Are there too many default avatars out there?

I prefer it when someone posts a unique avatar. That makes it easier for me to recognize them as someone I have had dealings with before. However, since Fluther does kindly offer some default avatars, perhaps we should just ask Andrew to offer a bit more choice. That way not every new person will be the exact same jellyfish or kitten.

I agree. I’m not suggesting everybody remove the default avatars, or remove them completely, but it’s more of an individuality thing. I suppose if people like their default avatar, or feel it’s part of their identity here, they should keep it.

But there are also people that have done things to the default avatars, which are actually pretty cool, like Nimis.

But some new defaults would be nice.

@dverhey Just wanted to say that the avatar you’re using is my favorite of yours. :)

@jonsblond: Thank you! Zoidberg is the man.

The default avatars don’t bother me
I care a lot more about the content of what people say

My initial impression on seeing a generic avatar is to think “this is someone who isn’t very invested in the community”. It’s as if this person has come to visit, but has never taken their coat off. That’s fine, of course, but the collective may be slower to warm to someone with a generic avatar.

I also recognize users by their avatars so I think it is nice when someone has a specific avatar they use. When I see a default I think ‘newbie’ not as if that is a bad thing by any means but just that they haven’t been around enough or invested enough to change their avatar. I also really appreciate the default avatars and think they are pretty neat. It just gets a bit confusing when several people use the same default.

Maybe we should all be able to upload fun “default” avatars (maybe max it out at 5 or something) and once a “default” avatar is used it gets retired. If that happens, the “designer” can submit a new one if they choose. Just an idea, I have no idea how complicated that would be.

I’m indifferent. Is that ok?

Pictures aren’t really that important. People are easily identifiable by their username and content.

I guess it’s different for different people. Some people instantly look at the picture and some look at the user name. The world needs all types. :-)

I agree. Let me just ask you this. What do you see first for AstroChuck? Is it the avatar? Is it the name?

Because I see AstroChuck being absolutely different with a different avatar…

I agree. They should only be available temporarily. Like, after a week or two after you sign up, you get a notice saying “Okay, pal, time to come up with your own avatar”.

I find that having any number of default avatars is more confusing than just having one. With having a number of them, you can be going through a thread, and upon seeing the same avatar, believe it is the same person writing, when, in fact, it is someone else. If the default avatar was always the same avatar, then I’d know that I needed to be careful about who this is. It might also encourage more people to get their own avatars. Personally, I really don’t like the default avatars. They confuse the hell out of me.

@daloon I second that! To me, having all of the same avatars going around is laziness & boring. It’s not that hard & doesn’t take that long to put up your own picture.

I like unique avatars but default does not bother me. It does make it easier to identify a user if they have a unique avatar though.

I remember one thread where cwilbur, Crusader and someone else were all going back and forth but since they had the same avatar it looked like the same person posting several times in a row.

No big deal, but avatars are easy enough to add, so it seems a bit odd to not personalize your profile. But it seems fitting to have a bunch of jellies floating around Fluther.

I’m not sure I can create an avatar on an iPhone. If it is possible, I don’t know how.

Also, my eyesight is very poor and, for the most part, I can only see the different colors and can’t really see the picture.

Just ignore the avatars and look only at the username, like I do. Even then, you aren’t learning anything, because some people use more than one user name.

i would like people having more options because the jellyfish get confusing, but i wouldn’t want people to change them often. i relate these people’s comments to their avatars. that’s their face as far as i’m concerned.

Yeah, if you want to be a Lame-O.
Default avatar = 0 respect for originality or any other original personality aspects.

i do tend to recognize people by their avatars. of course, there are plenty of folks i recognize by just their name, or even the way they speak, but avatars give you something to attach the personality too. i do prefer custom ones. they aren’t the most important thing, of course, but it’s a nice thing to see.