When a person opens up a Private Message on my website, instead of having boring TEXT like this…
FROM: DoubleDee
TO: OnTheBeach, TamiTeacher, LilBunny
DATE: Sunday, Dec 29, 2013
SUBJECT: Re: New Year's Party
…I would like to add a Thumbnail for each person like this…
What do you think about this idea?
(BTW, a Sender can only contact up to 5 Members per Message, so I don’t have to worry about a PM with 100 Thumbnails in it!!)
Sincerely,
Debbie
I like that a lot.
On this forum the member avatars show in the opened PM but not the menu.
And you’re right, seeing a thumbnail is more visually appealing and less boring than plain old text.
Thank you. blush
Well, I think it is a good idea not to fight “boredom”, but because people can often recognize Photos quicker than Text.
(If you were at an IT Conference, would you be able to find a colleague by reading his/her name tag or seeing his/her face?)
Even if someone uses an Avatar, I think they are instantly recognizable. (Like me, I’m sure you know most of the"regulars" Avatars by heart?!)
Assuming others like my idea like you did, the only other question I have is…
For yourself - either as the Sender or a Recipient - would it be better to display…
a.) Your actual Avatar/Thumbnail or,
b.) Generic Avatar that maybe says something like “Me”?!
Sincerely,
Debbie
You’re right, I do recognize a lot of avatars instantly. Even those that change often usually only change a bit so that they have some resemblance to previous ones. (different colors, a hat, etc.) And even if vastly different I get used to seeing the new one quickly.
I wouldn’t use the exact avatar, but a thumbnail version of it. If the idea is to provide easy recognition using a generic would defeat that purpose, no?
Exactly.
Aren’t Avatar by nature usually small? I would consider most Avatars to be “thumbnail” sized, but yes, they would be maybe 50 x 50 pixels.
Well, I was asking about your own Username. (You know what you look like, right?) 
Here is my thinking…
Having a Thumbnail Picture/Avatar allows the viewer of a PM to quickly identify who the Sender/Recipients of the PM are.
If you are the Sender, then you want a visual queue to help you see TO WHO you sent the PM.
If you are the Recipient, then you want a visual queue to help you see FROM WHO is the PM coming, as well as TO WHOM ELSE the PM was being sent.
(In either case, you know what you look like, and seeing a Thumbnail of yourself is just one more thing you have to “filter out” from the listing of Thumbnails. So, to be blunt, your own Thumbnail is extraneous!)
Following that line of thinking, here are a few options…
1.) Include Thumbnails for every party to the PM. (Easiest to code, and non-discriminatory!)
2.) For yourself, instead of your Thumbnail, use a Generic Thumbnail (e.g. Post #3). This helps offset YOU from everyone else.
3.) For yourself, just show a Text Username (with maybe a White Blank Thumbnail to help with spacing). This also helps offset YOU from everyone else.
Or maybe there is another option that is better? :-/
Follow my thinking?
Sincerely,
Debbie