So, when I joined the OGR forum, I was told that I must have a photo of myself that would be shown with every post I made. It has come to my attention that there are quite a few members without photos of themselves. What's the story ?
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Hi Dan,
I could be wrong, but I think the photo is optional and that if you opt for a photo it has to be you, not some image other than you. For example, if you are a fan of Pennsy, you can't have just the keystone as your image.
Tom
I have no photo. Yet here I am!
What MNCW said. Photos optional, but must be a recognizable (very debatable for some to be sure!) photo of you if you choose to have one.
Yours is quite good in that department, as the moderators wish it to be. If I were to run into you, I suspect I could recognize you from your profile pic.
-Dave
There are exceptions for forum advertisers. They are free to use whatever image they want. Any regular member must follow the recognizable image rule, or no image. Over the years, I've run across many that the moderators have missed. If you post regularly with a non-conforming avatar, it will be caught.
My original picture was of me, but Rich rejected it twice.
I used to think the policy was somewhat draconian, but I've come to like it, as I have met forum members in my travels.
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Dan Padova posted:So, when I joined the OGR forum, I was told that I must have a photo of myself that would be shown with every post I made.
Who told you that? Obviously it is NOT true.
It has come to my attention that there are quite a few members without photos of themselves. What's the story ?
There are a lot more than a "few members" that do not have/use an avatar (photo of their 'recognizable face').
An Avatar is not required. As you can see, many members here have not posted an Avatar. What IS required is that if you use an Avatar it has to be an image of yourself and sized to 300 pixels square.
Big_Boy_4005 posted:I used to think the policy was somewhat draconian, but I've come to like it, as I have met forum members in my travels.
There, in one sentence, is why we have the rule that an Avatar has to be an image of yourself.
Forum sponsors can use their logo as their Avatar. That's the only exception.
Hot Water posted:Dan Padova posted:So, when I joined the OGR forum, I was told that I must have a photo of myself that would be shown with every post I made.
Who told you that? Obviously it is NOT true.
It has come to my attention that there are quite a few members without photos of themselves. What's the story ?
There are a lot more than a "few members" that do not have/use an avatar (photo of their 'recognizable face').
When I first registered on the forum, I recall a photo ID was a requirement. But as others have said, it's optional. My recollection about the mandatory photo may be wrong.
I didn't say a few members, what I did say was quite a few members.
Dan Padova posted:Hot Water posted:Dan Padova posted:So, when I joined the OGR forum, I was told that I must have a photo of myself that would be shown with every post I made.
Who told you that? Obviously it is NOT true.
It has come to my attention that there are quite a few members without photos of themselves. What's the story ?
There are a lot more than a "few members" that do not have/use an avatar (photo of their 'recognizable face').
When I first registered on the forum, I recall a photo ID was a requirement. But as others have said, it's optional. My recollection about the mandatory photo may be wrong.
I didn't say a few members, what I did say was quite a few members.
I've been a member since 2007 and it wasn't a requirement back then. If you click on the "Join" link, this is the text that you'd see:
"Just a reminder...if you choose to post an Avatar (a small picture that will appear above your Display Name in all your posts) make it a recognizable picture of YOU otherwise it must remain the default OGR logo. We have this rule so that members can put a face with a name and perhaps enjoy meeting fellow forum members at train shows and other events. The image should be 300 pixels square."
cta4391 posted:Dan Padova posted:Hot Water posted:Dan Padova posted:So, when I joined the OGR forum, I was told that I must have a photo of myself that would be shown with every post I made.
Who told you that? Obviously it is NOT true.
It has come to my attention that there are quite a few members without photos of themselves. What's the story ?
There are a lot more than a "few members" that do not have/use an avatar (photo of their 'recognizable face').
When I first registered on the forum, I recall a photo ID was a requirement. But as others have said, it's optional. My recollection about the mandatory photo may be wrong.
I didn't say a few members, what I did say was quite a few members.
I've been a member since 2007 and it wasn't a requirement back then. If you click on the "Join" link, this is the text that you'd see:
"Just a reminder...if you choose to post an Avatar (a small picture that will appear above your Display Name in all your posts) make it a recognizable picture of YOU otherwise it must remain the default OGR logo. We have this rule so that members can put a face with a name and perhaps enjoy meeting fellow forum members at train shows and other events. The image should be 300 pixels square."
Ah ha ! I think that's what confused my memory. It was that it had to be recognizable or nothing. Thanks for clearing that up.
What got me started on this thread was identity theft. It seems that every little bit of personal information is vulnerable. I try to include the minimal amount of personal info about myself. This is the only forum I belong to where a photo ID was asked for.
I know this thread is getting dated but have a question. I did post a picture of myself and one time it showed in the active member list. Now when I sign in not only is the picture missing but I am not listed as signed on in the signed on member list . I do show up at the top of the page as signed in along with my picture. Am I doing something wrong as far as the picture goes. It really is me.
patternpilot posted:I know this thread is getting dated but have a question. I did post a picture of myself and one time it showed in the active member list. Now when I sign in not only is the picture missing but I am not listed as signed on in the signed on member list . I do show up at the top of the page as signed in along with my picture. Am I doing something wrong as far as the picture goes. It really is me.
I believe that list is a random sample and not nearly representative of all members logged in at any given time. Note in the below screenshot it says 602 people are logged in, but only a handful of avatars (pictures or the default OGR graphic for those of us without a pic) are shown.
Some people have never noticed themselves in that list. I generally don't check, but it's a really small group vs. the number of people who participate here.
-Dave
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