The animated avatar debate.

[CountAntonio]

Note: All avatars animated or not must be below the 50 KB limit.

Now that people have discovered you can use animated avatars we are starting to see more of them. Are you for or against animated avatars?

I am firmly against. Don't like how they just clutter up the page with visual noise. Though some subtle ones can be okay most tend not to be and there is really no way to control them. What say you?

 

[Cream]

If anyone should have an animated avatar, it's me.

 

[Hat22]

They're fine. They're just as "cluttery" as static avatars.

 

[Lashley]

nah cba with that bollocks

 

[Pacote]

Dont worry. I just changed my avatar temporary to show its active. (and yep, Im well aware um using one of the most EXTREME nauseating gifs, Its the whole point :p )

Sure it has a file size limit of 50kb but still, for some its very distracting.

What do you guys think?

 

[Pimienta]

Keep them, just put an option to disable them if you hate them. Unless they are taxing to the servers, they should stay imo.

Just regulate the trashy ones like anime tits flippin' around or something.

 

[Van Bur3n]

I have no issues with them, but certainly understand the problems other have with it. They can stay or go, won't bother me either way.

Keep them, just put an option to disable them if you hate them. Unless they are taxing to the servers, they should stay imo.

Just regulate the trashy ones like anime tits flippin' around or something.

Click to shrink...

Another good thought. Allow options for users to modify their experience here. And yeah, definitely regulate on some obnoxious ones.

Besides that, again, I'm indifferent.

 

[Deleted member 5127]

Wait, gif avatars are allowed? Haven't noticed any.

 

[BernardoOne]

Keep them unless they are a strain on the servers (unlikely since they have the same size limit as still images), provide an option for people to disable them on their end.

 

[Elandyll]

Would that not impact bandwidth too for mobile users?

 

[Stuart444]

I'd prefer to be without them. They can be very annoying.

 

[Deleted member 2507]

While some things are cool as animated, like my hydralisk would be, i think no animated avatars is better. Animated things attract too much attention, it is far more distracting than static avatars.

EDIT Changed on my mind what was here...

 

[Deleted member 6949]

I like animated avatars. If they stick around I'll consider making my hippo lean in for a smooch.

 

[Einchy]

Keep them unless they are a strain on the servers (unlikely since they have the same size limit as still images), provide an option for people to disable them on their end.

Click to shrink...

Oh god, it moves.

 

[Deleted member 135]

Only if they are .APNG format.

 

[dbcyber]

I want option to disable avatars all together tbh.

 

[Pimienta]

Would that not impact bandwidth too for mobile users?

Click to shrink...

Same size limits as static images, so no.

 

[Lashley]

dont see the harm

wont use them personally

 

[Yohane]

I say we keep the animated avatar and give the ability to disable them in the user settings. Best of both worlds.

 

[Chamaeleonx]

If anyone should have an animated avatar, it's me.

Click to shrink...

I don't even want to imagine that. XD

But if it works and keeps the load and bandwidth the same I have nothing against it.

 

[Speevy]

I'll quote myself.

It's not simply that animated avatars are "annoying" or "ugly". It's that they send the message that a forum needs a novelty bell to be better appealing, that the discussions in and of themselves aren't enough. I remember how neat they were in 2003. I had a custom animated avatar, a custom animated signature, a custom animated tag, and I was just flashing green and purple and blue lights everywhere I went.

But it really doesn't make the forum better for all, and if it bothers some, then that's enough.

When animated GIF avatars were taken away from Neogaf, I whined up a storm, but then I and most people thought "Yeah, this is better."

 

[Pacote]

Just discovered how to add a poll (you have to first create the thread) so I edited.

For the record it was 11 Nay and 3 Nay on the strawpoll

 

[Xe4]

No. Please dear God no. Leave them in the 2000's where they belong. No animated avatars made GAF so clean and readable and was part of the reason I even joined.

 

[VorpalNonsense]

I don't like animated avatars.

Before now I was actually in favor of them. Like, why not? But now that I see it in action here and in other threads, it's just needlessly distracting and busying up the page. My eyes are constantly drawn away from the post and toward the flashing images and I can't ignore it because it's right there.

I just wanna read the conversation but my eyes keep getting stuck as I move down the page. Keep it classy, keep it about the conversation, keep it static. Vote for Kodos.

 

[Weltall Zero]

Hard pass indeed. Voted nope.

Edit:

I say we keep the animated avatar and give the ability to disable them in the user settings. Best of both worlds.

Click to shrink...

Not against this, if it's feasible. Give users the option to specify an animated avatar in addition to the normal one, and display the appropriate one to other users according to their preferences.
Obviously this would be waaaaay down the list of priorities to implement.

 

[Deleted member 20295]

I recon they could be allowed, but with an option for other users to disable the animation - me though, they are distracting and usually the animatifon they have is pretty crap.

 

[Thorzilla]

+1. I feel like it adds more character and personality to a user's persona if done right but please give us a toggle, especially for some of us mobile browsers navigating with data.

 

[jett]

I think I'm used to static avatars now.

 

[TheIcedP]

Yea it is very distracting to read a post especially the one you have on now. Maybe it is just my short attention span but the gifs really take me out of posts that I am trying to read and then I have to restart the paragraph.

 

[TemplaerDude]

Not a fan. I'd probably fall in the same boat as Speevy above me, I thought it sucked for a few weeks when they dumped them on GAF but it wasn't long before I realized how much nicer it made the forum.

 

[Eyeh4wk]

Don't get too attached to them. It may be gone soon.

 

[SJRB]

Definite "no".

 

[Prophet Steve]

My heart says yes, but my head says no.

 

[Piggus]

I like to have fun, so I voted yay.

 

[Vagabond]

I recognize posters by name, not avatar

 

[Pacote]

Yea it is very distracting to read a post especially the one you have on now. Maybe it is just my short attention span but the gifs really take me out of posts that I am trying to read and then I have to restart the paragraph.

Click to shrink...

Tbh I got the most psychedelic one I could quick find on google to make a point but mine is on the extreme end of the spectrum im sure hehe.

 

[Stuart444]

I say we keep the animated avatar and give the ability to disable them in the user settings. Best of both worlds.

Click to shrink...

I assume you mean give an option to disable animated avatars only so we can still see normal non-animated avatars?

I guess I would accept that if that was the option we got yeah.

 

[EarthBound64]

Nay
Nae
Nā

 

[Squarehard]

The file size limit is pretty low, so most of them won't really look good at a decreased quality, so I doubt it will become a thing as that may push a lot of people away from uploading one.

I enjoy animated avatars, but only if they're good quality, and not blobby, because then it feels like they are cluttering up my vision, particularly if I can't even tell what it is, lol.

 

[SgtCobra]

Nay bruh, back to basics.

I still want my animu signatures though, Naruto fighting Goku ftw xDD

 

[Speevy]

The harm is that this forum hasn't yet finished refining all of its aesthetics and we're adding glittery sparkles.

 

[SegFault]

Mobile era means I don't want it.

 

[Kenzodielocke]

No animated avatars, thanks.

 

[GrrImAFridge]

I'm not fussed, but, gun to my head, I'd say no for reasons that have already been mentioned...

...he says, while using an animated avatar.

 

[Beans]

I have a great one but I'm getting good feedback with this one so I'm happy

 

[Chessguy1]

bad idea to make this poll when OP has a distracting/annoying avatar, heh.:p

I was going to vote yes til I saw it.

 

[Zetino]

I like options so I went with yes.

 

[DrForester]

No.

Except for the Road to Eldorado one.

 

[Yohane]

I assume you mean give an option to disable animated avatars only so we can still see normal non-animated avatars?

I guess I would accept that if that was the option we got yeah.

Click to shrink...

Yeah that's exactly what I meant. Sorry my English is terrible. :(

 

[Lashley]

changed my mind <3

keep em