Kolya on 4/8/2009 at 14:16
Hash-based generated avatars, aka (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identicon) identicons, allow for recognizability without distraction.
Identicons have been a widely used feature in wordpress blogs for some time now, where they also serve identifiability. If they were implemented as an option in the User Control Panel of TTLG I think that many would soon use them here as well.
Inline Image:
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/8952/kolyaidenticon.pngBriareos H on 4/8/2009 at 15:53
How is that better than an username ?
it's much uglier, that's for sure
Nameless Voice on 4/8/2009 at 16:07
How is that better than an avatar?
It's much uglier, that's for sure.
David on 4/8/2009 at 16:26
I can't see the point of them where registration is mandatory to participate, such as the forums.
Nameless Voice on 4/8/2009 at 18:09
Seems useless anyway, considering that most of us don't keep the same IP address for long.
Al_B on 4/8/2009 at 18:57
If they were hashed on the username rather than the IP address then they would obviously be consistent for any one poster. However, that would pretty much nullify their point.
I really like the fact that this forum doesn't have avatars. Although not the same I think this would just add visual clutter.
Kolya on 4/8/2009 at 21:02
Quote Posted by Briareos H
How is that better than an username ?
it's much uglier, that's for sure
Quote Posted by Nameless Voice
How is that better than an avatar?
It's much uglier, that's for sure.
Apart from the fact that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, identicons are generated individually and look different for everyone, as I said.
Quote Posted by David
I can't see the point of them where registration is mandatory to participate, such as the forums.
The point is recognisability, as I said.
Quote Posted by Nameless Voice
Seems useless anyway, considering that most of us don't keep the same IP address for long.
Quote Posted by Al_B
If they were hashed on the username rather than the IP address then they would obviously be consistent for any one poster.
Yeah, wordpress incorporates some alternative method than only IP-hashes, my identicon has been the same forever.
Quote Posted by Al_B
However, that would pretty much nullify their point.
No, it wouldn't. An image is much easier to recognise at a glance than a combination of characters.
Quote Posted by Al_B
I think this would just add visual clutter.
OPTIONAL.
rachel on 4/8/2009 at 21:41
Quote Posted by Kolya
The point is recognisability, as I said.
I don't want to sound pretentious, but if you can't bother to read a
username, you don't belong here*. And the unreadable ones are rare enough to be easily remembered.
(obviously that's generic you, not you you ;) )
Kolya on 4/8/2009 at 23:43
Yes, I can read. But for lots of people a small colorful image is faster to recognise than a combination of letters. What should be an easily understandable principle bounces off on TTLG's kneejerk reaction to "OMG! AVATARS!"
A few minutes ago I had someone scoffing at me on IRC:
"you're talking to someone who recognizes the shapes of letters and the words they form".
So he looks at known words like he would look at a picture. He doesn't read them character by character but recognises the word's "skyline". Which is how text-recognition works for all of us. But he still couldn't see the benefit of it.
PigLick on 5/8/2009 at 06:28
TTLG will remain the last bastion of avatar and graphic-less bulletin boards. Thats the way it is so suck it up princess.
