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Sphinn Avatars: 2 Reasons to Clean 'Em Up
Went Hot: September 16, 2007 - 12:37 pm
Posted By: MattMcGee 387 days ago
Topic Type: Discussion
Category: Sphinn Zone
Some of your avatars are like nails on a chalkboard. More importantly, they're also hurting your chances of becoming a trusted contributor. Let me explain:
On Friday, I spent my lunch break zapping 8 spam submissions from the Upcoming page. One thing was obvious: Every submission/user had the default green circle avatar. In fact, it seems like 9 out of every 10 spam submissions come from a user with the default green avatar. So...
Request #1: Customize your avatar so you don't look like all those spammers we keep zapping.
Now, the nails-on-chalkboard thing. Have you noticed that a lot of avatars get all smushed and jagged after being uploaded? At the risk of offending two solid contributors (who I have not asked permission to use as examples), here's what I'm talking about:
http://sphinn.com/avatars/user_uploaded/aglobalwarming_50.jpg
http://sphinn.com/avatars/user_uploaded/planetc1_50.jpg
(Guys, sorry, but you were the first examples I found.)
My avatar used to look like that, too. Sphinn is such a pretty place, with the blues and greens and whites, that I'm asking everyone with avatars like this to help clean up the community. :-) That's request #2. The solution is simple:
Sphinn's maximum avatar size is 50x50. So grab the image you uploaded originally, shrink it to down so that it's no bigger than 50x50 (mine is 34x50), and re-upload. Easy!
So, if you don't want to look like a spammer, and want to keep Sphinn looking spiffy, please clean up your avatars.
Thank you!
14 Comments
Comments
but then you will see my face, and nobody wants that...
Ok I will get it updated tonight
Sure we do! It's like one of those neighborhood cleanup projects. One avatar at a time, that's all it takes. :)
A comment next to the upload button, specifying the required size, would be neat...
I don't think I have ever voted on a submit with no avatar.
There are a number of psychological factors why an avatar and the right type of avatar is important. If you are in online marketing and you cannot market yourself online, what does that say?
Matt McGee on how better to spam Sphinn. Love it :)
G1smd, very good functional suggestion.
Of course, your avatar cuts off half your face:.)
My nails-on-chalkboard, smushed and jagged avatar has been updated. I even trimmed 3 extra pixels for faster page loading.
It's cool when it's the same avatar as one's myBlogLog badge. Many folks use the same one in both places.
@aglobalwarming and @planetc1 -- awesome new avatars. What an improvement. :-)
@SEOish -- I don't know what you're talking about! hehehe
@toddmintz - you're one to talk. :-)
Shhh be quite SEOish, you are letting out the secrets!
I still need to get the photoshop thing down.
another reason: today I saw Michael's face (planetc1) and instantly recognized him from PubCon last fall. We had chatted about SEO stuff we have in common during the friday party... and all this time I never put "planetc1" together with him (duh) until I saw his face.
Just as my own sites have no SEO cause I'm a perfectionist shoemaker, I also am sadly sans self portaits cause I'm a perfectionist photographer. My avatar is a self portrait from photo school twenty years ago. Time to do a studio shoot...
Well I added an avatar because of this discussion topic, it looks kinda crappy small though.
Clean avatars should be a habit. However the two you pointed out weren't that bad. I kinda go cross eyed looking at your half face...
Well, the two I pointed out are now fixed. That's why they don't look too bad. :)
Sorry to make you cross-eyed, but I like to show my good side....