it possibly can be is as strong as ever.

How would this be a problem if one has the option of blocking avatars?

I would think it would only slow things down for those who make the choice to be able to see them. And as long as they are hosted elsewhere it's not costing DVD TALK any bandwidth.

I vote yes to Avatars.

So I open up this thread, and there's that ad bar directly under the first post, and the first ad in the bar is for.... avatars! Yeah, I know, Google went and dug up info related to the thread, but still.... funny

no avatars please. Makes forums across the web look cluttered.

While the idea of avatars is cool, on too many forums it just turns it a mess. Either the avatars start becoming really large in size, or even worse become animated. It ends up taking forever to load a page, and it makes it so cluttered.

I was once at an obscure BladeRunner forum once and I was listening to a webstation that was playing techno music. The beat happened to sync up with this one guy's animated avatar of a rear view of a very fine female. It was a small moment, but one I have remembered for it's incredible stroke of syncronocity for many years.

I vote yes for avatars.