Gallery pictures

[DaveS]

You may have seen that I'm just playing with a gallery pictures addition to the top of this forum.
I want to see if its suitable to go as an addition to some of the forums.
Certainly the ride reports and pics forum would be a good candidate.

Comments and thoughts welcome.

If I added it to the to bike specific forums just showing pics of the specific bikes would that be good?
Is it too obtrusive at the top, would it be better at the bottom? Would you see it at the bottom?

[alpslapper]

I like it on top.

[taffy]

top for me please.

[Chad]

tops good for me

[Dee Duble Yuh]

I'm not sure if I understand. Would random pictures appear at the top of each thread in a forum? If so, I don't like it, sorry. The pages already have a wealth of links etc., and they are getting rather cluttered for my tastes. Just because you CAN put photos there doesn't mean you SHOULD. My opinion.

[Simon]

i like to see pictures but you have to remember that not all members have broadband (chrisH) and therefore the more that you have loading up the longer it will take for them or the more they will but missing out on.

apart from that, i'm a bit slow this morning, what would be the advantage of this?

[DaveS]

Thanks comments always welcome its a fine line between adding features and keeping the forum readable.

No I'm not suggesting that EVERY forum has pictures. I could do that if the majority wanted it, but that's not what I'm suggesting.
I'm suggesting that I have the facility to add pictures at the top or bottom of forum pages.
My initial suggestion is purely for the Ride Reports and Pictures forum as this is all about pictures so they should be showcased in my opinion.
The pictures that are shown are totally configurable, so I could display top rated pictures, random pictures, last uploaded, etc...

But I could display say AT specific pics at the bottom of pages in the AT forum. So lots to debate I don't want to do anything that turns people off, I'm trying to find the right level of enhancing the forum and still keeping it readable.

As to the wealth of links... suggestions on how people would like to sort that would be good. What do you all want to see?
It's your forum so keep the comments coming, they are very important.

[DaveS]

apart from that, i'm a bit slow this morning, what would be the advantage of this?

The advantage is bringing the pictures to the fore.
At the moment it relies on people going to the picture gallery to see the picture and we also get a scenario where we now have 1500 pictures uploaded with around another 1000 to upload yet, so you will never get to see them.
Having a way to see some of those pictures by category (rideouts, africa twin, etc..) or randomly has in my opinion got to be a good thing.

You make a good point about people on dial-up and I do tend to forget these people. I'll look in to a low graphics option where you can get straight to the posts perhaps.