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Michael
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« on: 16:32:01, 07-02-2007 » |
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Hello again, An avatar is a small image that you can have visible on all your messages, to the left. They can be your favourite picture, favourite musician, anything that is 'you'. I've created a folder for folks to store their avatars so they can be linked to, at: http://s216.photobucket.com/albums/cc69/r3okforum/avatars/user: r3okforum password: radio3ktmn This is just for convenience if some people need that. You can get your avatars from anywhere, preferably linked (see the field in your profile use the http:// link ). You can choose images say 140 x 160 but as I say they get shrunk and become square-shaped. Michael newest photobucket linked. Older photobucket is still accessible but saved for security. |
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« Last Edit: 19:21:33, 19-04-2008 by John W »
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Flay
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« Reply #1 on: 21:09:29, 08-02-2007 » |
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Michael, I pinched my Avatar from the net. Could that be a problem with copyright?
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Half full? Half empty? Who cares, it's delicious!
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IgnorantRockFan
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« Reply #2 on: 22:43:04, 08-02-2007 » |
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Although avatars are small < 10kb, Unfortunately, as you noted, big avatars can be used and although they are "shrunk" in height and width when displayed they are not shrunk in file size. Flay's for example, is almost 20k, and I would bet on some other people's being even larger. If a lot of people do this, it will make the board's pages incredibly slow to load for people on dial up. Not trying to be a killjoy, but it's something to think about... |
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Allegro, ma non tanto
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John W
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« Reply #3 on: 22:49:37, 08-02-2007 » |
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Fan,
I think Michael said that if the http:// LINK is placed in your profile then the avatar is displayed without adding to the size of the forum file.
If it's uploaded into the profile then it will add and add and add.... with each message.
Michael might want to check people's profiles and see whether they have linked or uploaded the image.
John W
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IgnorantRockFan
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« Reply #4 on: 23:23:56, 08-02-2007 » |
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It would be nice if so, but unfortunately it's not true. That's just not how the Web works. Every image on every page you view, no matter how the page links to the image, has to come down the "wire" to your computer from somewhere or other. There's no way round it. No matter how clever the forum software is, it's still bound by the limitations of the http protocol. (I've been involved in the Web sites as a programmer, a site architect, and a server administrator, on and off, for over 10 years, so I have a fair idea of how it works.)
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Allegro, ma non tanto
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John W
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« Reply #5 on: 00:38:45, 09-02-2007 » |
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It would be nice if so, but unfortunately it's not true. That's just not how the Web works. Every image on every page you view, no matter how the page links to the image, has to come down the "wire" to your computer from somewhere or other. There's no way round it. No matter how clever the forum software is, it's still bound by the limitations of the http protocol. (I've been involved in the Web sites as a programmer, a site architect, and a server administrator, on and off, for over 10 years, so I have a fair idea of how it works.)
Hi Fan, Yeah, it comes down the wire to my PC but is the kB of image added to the phpBB forum file size? I we have a limit of say 10Gb or whatever are all those avatars on every image accumulating? OK, maybe I'm not well versed there. But I have a music based website which has a limit of 20 Mb which I soon near-exhausted 19+ so some big images and all sound clips, another 15MB, are stored elsewhere and linked to without a problem; I haven't exceeded the 20Mb. I also frequently link to another 5-6 megs of quiz soundclips. Of course the soundclips are not uploaded till someone plays them, and the big images are on pages people rarely visit, but they are uploaded to the viewer's PC not to my website?? I dunno. So you reckon it doesn't matter how the avatars are set here. Over at R2ok we CAN display bigger avatars and limit the size to 140 x 160 so as not to distort the message page. So all these BIG photos that we link to in the R3boards messages, are they adding to forum file size or aren't they just adding to the usage at folks' PCs?? John W |
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IgnorantRockFan
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« Reply #6 on: 10:23:50, 09-02-2007 » |
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Sorry, John, I had misunderstood your point. Yes you are right that avatars stored elsewhere and linked to from here can't impact the storage limit of the forum. I was talking about the size of the page from the forum members' point of view. If a page has 10 messages on it, each with an avatar which seems small but is actually a resized 50k photograph, that's 500k of images the forum member has to download to view the page. Not a problem for me on broadband but a significant problem for people on dial-up or with a bandwidth cap.
I don't know, maybe I'm just looking for problems that don't really exist. I've spent too long doing battle with marketing people who don't understand the realities of what you can put on a Web page, but perhaps it doesn't matter on a site like this.
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Allegro, ma non tanto
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John W
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« Reply #7 on: 11:03:39, 09-02-2007 » |
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Fan, Thanks for that, forum size is not being too quickly swallowed up then. I do see your point though, that viewers are downloading all the images and I suspect some avatars are in fact 'big'. My broadband allowance is 5gig a month. BBC Listen Again takes a fair whack of that   John W |
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Bryn
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« Reply #8 on: 11:23:32, 09-02-2007 » |
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Michael, I pinched my Avatar from the net. Could that be a problem with copyright?
Flay, if you load you avatar into something like "Paint" and shrink it to 26% of its current dimensions, then save the result with a modified filename, then load that up, it will only occupy around 2kB, yet show at approximately its current size on the board. |
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John W
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« Reply #9 on: 11:35:06, 09-02-2007 » |
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Flay, we'll see what Michael thinks, and with our squashed up avatars maybe some artistes or celebs might not be impressed with the usage; but being non-commercial, and a small group, I don't think there should be any problem with copyright.
John W
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IgnorantRockFan
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« Reply #10 on: 11:57:12, 09-02-2007 » |
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My broadband allowance is 5gig a month. BBC Listen Again takes a fair whack of that I had to increase my allowance a few months ago specifically because of Listen Again  I can't listen to the radio at work so I have to take this boards's recommendations home with me! Am I right in thinking that your avatar is Nicola Benedetti? |
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Allegro, ma non tanto
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Don Basilio
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« Reply #11 on: 12:26:15, 10-02-2007 » |
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Hi, Michael.
Sorry to be dim and someone has probably answered this already. How do I add a link or an image to my profile? I can't see any obvious way.
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Michael
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« Reply #12 on: 12:31:18, 10-02-2007 » |
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Hi Don,
Just a very quick explanation.
1 - Go to 'Profile' in the blue tool bar at the top of the forum page.
2 - Click 'Forum Profile Information' at the left of the page.
3 - Change it here.
Any problems feel free to contact me again.
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Don Basilio
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« Reply #13 on: 12:51:15, 10-02-2007 » |
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Thank you, Michael. The picture is Juan Diego Florez, not me. I will try to find a more appropriate image than that talented young Peruvian in due course and do it as a link.
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operacat
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« Reply #14 on: 15:44:13, 10-02-2007 » |
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Right, I've put an avatar onto Photobucket. What do I do now?
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nature abhors a vacuum - but not as much as cats do.
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