Avatars

[Graeme M]

I've had a couple of complaints and a few PMs lately about avatars. There have been a few that carry veiled (or not so veiled!) references to other members, some that have some pretty crude bylines, and a few that seem to cross a line in regard to actual content (eg nudity/implied sex acts etc). Now, I'm pretty broadminded and as I've said before I hang out at Vital MX and those guys cross every line 30 times a day. But, when i get a few complaints along a particular line I feel it's fair to respond to those with concerns.

So my question to everyone is, how hard a line do I take with avatars? I'm pretty Ok with leaving things as they are, but can be persuaded to suggest a more conservative guideline for avatars and signature bylines.

[firko]

If my nudie Kevlar girl offends anyone I'll drop her out but really.....this is 2012 for cryin' out loud.
I do agree that personal digs hidden within avatars are schoolboy standard sniggling stupid and should be removed. There's no room for that shit on here.

[Curly3]

There has been recent critisism of the forum moderators but I think the fact that you didn't take action when this subject was raised a while ago shows that things on here are pretty Liberal.
It's an open forum and I for one appreciate the latitude given.
I personally don't have a problem with anything but if people are being singled out and they're uncomfortable with that, it's not right.

[Hardex]

I have an opinion on this and it may not be agreeable to some of the members here so upfront I will start with I am sorry if my opinion offends you.
I have a nine year old daughter that I adore and want nothing more than to love and protect her and leave this planet with having tried to make a difference and leave it a better place than it is now.Every naked Girl that allows her photos to be used on the net ,has a dad that probably loved her (I some times question this because one of the reasons a girl allows her body to splashed all over the net may indicate she wants attention that she didn't get at home from her dad).If the dad of the girl in the photo was sitting next to you when you decided to use the photo of her as a avatar,Would you still go ahead with it?
Think about it .We are mature men and I for one think its time we thought about the next generation and what we are doing to help them.
Sex drugs and rock and roll didn't help a lot back in the 60's and has only put us in the pit that we are in today.Does anyone watch the news any more and see the sex crimes on children and women that simply should not happen and it all starts here when you decide to be apart of the problem by exploiting these dads daughters.
Now I have been apart of the problem and upfront I had a business called Hardon dirt bikes ( so you get an idea where my head was at) and the name was offensive to some people and I simply didn't get it but having a daughter now ,I have seen the light.I get it.
You may drag out the argument that if the girl is an adult who cares .I would once again say that she still is someone's little girl and if that girl was yours how would you feel as the father?I love the motorcycle industry and that's the only reason I am a member of this forum but I find it difficult sometimes as a man to read some of the article on this site without being distracted by these photos .Also I think you might find that the photos would be illegal by government standards as well as on other international sites,But I could be wrong. once again I am sorry if my opinion offends.

[TM BILL]

No problem with nudity or coarse laungauge , but im with Firko and Slidy about the ones having a dig at other members .

 Hardex with the greatest of respect mate i have 4 Daughters aged 12 to 24    of course you want to protect them and create a perfect world for them  But changing a few avatars on here aint gonna make a bit of difference .

Please dont pull the old it might be illegal chestnut though  FFS if you look into everything we do in this day and age you can probably justify getting rid of it because it contravines some sad arses law or rules 

What really puts a bug up my arse though is the moaners and whiners who contact the webmaster to whinge and bitch about the content on the FREE site he provides  "Oh but we dont like that, make it go away " 

Whingers of this nature are no different IMO to those who buy a house near a MX track or Motorsport park then get it closed down because they dont like the noise 

Its whiners like these that have created the wonderfull PC world we now live in and ironicly their probably the first to cry when the great PC world they have created prevents  them from  doing somthing they like .

 I say again

 If you dont like it dont look at it  but FFS live and let live 

[Rossvickicampbell]

I class myself as braod minded and haven't had a problem with the avatars I have seen - must be a bit nieve also as I haven't picked up on anybody using one to subtly lay shite?

[Marc.com]

Hardex with the greatest of respect mate i have 4 Daughters aged 12 to 24    of course you want to protect them and create a perfect world for them  But changing a few avatars on here aint gonna make a bit of difference .

Don't worry about offending anyone mate....I have a 11 year old and I have always taken the approach that we live in the real world surrounded by semi naked women and condom machines at the airport and so any subject is fair game. Chicks with their tits out have always been 'girls who are too poor to buy T shirts' 

If I  equip with the survival skills not to get banged up or beaten up I will be more than happy

[YZ250H]

Well said Bill 

[crankpin]

No problem with nudity or coarse laungauge , but im with Firko and Slidy about the ones having a dig at other members .

 Hardex with the greatest of respect mate i have 4 Daughters aged 12 to 24    of course you want to protect them and create a perfect world for them  But changing a few avatars on here aint gonna make a bit of difference .

Please dont pull the old it might be illegal chestnut though  FFS if you look into everything we do in this day and age you can probably justify getting rid of it because it contravines some sad arses law or rules 

What really puts a bug up my arse though is the moaners and whiners who contact the webmaster to whinge and bitch about the content on the FREE site he provides  "Oh but we dont like that, make it go away " 

Whingers of this nature are no different IMO to those who buy a house near a MX track or Motorsport park then get it closed down because they dont like the noise 

Its whiners like these that have created the wonderfull PC world we now live in and ironicly their probably the first to cry when the great PC world they have created prevents  them from  doing somthing they like .

 I say again

 If you dont like it dont look at it  but FFS live and let live 

It's an open forum and I for one appreciate the latitude given.
I personally don't have a problem with anything but if people are being singled out and they're uncomfortable with that, it's not right.

If my nudie Kevlar girl offends anyone I'll drop her out but really.....this is 2012 for cryin' out loud.
I do agree that personal digs hidden within avatars are schoolboy standard sniggling stupid and should be removed. There's no room for that shit on here.

I'm with these guys, and the majority of posters on here.

[Kenneth S (222)]

Hi Graeme,
Thanks for giving us the opportunity to comment. I agree, masked digs at other members is primary school boy antics and has no place in any forum. As for the naked women and the odd sexually quirky avatar, I haven't been offended. If the girl in a photo is holding up a sign implying she is fully aware of what the photo is to be used for then fine use it. If the photo is being used without consent, then no it should not be used, but how do you police that and it is not Graeme's job to police that. I have a 12 year old daughter and while I agree with Hardex that I want to protect her in any way I can, I also do not want her to be naive to reality. I have faced the reality that she will be exposed to sexualization through many channels including Saturday morning music videos on TV, Women's magazine covers at supermarket check outs and prime time TV adds. Unless I keep her in a cocoon, as she will inevitably be exposed to all this, the best way I can protect her is teach her how to think about and for herself, and maintain her own self worth so she makes the right decisions.

[Tahitian_Red]

I found those nude photos of Scarlett Johansson and just had to share one of them in my avatar, but I'll gladly switch back to to Gort the outer space robot if asked to.

 

[Marc.com]

What really should be stopped and condemned is constant group rape by a notorious few  on single individuals . ( http://ozvmx.com/community/index.php?topic=21836.0    ) They might think its funny to hammer on a defenseless bloke in a pack .

Too true rape of the defenceless is indefencible.

[Nathan S]

Pics of boobs and other body parts can be a big drama for those among us who view ozvmx at work...

EVERY other forum I'm on prohibits them in avatars and sigs. And threads that contain photos of body parts need to be labelled "NSFW" (not safe for work).

A good mate got hauled over the coals for clicking on an innocent looking thread in a car forum - but someone had posted up a nudie pic in it. He ended up changing sections (largely) because of it.

[Graeme M]

Yes, it can cause problems for people at work, that's true. I don't know what forums you hang out in Nathan, but VitalMX is a pretty out there place for personal abuse, criticism, bad language, nudity, sexual innuendo, racism, you name it! Beats me how they don't get sued to Hell and back with some of the slander on there. Now personally, I like that - I love the sort of free-wheeling nature of the place, but I do realise that many people have a different perspective.

As far as OzVMX goes, I am inclined to be OK with nudity in avatars, so long as it's no more than we'd see on TV or in a typical magazine. However, really 'rude' images or sexual innuendo is probably a step too far on the whole. And I think any personal byline that suggests anything about another forum member is No Go.

So, here's my proposal for personal sig/avatar guidelines:

Generally tasteful
Relevant or humourous
Nudity OK as long as not explicit
NO personal insults/criticisms or sexually explicit/racist bylines in personal sigs.

And Firko, as far as I am concerned the Kevlar girlie is absolutely fine

[firko]

I think KJ and Walt have articulated my thoughts on this pretty well. A 'dirty picture' to one person is just another funny photo to another. It's all about where our heads are at philosophically and spiritually. I think there is more evil in the world than the sight of a female breast, violence being a far more important one.

I abhor bullying whether it be physical or cyber and I think the continuous hammering of Dave has gone on for long enough. Dave makes it pretty easy for us to make fun of him with his "this one's a keeper" promises, I've had my fun with it as well, but in the end they're Dave's bikes and he should be able to do whatever he wants with them. We also know that Dave allegedly did a dodgy with that CZ frame and I fully understand Brads anger but I think it's time to let it go. I've known Dave on and off for for 25 years and he's never done me any harm, sure it pissed me off a little to see him sell on a "keeper" I sold him but he paid what I asked without question so in reality it became his ball to throw any way he pleased. It also disappointed me to see that CZ frame deal go down the way it did but in the end it was nobody's business but Dave, Brad and Foxy's. Making it public just made it entertainment for the snickerers. There's been enough angst and bullying on this forum over the years, causing many punters to move away so let's keep the bullying (of everyone, not just Dave) off the forum .