Racy Avatars - your input needed

[A Watch]

To be honest with you, I don't think this is any of your problem to begin with. It's the people at their worksites that would get in trouble if they got caught doing other things than work.

Unless the site is removed because it violates an Internet Use Policy as at one of my workplaces and others. Many workplaces are fine with surfing as long as it is within certain perimeters such as no "lewd" pictures and no gambling. One place I worked had a news stand and the Maxim mags had to be covered.

I guess the reasoning is that despite being subjected to images many feel are offensive in their public lives. everyone has a right to work in an environment that they feel comfortable in. Many women would feel uncomfortable seeing a co-worker with an image of a girl in a bikini on their computer as they walked by.

I love the Dobber forums, but since the avatar size increased I hate having to look over my shoulder and show people its just a hockey site.

It is a hockey site and thats what I'm here to talk about. Let's keep it hockey and not some teenage boy's fantasy forum.

[letnry]

Haven't changed my Roenick avatar in years! How's my new one boys?!

Good to see some hockey related avatars around here. Thanks!

[jff100]

To be honest with you, I don't think this is any of your problem to begin with. It's the people at their worksites that would get in trouble if they got caught doing other things than work. So why are you so concerned about it. It's not taking your business awway. It will just shift the visitation hours to your site from 9 to 5, to after hours....

While the average fantasy-hockey fanatic may be able to view racy avatars at home, it isn't true for everyone---my wife and daughter would freak out if they caught me looking at this forum with avatars enabled at home, hence I never even check this forum at home, and try to do it in my breaks at work instead.

[lanky522]

Let’s be serious...how many people actually work the full 9-5 aside from Dwight Schrute or Donald Trump...it’s not realistic to think that everyone doesn’t have some downtime...and its just that these pictures make the forum lose credibility and will in fact lose frequent posters.

While losing posters between 9 and 5, people will lose the up to the minute hockey news that they come here for as the information database (community) will be smaller and smaller...cause not many people will have a reason to go on the site if they aren’t getting quick and insightful responses. Also, people will find alternative fantasy hockey sites with updates as often and their community will grow.

As you said people will shift the visitation times...but people have lives at night and go out or watch the game or spend time with their fams, etc...it just seems like these pics are more of a hindrance than anything...

... and yet here we all are... amazing isn't it?

[Dutch]

It is a hockey site and thats what I'm here to talk about. Let's keep it hockey

so what's with your boat avatar?

Besides that, you go ask your boss to see if you can sneak on some fantasy hockey forums during work hours and see what he says... Don't give me that nonsense.

No boss wants his employees to do other things than work. If yours does, its the exception, not the rule

[Dutch]

While the average fantasy-hockey fanatic may be able to view racy avatars at home, it isn't true for everyone---my wife and daughter would freak out if they caught me looking at this forum with avatars enabled at home, hence I never even check this forum at home, and try to do it in my breaks at work instead.

that's why the "block avatar" option is there...

if your wife doesn't like avatars, doesn't mean none of our wifes do....

use the block option and everyone's happy

[lanky522]

Unless the site is removed because it violates an Internet Use Policy as at one of my workplaces and others. Many workplaces are fine with surfing as long as it is within certain perimeters such as no "lewd" pictures and no gambling. One place I worked had a news stand and the Maxim mags had to be covered.

I guess the reasoning is that despite being subjected to images many feel are offensive in their public lives. everyone has a right to work in an environment that they feel comfortable in. Many women would feel uncomfortable seeing a co-worker with an image of a girl in a bikini on their computer as they walked by.

I love the Dobber forums, but since the avatar size increased I hate having to look over my shoulder and show people its just a hockey site.
It is a hockey site and thats what I'm here to talk about. Let's keep it hockey and not some teenage boy's fantasy forum.

maybe that's the solution... why not just reduce the avatar size back down...

I never really saw the reasoning behind huge avatars anyways.

[lanky522]

so what's with your boat avatar?

Besides that, you go ask your boss to see if you can sneak on some fantasy hockey forums during work hours and see what he says... Don't give me that nonsense.

No boss wants his employees to do other things than work. If yours does, its the exception, not the rule

LOL i thought the same thing upon reading that post...

[Ron Burgundy]

RE: Letnry's question, it absolutely gets to the heart of the debate. Who decides that, and how? Does Dobber have to put up a poll for each one, or do the moderators have to take time out from keeping up the awesome quotient of this site to police "community standards"?

If that standard is that it has to be hockey related, well Letnry's girl is wearing NHL socks. Somebody else has that other great one with the hockey gloves covering up her chestal region - I'm sure I've seen others. Does glove/boob guy get his avatar deleted but sexy girl in hockey jersey guy get to keep his? And then people start complaining, and getting sour... in short, lots more hassle, and hassle takes time, and, the truest of the cliche's, time is money.

On the other hand, you already have a mechanism in place where each of us can just log in and turn them off if those things are causing us personally discomfort/difficulty. Much easier on the admin front. However, then you are relying on people to take responsibility for themselves/read instructions/self-police and that is often doomed to failure. "Hey, I want to check out what's going on at Dobber, but I know there are some boobs on that site that Marge in accounting doesn't like. But I really need to know if Kovalchuk still sucks! I'm going to log in anyway. Damn. Marge caught me again with the boobs on-screen. Stupid Dobberhockey!"

Anyway, that's me up on a few of my favorite soapboxes. All that said, if you've determined the racy avatars will impact your business then this is an easy one. And for most I suspect the decision won't keep them up at night.


By the way, all this talk of avatars inspired me to finally upload one (at least I hope I did - not sure it uploaded properly). WARNING - these dudes are partially unclothed. However, if you have a problem with that they've got some old time hockey "dispute resolution procedures" they'd like to discuss with you!

[jff100]

that's why the "block avatar" option is there...

if your wife doesn't like avatars, doesn't mean none of our wifes do....

use the block option and everyone's happy

I agree that the "block avatar" option is the best option for me at present. But I can't help feeling as if I'm losing something that way, as the avatars of certain posters (e.g. Dobber, Shoeless, hockeypoolgeek, etc) are an instant visual cue stating "this is something worth reading".

[csingh]

racey ^? or pridey? lol

yea sounds like theres a general consensus if you feel they hinder your site in terms of traffic (which im curious as to how you came to the conclusion anyways? 'business' ppl complaining they cant view the site at work???), by all means have them removed. looks like i gotta look for a new avatar (still respect dobbs/this site way too much)...-_-

[littleranger]

... and yet here we all are... amazing isn't it?

The abundance of boob avatars have just hit the site...before than it was just a few innocent ones...

Lets wait a few weeks and see whos not here.

[Old_Smokie]

Dwight Schrute says, "No Dobber Hockey at work boys!"

[lanky522]

I agree that the "block avatar" option is the best option for me at present. But I can't help feeling as if I'm losing something that way, as the avatars of certain posters (e.g. Dobber, Shoeless, hockeypoolgeek, etc) are an instant visual cue stating "this is something worth reading".

bleh... mine's not that noteworthy?

... at the end of the day... if you decide to block the avatars, you have to read usernames instead. is that really that much harder?

some of the better posters on this site don't even have avatars...

[Shake]

Dwight Schrute says, "No Dobber Hockey at work boys!"

Love the show, love Dwight, nice work Smokie