You know what I hate?

[thebitterguy]

Work inappropriate User Icons.

Now, I don't think anyone out there has one, but, goshdarn, it's a pain. Especially when you're reading the members list of a nice community (like, for example, toronto_gamers) and you're looking at its Friends/members page, and you see a post by someone whose icon is a picture of, say, the female genitalia. So you go "well, I can't read THAT anymore."

Or you're reading the friends list of a friend of yours, and she knows interesting people, one of whom has an icon of two guys having th3 gay sex. Oh, yeah. I can just imagine explaining THAT to HR.

Dammit. Can't that stuff just be behind cuts? Please. I mean, really.

Comments

[indefatigable42.livejournal.com]

Technically, net surfing at work itself could get people in trouble.

I do know of at least one community where the mod insists that people use worksafe icons.

[thebitterguy]

Oh, yeah. At my work it's something that you probably shouldn't do, wink wink.

It's not even for community posts, but their personal posts. It's not even something I have a right to be upset about, since they're doing it in their own journals. I just get upset anyway.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I have someone on my friends list whom I've considered defriending for no other reason than I'm sick at looking at her icons full of male genitalia whenever I scroll through my friends page. They're not funny - just rude.

[thebitterguy]

Yeah, waving little fellows is something that no one wants to see. Unless they do, but that's sort of why we invented the internet.

[creativedv8tion.livejournal.com]

Well, from the work POV, I think you don't have any real basis to complain, since you're not supposed to be doing it anyhow. ;)

But, I think sexually explicit icons are stupid, anyhow. Ooooh, I got a peekture of a penis on my icon, or some girl/guy sucking on one and it's animated - wow, how cool is that?

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for some good pics (photos or drawings) of explicit sex acts. But, as you say, that's why the Good Lord invented the LJ-CUT (which, sadly, too many people are ignorant how to use it, or when, in the first place.)

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Dammit, I never see any NSFW icons.

Speaking as somebody from HR, you'd probably be in more trouble for the 'Net surfing.

[thebitterguy]

Yeah, work surfing is thankfully not as strong a no no at my place of employ as it could be. It's more like something officially discouraged.

[anidada.livejournal.com]

I don't think any of mine are unsafe for work (please tell me if so), but I've considered bailing out of a particularly graphic-heavy community for similar reasons. Some folks forget the cut, some folks have dubious icons -- either way, it's problematic. The difficulty is, some artists whose work I really enjoy only post their creations on this community. Not sure it's worth it, sometimes, but I haven't quit the place yet, so...

Apparently you can filter what you see on your flist. I've never tried this, but maybe that would help?

As for reading a friend's flist, that's always tricky business. Heck, sometimes reading the Toronto LJ can be a problem. *sigh* I don't know what to say about that. You know that people aren't going to change their habits (esp. if they mean it as a joke) if they're having fun with what they're doing -- all it does is put a target on your own back, because some people act like 12 year olds. *shrug*

[thebitterguy]

Oh, no, you're fine. Even the only person I know whose art could be considered offensive cuts everything.

I don't think you can filter a 3p's FList; my own is all fine and dandy, a wonderful assortment of people.

[redeem147.livejournal.com]

I ain't supposed to read lj at work, so I don't. How would you put your user icon behind a cut anyway?

My wildest icons are pretty tame :)

[thebitterguy]

Yeah, icons don't get cut; but a filter on posts with pornagraphic icons would be nice.

[redeem147.livejournal.com]

How would the computer be able to judge what's pornographic?

[thebitterguy]

Nah, not by computer - just that folks can let people 'opt out' of posts that'll have nekkid icons and dirty pictures, and leave them of that f-filter.

[redeem147.livejournal.com]

Oh. I've never filtered anything, so I don't know how it works. You don't need to explain - I'm not planning to filter anything, either.

If I use any naked pictures of David Boreanaz, he'll be holding a strategically placed jewel box.

[thebitterguy]

One one hand, I really am curious to know what you guys are talking about vis a vis DB and the jewel box.

On the other, I don't know if my mind could handle the trauma.

[doc-mystery.livejournal.com]

Looking at the first page of comments on that link, the icons are the least of your worries. Even if the icons were masked, you would have a hard time to explain the pithy comments of horny gay males wanting to get laid, the 'fuck yeahs' of comic book writing, etc, should someone be looking over your shoulder at work.

::B::

[thebitterguy]

I'm not concerned with someone passing by and surreptitiously reading a full page while I scroll between calls. It's someone catching a glimpse of dirty bits that is disturbing.

Dave's Long Box is delightful, BTW.

[thebitterguy]

Besides, if you want to avoid young guys wanting the sweet loving, it's required to avoid the internet entirely.

[creativedv8tion.livejournal.com]

Or, at the very least, if you want to avoid the old women and men pretending to be young guys...

[gurudata.livejournal.com]

Hiho,

I had to remove c_debergerac from my flist when he started using this (http://www.livejournal.com/userpic/40175556/3719026) as his default userpic. Most un-worksafe.

Cu,
Andrew

[creativedv8tion.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's so amazingly childish (the icon).

[thebitterguy]

It's kind of... uh... hypnotic?

Yet, yes, incredibly innapropriate.