Avatar/siggy etiquette...does it exist?

[Switcher]

Alright. So on sites where you can use your own avatars (such as this one), are there any etiquette notes anyone can think of? It's kind of a "petty" issue, but still, something to think about.

1)On sites where there is no existing rule about avatars, do you think there are some things you should avoid? IE- nudity, politics, religion? Keep them PG family friendly at all times, or does it depend on the site? Same goes for siggies- should you avoid swearing, controversial subjects?
2)Should you avoid stuff that could be considered an eye sore? IE, brightly colored moving avatars or huge yellow signatures?
3)If a person has obviously made their own avatar, should you ask before using it (both on the site you see it on and on other sites?)
4)Is it rude to use a quote someone makes on a site in your signature without asking permission?

If anyone else has other questions, toss them in. This is really just food for thought.

[Namárië]

1. This is iffy—say if you were on a site for Pastafarians, having an avatar or sig with the FSM and some uplifting quote would be completely appropriate. If it was a site for people over 18, it wouldn't need to be PG. For general boards, though, I think that's appropriate.

2. IMO, yes.

3. Absolutely yes. The creative rights belong to whoever created the image.

4. I think it would be polite.

[Solanna Dryden]

1) Yes -- it makes me roll my eyes when I see some kind of "statement" sig.

2) Also yes -- I'm a huge non-fan of large, picture sigs, especially moving ones, or ones with multiple pics. I can see, one, maybe, but I don't think you should have more than that.

3) Yes again -- the person put work into it, it's theirs. Even if they only slapped it together on MSPaint (XD)

4) Eh...kind of a grey area. It wouldn't bother me, but like Namari said, it would be polite.

[blarg314]

1)On sites where there is no existing rule about avatars, do you think there are some things you should avoid? IE- nudity, politics, religion? Keep them PG family friendly at all times, or does it depend on the site? Same goes for siggies- should you avoid swearing, controversial subjects?

I would say to keep the signature and avatar appropriate for the forum. If there is swearing and adult content on the forum, then fine in the avatar. If it's forum to discuss children's literature, keep it clean. If it's a political forum, political sigs are fine. When in doubt, keep it neutral.

2)Should you avoid stuff that could be considered an eye sore? IE, brightly colored moving avatars or huge yellow signatures?

I would say yes, to avoid animated, oversized or eye bleeding signatures, because they are distracting for the readers. On some forums, I've actually blocked myself from seeing certain posters posts simply to avoid their irritating signatures. Big signatures also add to the bandwidth, a consideration for people on slower connections.

I figure that if you signature is usually longer than your post, you've got a problem.

3)If a person has obviously made their own avatar, should you ask before using it (both on the site you see it on and on other sites?)

Definitely!

4)Is it rude to use a quote someone makes on a site in your signature without asking permission?

Hard to say. I would say it would depend on how unique the quote is - if it's pretty generic but neat, I'd go ahead with out asking. If it's identifiable, I'd ask, and ask if they want to be referenced.

[JonGirl]

Alright. So on sites where you can use your own avatars (such as this one), are there any etiquette notes anyone can think of? It's kind of a "petty" issue, but still, something to think about.

1)On sites where there is no existing rule about avatars, do you think there are some things you should avoid? IE- nudity, politics, religion? Keep them PG family friendly at all times, or does it depend on the site? Same goes for siggies- should you avoid swearing, controversial subjects?
2)Should you avoid stuff that could be considered an eye sore? IE, brightly colored moving avatars or huge yellow signatures?
3)If a person has obviously made their own avatar, should you ask before using it (both on the site you see it on and on other sites?)
4)Is it rude to use a quote someone makes on a site in your signature without asking permission?
If anyone else has other questions, toss them in. This is really just food for thought.

  Mine isn't rude is it? I found this in his autobiography.

[gadget--gal]

Alright. So on sites where you can use your own avatars (such as this one), are there any etiquette notes anyone can think of? It's kind of a "petty" issue, but still, something to think about.

1)On sites where there is no existing rule about avatars, do you think there are some things you should avoid? IE- nudity, politics, religion? Keep them PG family friendly at all times, or does it depend on the site? Same goes for siggies- should you avoid swearing, controversial subjects?
2)Should you avoid stuff that could be considered an eye sore? IE, brightly colored moving avatars or huge yellow signatures?
3)If a person has obviously made their own avatar, should you ask before using it (both on the site you see it on and on other sites?)
4)Is it rude to use a quote someone makes on a site in your signature without asking permission?
If anyone else has other questions, toss them in. This is really just food for thought.

  Mine isn't rude is it? I found this in his autobiography.

you've given him credit for it

[JonGirl]

I'm relieved to hear that.  Thanks.

[Switcher]

I don't think it's rude, and I meant posts from other users that has struck you as funny...IE, if you had

Quote from: MistressEgo on Yesterday at 05:57:45 PM

More hugs, I demand more hugs!

without asking the person who said it, it might be rude. In my opinion you should always ask, especially if you don't know the person super well.

[ginlyn32]

I would only add one thing...

Avoid an overly long signicture. If a person has to scroll to the bottom of the page before they get to the end of your post...then it's too long. Use a couple of sentences or a MB sized pic (you can size them at sites like Photobucket). One or two pics are okay...more than that and it's too much.

People should also remember that there are still people who use dialup and the more pictures/graphics a site has, the longer it takes for the page to load.

ginlyn

[Wry Exchange]

It doesn't matter to me what avatar or signature posters use on forums.   If a board moderator lets it go, then it's appropriated to the forum.
That said, I don't read or look at them.  They annoy me.  I love Etiquette Hell because I can hide all of them.  Even mine.

[Mad Goat Woman]

In graphics communities, the etiquette of avatars and sigs is that you credit the person who made the signature and avatar if you're using one that was made especially for you. Generally speaking, it is also considered poor etiquette to use that person's hosting unless the creator has specified that it's quite okay to do that. In my experience, the etiquette of siggies and avatars is that you must ask and follow the creator's stipulations.

[M-theory]

In my ideal world, people would skip anything huge or animated. A gaming forum that I belong to has a size restriction on sigs because people will do stuff that's 800 pixels high or causes the entire page to scroll laterally. I just happen to personally dislike animated.

[nolechica]

I go by each board's rules regarding quotes, but I like salty and snarky when I can.  Always give credit when I can.  As for size and animation, again board rules.