New Avatar Requirements for Our Members

[symbolipoint]

What are the specifications or requirements for our selecting a new avatar?

 

[berkeman]

What are the specifications or requirements for our selecting a new avatar?

I don't think we have many requirements. Please no animations (too distracting), and no profanity or symbology that could be offensive to regular users. Common sense, mostly.

 

[symbolipoint]

I don't think we have many requirements. Please no animations (too distracting), and no profanity or symbology that could be offensive to regular users. Common sense, mostly.

What file format or file extension acceptable? What file or pixel size acceptable or needed?

 

[berkeman]

Hmm, good question. I'm guessing JPEG format, and any high-resolution images will be downsized by the app that makes the avatar.

 

[Ibix]

I just tried to change my avatar. I see there's a note that says it recommends "at least 400x400" but doesn't specify a maximum size (I guess it'll downsample anything too huge, though), and the file upload dialog seems to permit gif, jpeg and png.

 

[berkeman]

I should ask @Greg Bernhardt to deprecate the GIF option, unless there's been a change in policy. The last 5-ish animated avatars that I know of were dealt with by the Mentors politely asking the user to change to a non-animated avatar. Nobody never tells me nuthin'...

 

[sysprog]

@symbolipoint, I think that 'they' (the Mentors/Moderators) can decide on a basis of common sense and published rules first, then case by case $-$ and don't we all pretty much already know what's clearly unacceptable and what's nearly unassailable $-$ in the middle ground, we can have and express opinions, e.g. I dislike the identificational icons being called avatars, because it seems to me like an endorsement of a religio-cultural motif, but the promulgation of personal opinions is almost entirely not within the mission of the Physics Forums.

 

[symbolipoint]

@symbolipoint, I think that 'they' (the Mentors/Moderators) can decide on a basis of common sense and published rules first, then case by case $-$ and don't we all pretty much already know what's clearly unacceptable and what's nearly unassailable $-$ in the middle ground, we can have and express opinions, e.g. I dislike the identificational icons being called avatars, because it seems to me like an endorsement of a religio-cultural motif, but the promulgation of personal opinions is almost entirely not within the mission of the Physics Forums.

I do not know what all that is. I wanted to know what file type or extension are allowed and what the pixel size or file size allowed are. Member @Ibex gave most of the answer.

 

[sysprog]

I do not know what all that is. I wanted to know what file type or extension are allowed and what the pixel size or file size allowed are. Member @Ibex gave most of the answer.

Thanks for the narrowing-down clarification $-$

What are the specifications or requirements for our selecting a new avatar?

This, your opening post, seemed to me to be broader in scope of inquiry than which filetype and filesize were allowed $\dots$

 

[StevieTNZ]

All of the info you seek is available when you try changing your avatar.