|
Forum Announcements and Comments Announcements about forum changes will be made in this section. All new threads here now require moderator approval. |
View Poll Results: What do you think of Animated Avatars? | |||
I like them. | 10 | 10.53% | |
I loathe them. | 28 | 29.47% | |
I don't care either way. | 57 | 60.00% | |
Voters: 95. You may not vote on this poll |
|
Thread Tools |
21st Mar 2022, 8:31 am | #1 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Bognor Regis, West Sussex, UK.
Posts: 2,301
|
Animated Avatars
I have noticed that animated (moving) Avatars are starting to find their way onto the forum and wondered what others think of them.
Personally I find them so distracting as to make a thread where a contributor has an animated avatar unreadable. I either navigate away, or if the thread is really fascinating I resort to holding a piece of paper against the left hand side of the screen to hide them. I don't want to be "dog in a manger" about this but it's a real problem for me. Peter Last edited by Station X; 21st Mar 2022 at 7:31 pm. Reason: Poll added. |
21st Mar 2022, 7:40 pm | #2 |
Administrator
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Cardiff
Posts: 9,073
|
Re: Animated Avatars
With most web browsers animated GIFs can be disabled (which will freeze them on the first frame) either by adjusting settings or using add-ons.
For example this page explains how to do so for many popular browsers https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-...n-your-browser |
22nd Mar 2022, 8:45 am | #3 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Bognor Regis, West Sussex, UK.
Posts: 2,301
|
Re: Animated Avatars
Thanks for the link Paul, that worked on Firefox.
Thanks also to Station X for adding a poll. Peter |
22nd Mar 2022, 10:31 am | #4 |
Octode
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Ventnor, Isle of Wight, & Great Dunmow, Essex, UK.
Posts: 1,377
|
Re: Animated Avatars
Yes, I also find them extremely irritating and like the OP, have to cover them up before I can read a post. Luckily, there are not many members that have them, so it's not really a huge problem.
I had no idea (like so many things with computers!) that you could disable them, so I will give that a go. It is though, a very minor irritation with an otherwise superb forum! Cheers Nick |
22nd Mar 2022, 10:45 am | #5 |
Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Exeter, Devon and Poole, Dorset UK.
Posts: 6,879
|
Re: Animated Avatars
I have said it doesn't bother me which is true , I don't have one and don't intend to create one.
I would say some are amusing but the novelty wears off once seen a few times. I do accept that they can be annoying to some members. Cheers Mike T
__________________
Invisible airwaves crackle with life or at least they used to Mike T BVWS member. www.cossor.co.uk |
22nd Mar 2022, 12:41 pm | #6 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Bracknell, Berkshire,UK.
Posts: 1,175
|
Re: Animated Avatars
Having selected the I loathe them option I suddenly realised I was using one myself.... now corrected, but it was a pretty mild version. Some of the ones you see elsewhere drive me nuts, UKVR seems to avoid those.
Dave |
22nd Mar 2022, 12:47 pm | #7 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,130
|
Re: Animated Avatars
So, you've become a silent key?
__________________
Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
22nd Mar 2022, 12:53 pm | #8 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,970
|
Re: Animated Avatars
I find that members who use animation are pretty sensible about it. Although I'm not a great fan of animated avatars, I can't think of a single one here that is seriously intrusive, unlike lots of other places on the net. I don't mind a morse key going up and down or a couple of rotating tape reels.
Anyone who feels that an avatar is unacceptable for any reason is welcome to report it to the moderators, who will discuss it and possibly take action. |
22nd Mar 2022, 1:19 pm | #9 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Worksop, Nottinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 5,554
|
Re: Animated Avatars
I have not bothered to vote because there is no option for "can sometimes be distracting".
There is a non electronic site I use that has loads of Facebook and other flashing stuff on the right hand side. There is a long pull down in the forum software with lots of options to switch bits of the animation on and off. The software we have here may be a bit too old to have animation switches. Newer software has other quirks that make an upgrade pointless unless it provides better data security or bigger images. |
22nd Mar 2022, 2:42 pm | #10 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Fakenham, Norfolk, UK.
Posts: 4,259
|
Re: Animated Avatars
I nearly took the minority position of "I like them", because the only one I can recall ever noticing here is a wandering fly (?) which if anything puts a smile on my face. Evidently there are others I'm not noticing - either that or Waterfox Classic with default settings fails to show them - so "don't care either way" claimed my vote.
Paul |
22nd Mar 2022, 6:28 pm | #11 |
Dekatron
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 18,725
|
Re: Animated Avatars
I get the odd house-fly on my PC monitor, and that fly aviator never fails to fool me, so it's amusing more than annoying.
I hope my animated GIF avatar is seen as I intended, as TV nostalgia, it's also geographically appropriate for a lifelong Mancunian, as well as a nod to the group that employed me for a quarter of a century. I have seriously considered changing it to the old ABC Weekend Television animation, on Saturdays and Sundays only, as ABC is arguably even more nostalgic in this part of the world, for those of us old enough to remember it.
__________________
-- Graham. G3ZVT Last edited by Graham G3ZVT; 22nd Mar 2022 at 6:43 pm. |
22nd Mar 2022, 7:47 pm | #12 |
Nonode
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Nuneaton, Warwickshire, UK.
Posts: 2,040
|
Re: Animated Avatars
Take away the don't mind option. People can't sit on the fence then 😀
Aub
__________________
Life's a long song, but the tune ends too soon for us all. |
22nd Mar 2022, 8:02 pm | #13 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,130
|
Re: Animated Avatars
Yes they can. They can simply not vote, as I have done, given that my feeling depends very much upon the individual avatar.
__________________
Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
22nd Mar 2022, 9:24 pm | #14 |
Pentode
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Bedford, Bedfordshire, UK.
Posts: 174
|
Re: Animated Avatars
I like the fly too - from a very helpful member on all things Racal.
|