MB-BOB

I love seeing all the nice pix of the cars here. However, some of the pix posted are way too big, requiring WAY too much time to load, and requiring excessive panning L & R to see everything. Maybe I'm the only one (mildly) annoyed by this.

Also, while I'm venting, do all of you moderators REALLY have to post pix of the ***-end of your rides with every post? I imagine using pix in the signature lines like that will really hog some server resources if everyone did it. Besides, I thought that's what the Avatars were supposed to be used for.

Drew

... but one of the biggest complaints all of us 'Moderators with pix of our ***-ends' have ...

... is with the guys who can't seem to make their posts in the appropriate Forum.

This post will be moved to and appear in the Forum in which it should have been posted to from the get-go, and then, it will be replied to in due course.

awiner

Bob, funny thing you brought this up. About a week or so ago, I posted a msg. in the Moderator Cafe forum in order to gather advice on this very subject.

The final consensus was that we should keep picture size small so once it is loaded into a users browser cache, that it will usually remain there and be quite fast to load.

If the signatures start to really slow you down, you can also dis-able the displaying of signatures in your user settings under "Edit Options". There is a toggle for "Show user's signatures in their posts?" ...

vadim

Good point. My suggestion to the board keepers is to install a program that would automatically resize images that are too large to some acceptable size, say, 800x600 pixels max in any dimension. If help is needed, pls let me know.

todd

You are NOT using dial-up MB-Bob, are you????!!!

The shame!!

Rick

The largest high resolution (hi-res) images always look the best....until you put them up on the web (then they just become part of the 'world wide wait). To load faster, 320x240 is probably better for forum posts, but you can't take away from the beauty of a 3.3megapixel shot, either. I'd like to recommend smaller sized pictures, but that might diminish the intent of the proud owner/poster in showing off their new ride.

So, maybe the forum folks could give us the ability to post hi-res pics on the upload sight, and give us linked thumbnails to click on in the forum posts. This could enable multiple picture links in a single post, and speed up the load time of pages that are stuffed to the brim with pics.

Vic55

Hey MB-Bob thank the lord that Drew didnt post his true back end as his signature or you would be waiting 15 minutes for the pic to upload. Also you wouldnt just be able to scroll left and right you would have the options of starting at page 1 through page 9.

Small sigs are better- I don't think Drew's pic takes any time at all unless someone is on a dial-up- DSL or cable has zero delays--its worth the extra $$ you spend if you are on the net alot.

Drew

I agree.

Posters of Pics should follow the rules and the limitations therein: e.g. nothing larger than 150 Kb. As far as I know, all Moderators have emailed and/or PM'd those posters who've failed to comply with the above rule, and asked them to resize and/or replace the violative photo.

The only two Moderators that I'm aware of who have sig pics that show the '***-end of our rides' are Adam and I. Adam's sig pic is 150 Kb and mine is only 51 Kb ... hardly large and time consuming to download ... even for 56k'rs. And besides, I like the way may a-s-s end looks by the way ... took me a long time of hard work to own that a-s-s end (and what comes before it as well), and damnit ... I'm going to show it off every chance I get.

Our Avatars are still too small for my tastes. Eventually, as our Forum here grows, so will the size of the Avatar. As Adam said, once the sig. pic is loaded into your Cache ... its there on your hard-drive, which is accessed each time you go to a page with that .jpeg on it) and doesn't need to take the time to download again (unless you clear your Cache).

And as Adam also mentioned, if you don't like it, don't care to look at it, or just don't have the dowload speed to live with it ... you have the option of turning that feature off.

And I thought they liked anything BIG in Texas?

todd

Bob, I think you are out of your teritory.

Upgrade or shut... up.

todd

Your kind of reasoning parralles on Comunism.

Think about it.

If you can't handle the bytes then bow down.

Don't ATTEMPT to make the rest of us drop to your level.

MB-BOB

Drew and Adam:
I experience no delay in watching your signature pictures loading. I enjoy your posts, but I'm just frankly tired of seeing your cars in your signatures all the time.

It's no slam at you guys or your rides... I'll post a picture of my car from time to time when it's appropriate to do so to illustrate a point, etc., but I would get tired of seeing my own car if included in every post.

Besides, when I look at my Control Panel options, I can't figure out how to add a picture to my signature line. It appears the option isn't there, just to post an Avatar. Since the moderators are the only ones with pictures in their signatures, it leads me to wonder if this is a moderator only option.

And todd, Lenin would describe communism as an intellectual discussion... If you knew how to spell it, he would let you participate.

awiner

Bob, you add the pic in your signature area. You need to use a SRC html command and have a website host your picture. You can not attach a picture so that's why we use HTML to pull the picture into the sig. This may be the area that is confusing for you and others.

todd

Bob, I would not give a fuc k if Lenin would allow me to participate in a discussion or not. I would kill him with his own AK. If he wasn't allready dead... thank god.

It is the concept, not the text, that matters.

And I think you know that.

Drew

Bob,

Please follow these directions:

1. at top-right of this page, you'll see the button "User CP", click it;

2. on the navigation bar of that page, click "Edit Options";

3. scroll down to "Thread View Options"

4. first thread-view-option should be "Show User Signatures in their Posts" ... select "NO".

5. at the bottom of the page, select "Submit Modifications"

Now, if your next informative post isn't entitled "Thanks for the how-to Drew ... I'll do it right away ... regards ... Bob" ...

... then its likely to be: "I want to see other peoples signatures ... it's yours and Adam's that I don't want to see" ... well Bob, let me tell ya ... I try to avoid using sophisticated legal-jargon in a non-legal setting such as this but .... TUFF-*******!

I don't really care (nor do I gather many other's do as well) what you like ... dislike ... want ... don't want ... to see each time you view a post. It's not your site, nor is it mine ... I just work here. If it's OK with the boss-man to include small pics in our sigs, then its OK with me. I'm not the 'happy police'. It's simply not my job to see that you enjoy your stay here ... just that you obey the rules.

Talk about using up storage space ... this thread you've started has used/wasted more server-space than my little sig. (but likely not as much server-space it takes Vic to list all the mod's he's done to his Beast ... this week ).

So Mr. Peanut ... its likely not going to change. My sig pic is staying ... until is doesn't. So suck it up, move on, get a life and stop complaining!

vadim

Wow! what a nice way to moderate a forum... This just reminded me of one ex-co-worker, with whom we used to car-pool... The guy would crank his stereo to the max, but that would be only 2 CDs, the same, over and over... every day... When politely asked to turn the volume down a little, he answered "it's my car!!! I do what I want here!" It never really occured to him that forcing this upon his passengers was impolite at the very least... but he was a bit of a redneck, anyway. Needless to say, he soon had to enjoy the company of his precious self.

todd

Point well taken Vadim.

I don't really think I am that redundant?

There are only a few things that 'get my goat'

That was one of them.

And if anyone wants an opponent, I am here.

Drew

Great analogy Vadim! I do see your point.

But remember ... even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Seriously: 'cranking a stereo to the max' in an enclosed vehicle vs. a little sig pic? ... on the same level? Gimme a break.

Hate to say it ... wonder if it ever crossed your mind ... but you also had the option of NOT RIDING WITH HIM ANYMORE!?

But you, time after time, continued to carpool with this guy ... putting yourself into the situation you complain about ... and you did it over and over again. Truthfully, I just can't stand people who voluntarily engage in an activity ... over and over again ... and continue to complain about it.

I don't take sides or play favorites as a general rule. The first part of my reply was made in response to the first-half of Bob's post looking for advice on how to use the site (which you conveniently left out of your reply). I believe that my reply was helpful, direct and gave intuitive advice (I guess you could call it "the Vadim way of moderating a forum").

To use your analogy: If you could have quickly and easily shut-out the noise that bothered you by taking suggestions that others gave you (earplugs; your own tape/CD/DVD player, etc.) ... wouldn't that have solved your problem? But no, you kept getting back into the car without even trying to help yourself. Even if you had no other form of transportation but to ride with this guy ... and a solution was given to you to cure your problem ... wouldn't you take it and stop complaining? Bob was given a number of solutions .. but he kept 'getting back in the car'.

Ask me a moderator-question ... get a moderator answer every time ('could you turn down the volume a little it hurts my ears') ... of course, how can I help you?

Come at me personally (I'm just frankly tired of seeing your cars in your signatures all the time) ... all bets are off. TUFF-*******. (sorry Vadim ... was that too mean for you?)

I've had over 25 different PM's and 12 emails in support of my reply's in particular, and my position in general. Your the first one to come at me hard.

Ok, so Adam can be the good moderator ... and I'll be the meany.

We all have our crosses to bear.

Regards,

vadim

Drew, did I come at you hard? I really don't think so.

I have a suggestion, though. Make the attached picture 800x600 to show more details, a rotating GIF showing all 4 sides of your car. Granted, it might take a little while to load it up the first time, but after that it will stay in the browser's cache, so no big deal. And we'll suck it up.

MB-BOB

"Thanks for the how-to Drew ... I'll do it right away..."

OR NOT! :p :p

The Greatest Man on earth couldn't please twelve...

Drew

Nah, I'm wrong: the " ... but he was a bit of a redneck anyway ... and "... his precious self ..." comments, that you took the time to include in your attempt at making an analogous statement ... wasn't just hard (read: in your face) ... its was also intended to be a personal attack on me.

BTW: Ouch !!!

I love seeing when someone runs out of intelligent things to say or never has an intelligent thing to say to begin with, but wants to speak anyway ... so they either directly or impliedly attack the messenger and not the message.

I've seen your posts before Vadim ... your obviously a knowledgable and intelligent person ... that's why I don't understand how you could continue on and make the statement below:

Man! all that typing at 3 in the morning ... and it goes right over your head. THAT WAS MY POINT, Vadim ... its all relative.

Lets try this one more time ... now read this more slowly so you don't miss anything this time:

51 Kb vs. 800x600 ROTATING GIF SHOWING ALL FOUR SIDES OF THE CAR .... (still with me Vadim?)

Can you see the discrepancy here Vadim? One is much more offensive than the other ... As in your 'loud-music-in-an-enclosed-car analogy' vs. a 'little-bitty-teenie-weenie-51-Kb-jpeg' ...

Once again ... Regards from the 'Meany Moderator' ...

Drew

Some little voice inside of me said you probably wouldn't be posting the "thanks" reply ... Good thing I didn't hold my breath!

BTW: What's "Mr. Peanut" all about? (at least I think that's what it says in your Avatar ... your Avatar is so small ... I can't read it! )

Hey, no fair! I just notice you changed your Avatar on me! Well, in addition to the def. of the old one, what's the new Avatar mean?

vadim

I guess I can't read slowly enough... But thanks for the condescending tone, this is always nice to hear from a moderator.
Drew, direct parallels shouldn't have been drawn - that was a true story. I had hoped my cue would get through... I like exaggerations - they help emphasize the point. Now - what you apparently completely missed out, Drew, is the fact that it's not the size of the attached file that some forum members don't like - it's the fact that these pictures are all over the place, "in your face", like supermarket music that very few people (if any) actually like any more but all have to deal with. Don't get me wrong - I have no doubt that yours is a great car and you love it - we all do love our cars, that's why we are here, browsing these forums. But - wouldn't just the avatar be enough, *especially* for a moderator? If I were you, I'd print it out on a nice color printer and put it on a wall near the monitor so I can always see it, sparing others.

I have to admit - it's not that bad on this board - just visit http://www.benzsport.com/, which is completely out of hand so you have to browse hard through dozens upon dozens of the same repeating pictures on the same page to fish out essential fragments of text.

Let's end this argument, please. Just consider my posts on this topic as "my $.02". I have no choice, anyway.

Vic55

Before all these rebuttals came to play there was a post in this thread that told you that you can disable signatures and avatars. Why not just do that and then your problem will be solved?? Just go to your User CP and follow the directions in editing your profile.

Its nice to have a customized site but its even nicer that the site allows each member to individually customize their posts or in your case disable the customization. Either way its your choice to close them out or not.

Oh and Vadim it is so true about Benzsport.Com- bunch of good guys over there but there are alot of pics for signatures including mine

MB-BOB

Drew, I changed my avatar because I’m bored with it. I hope to take several new pictures in the coming months, so that I can rotate through them for the sake of variety. As I noted before, I get tired of looking at the same pictures all the time… even my pictures. So, I’m just living as I preach.

Not to "get back in the car," but for the record, I believe you took my observations way off track, and FAR TOO PERSONALLY, when you suggested, "I want to see other peoples signatures ... it's yours and Adam's that I don't want to see." This was not my meaning at all. As I tried to point out in my second post (but apparently failed), I was suggesting that EVERYONE be sensitive to the “shelf life” of the pictures they post, whether in an avatar or in a signature line.

The funnier the joke, the faster it gets old. I make a lot of posts on this website. I realize that with each one, I subject readers to viewing the same avatar each time. I will change it periodically to “freshen-up” the persona that I project. I’m in advertising… It’s what I do... It's who I am...

On a lighter note, Autoweek’s first description of the new C-Class pointed to the distinctive “peanut-shaped” headlights. Since I bought mine in a "peanut-in-the-shell” shade of (desert silver) Beige, I have nicknamed my C320, “Mr. Peanut.” My wife dislikes the name… So much the better! As for the “planet” avatar, I guess it means I’m in outer space trying to decide what to do next! ?

Peace.

awiner

I actually do agree that sig's and avatars should change every once in a while to keep things fresh.... What do you think of this one...