Default avatar suggestions

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Default avatar suggestions

therassolution
Hi Nabble Support-

It was recently pointed out to me by one of my valued readers of my blog that the default avatar for the forum is a male figure.  This is just one of many things that reinforces a bias in my particular industry which has historically been a male dominated field.  It would be nice if Nabble could be a leader for a more inclusive environment and change the default to something more neutral (less obviously male or maybe even an object or something) for the default avatar.  

Thanks for your consideration.
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Re: Default avatar suggestions

Israel <Nabble>
Administrator
This post was updated on .
We appreciate your feedback, we'll consider your suggestion and we'll discuss this with our development team.
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Re: Default avatar suggestions

GregChapman
In reply to this post by therassolution
I agree.

For some reason around five years ago Nabble suddenly introduced the new avatar that in most cultures does have a more male appearance.

It would certainly be good for administrators to be able to install their own forum default avatar.

Currently, the code for the default avatar appears to be a binary file not NAML so not editable by administrators.
Volunteer Helper - but recommending that users move off the platform!
Once the admin for GregHelp now deleted.
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Re: Default avatar suggestions

Israel <Nabble>
Administrator
The default avatar looks like a man because the most part of the users are men, but people should add a their own photo or an image of their own preference.
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Re: Default avatar suggestions

GregChapman
Hi Israel,

I should have said, Welcome to the Team earlier! :-)

You give the same initial answer as Hugo did. See:
http://support.nabble.com/Avatar-Man-td7580843.html
He did eventually concede that there was a case for returning to a less gender specific default avatar.

You don't make a good case for your argument that people should upload their own avatar, nor in justifying the case for keeping a male avatar on the grounds that most users are male. (Isn't it something approaching a self fulfilling prophesy?)

You might have been better suggesting that on forums where personalised avatar's are not the norm then Administrators should set to show them "Small" when it becomes impossible to distinguish more the gender specific features:

Options > Application > Change appearance > Preferences > Classic topic page > Picture size

 (to which I would have then suggested that the default avatar should be female as a further incentive for the male users to upload their own avatar on those forums where a personalised avatar is the norm and avatars are displayed "Big") :-)

As a new boy on the Nabble team, we'll also let you off not displaying your username status in <pointy brackets>!
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Re: Default avatar suggestions

GregChapman
This post was updated on .
For interest only I used the Wayback Machine to locate an old Nabble default avatar and came up with this:
Old Nabble Avatar
I confess it's not the way I remember it!

EDIT: I've now changed my avatar on this forum, so others can more easily find this less gender specific avatar and copy it to use on their own forum.
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Re: Default avatar suggestions

yume
In reply to this post by therassolution
holly shit.
default figure is male anyway
fucking fuck
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Re: Default avatar suggestions

Harvey
I brought this up years ago and submitted a female version done by an artist that matched the style of the man.

http://support.nabble.com/Avatar-Man-td7580843.html#a7583123

http://support.nabble.com/Member-Profiles-td7583880i40.html#a7586381
HTTPS Please!
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Re: Default avatar suggestions

Flick
In reply to this post by therassolution
Good Grief. It's fine as it is.
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Re: Default avatar suggestions

GregChapman
I guess you run a forum where gender is not an issue, or where it is the norm for users to add their own, so the default avatar matters far less.

Currently, I feel it is legitimate to describe Nabble's software as institutionally sexist.

While I don't think the original avatar is appealing in the slightest, I don't think it can be  claimed to be either gender or culturally specific and that has be be important when the software has universal application..

That's why my preferred option would be for Nabble to return to the original because it is so non-specific, but an alternative would be to offer a small library of standard avatars for users to pick, in much the same way as it provides a set of smilies, with the current option of uploading one's own image.
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Re: Default avatar suggestions

Harvey
In our forum the generic was called nipple man.
HTTPS Please!
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Re: Default avatar suggestions

sparkle
I am female and have female users on my forum - don't think anyone is bothered by the slightly male appearance of the avatar.  I'm sure people look too much into tiny details these days.
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Re: Default avatar suggestions

Flick
This post was updated on .
In reply to this post by GregChapman
For the love of God Greg, grow up. Nobody cares. You're making a mountain out of a molehill.

Maybe this article will help you. It's written by leading, feminist writer Camille Paglia.

It's a Man's World