I received my usual WebProWorld e-mail newsletter as I always do. However, with the latest one (August 20th edition) I was hit with the first paragraph posted by Rafael regarding forum rules violation stated as such:
Quote:
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Before I get started today, I would like to remind our new members that only pictures of yourself, not animals or graphics, are allowed as your avatar. I'm seeing more and more people doing this, and in doing so, breaking our rules. Those of you who are doing this: please take down those pictures and use real pictures of yourself If it continues to get worse we will have to take away the rights of users to post their own photos.
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Since I was one of those that used an avatar of a cartoon character instead of a photo, I decided 1) to take it down (no avatar) and 2) go view the forum rules. In the link that Rafael gave in the newsletter, the forum rules had this:
Image Restrictions:
- Unless otherwise stated, if you post an image in the forums, please keep the image size under 50K, and preferably under 300 x 300 pixels
- All member photos must be of you
Now, since the rules didn't specify "avatar" just "member photos", I decided to go searching for anything regarding avatars. Since there was nothing in the
WebProWorld Forum Rules regarding this, the only other place I could find was in the
FAQ page which had the following under "How do I get a picture under my username?" in the "User Maintenance" section of the FAQ:
These small images are called Avatars. They are displayed below your username on all posts that you make. There are two kinds of avatars: those provided by the administrator and those that you upload yourself.
If the administrator has provided a set of avatars, and avatars are enabled, you may select an avatar that best describes your personality.
The administrator may also have enabled custom avatars, which allows you to upload an avatar image from your computer.
Avatars are small graphical images that you may choose in your profile. They are displayed by your user name on all posts that you make. You can select the image that best describes yourself from your profile options.
Again, I see no reference between the two that a photo of yourself is the ONLY approved avatar that can be used. I can only come to the following possible conclusions:
- Rafael made a mistake when stating that anything other than your personal photo can't be used as an avatar - either deliberately or a typo (saying "avatar" instead of "photo" in reference to one's personal photo)
- I have made a mistake and haven't read the EXACT line that states that avatars have to be the user's photo - in which case please post a link to where this rule is stated
- Rafael does NOT like people using characters and other assorted graphics as an avatar and would prefer people using a photo of themselves
Please, if some authority of WebProWorld could clarify this, I would greatly appreciate it since I am now quite confused as to what is or is not allowed regarding avatars.
