not a critique, just a.......

[handicapper2]

suggestion...today i was on a pretty cool website called elefuns.com that has free avatars...i posted a question about how i could add an avatar to my screen and, besides being rebuffed for being redundant about that question, i was mildly shocked to find out that you have to write 1254 or there about posts to qualify...thats 1254 posts! double !!....im not sure the reason behind that number but to me it seems a tad bit elevated...and ifs thats 1254 responses to questions then im really sunk...i dont believe i could ask 1254 questions about computers and i barely know anything about um...
so my suggestion is to poll the audience just like a democracy does and maybe come up with a slightly lower arbitrary number....i mean, today i finally had the good fortune to find an avatar that was of a jockey riding a horse matching my call sign and (laffing here to self) being able to get it onto my screen without shutting my whole system down....that to me was worth 1000 posts'.....just a suggestion......now whered that horse and rider go ?...

[glc]

Unfortunately, these forums are not a democracy. They are private forums run by PC Media, Inc. and the rules and policies are dictated by the staff. We aren't bending on this one. We are considering adding to the collection of stock avatars, but the policy on customs is cast in stone.

The members should not have jumped down your throat, but you should have used the forum search function before posting that thread. I just entered "custom avatar" into the search and got 78 hits - and I'd bet that at least half of them were posted the same way yours was.

[Panama Red]

Just to clarify, it's 1024 posts (other than in General Discussion forums) to become qualified for posting a CUTOM avatar. PC Mech is NOT about self-expression through personalized pictures, signatures, and avatars. It IS about helping other PC enthusiasts or just the everyday PC user solve problems, gain knowledge, and share their knowledge and experience. Those folks who stop by for advice and leave aren't concerned about your screen name or how fancy your avatar is. They just want quality information on how to solve an often frustrating problem. If anything, fancy avatars and large, image laden signatures are more of a hinderance than a help. Takes longer for them to load and needlessly increases the size of threads. When I first joined PC Mech, I had a signature with my first system in it. My attitude was "Look what I got!". Now, after building many new systems for customers as well as myself and starting a business to help other computer users, my attitude has changed. Now it is "How can I help you." That's the real reason for this forum. (As well as hanging out with some pretty cool folks that can teach me new things every day.) Just be patient; your time will come if you contribute selflessly.

[handicapper2]

lets see here, where to begin..i guess i could answer you glc by saying that if i knew where this forum search button was and knew what it did and what it was used for id have no reason to ask anyone anything, id just click and read...and besides i wasnt looking for what the rules were, i was making a "suggestion" like the thread says...i know i read that word in there somewhere...'laffin'.....panama, thanks for the clarification on the exact No of posts, thats about the only thing you wrote that "wasnt" an expression, and thats including your panama flag i would think...and it just occured to me that thats why pc mech website has them at all(avatars) so we wont use them and we wont express ourselves , i just bet thats why the american flag is one of two avatars...for non-expression...oh, and the part about them taking longer to load, now thats a valid argument...well fellows, im sure you get a kick out of doing what you do and i have to admit returning this post for me, was...this alone made this site worth it...and actually i believe both of you did help me in my evolution to understand the hardware better, and you deserve a thanks...before i go i just wonder if after reading my post you both were licking your chops...i know i was after i read what you wrote...happy computing you 2 and keep up the good work....

[glc]

If you think we are "licking our chops" you are sadly mistaken, and we are sorry you feel that way. We are simply doing our (unpaid) job to make this the finest forum for getting technical assistance on the Web with a minimum of distractions.

Red's avatar is not the Panama flag, by the way - it's a military award that he earned, and he earned the privilege of using it here.

Now, you did make a suggestion. The topic has been brought up many times before, and the decision has been in place for a long time. Thank you for the suggestion, but it ain't gonna happen and I gave you the courtesy of saying just that. I apologize if I seemed to be harsh about it.

At the risk of aggravating you even more, I have to make a suggestion of my own. You are giving us the impression that you care more about a picture under your name than you do about the forum content. That's not what this place is all about and I urge you to think about this for a while.

[Punked Out Comp]

We are considering adding to the collection of stock avatars

When are we going to see these?

Although I would like a custom avatar, I understand, respect, and even see some validity in the 1024 rule. How about this, scince you want computer help and a custom avatar, you sign up to some random forum and post the avatar of you'r choice. Then, when you feel like seeing your avatar, you go to that site, and when you fell like getting computer help, you come here. It's a no lose proposition.

[rjfvillarosa]

I don't think adding to the two standard avatars is a very good idea, if you add say a few national flags like the stars and stripes that is there now, someone will come back and moan "well why not mine". Personaly I believe the two stock avatars should stay as they are. Trying to please everyone is a great idea but not always practical. It just seems to me that a lot of people are far more interested in seeing their name in "flashing lights" than they are in the original concept of this forum. Recently I have seen this a lot more than ever before. I have been coming back and forth to this forum for around two years and it is only in the last few months I have had the time to join. People rewarded for effort is a good thing (congrats GLC on hitting 34,000), but you see alot of people add nonsensical comments for no other reason than to see their posting tally rise.
Just my opinion, "leave the avatars alone"