I've seen sites that use icons for messages and that even let users choose their icon. I guess that's kind of cool, but it also could lead to an excessive amount of "flashiness" on the site. I guess it wouldn't be too much.

The other option was allowing the moderator(s) to assign icons/ratings to each message. I've seen on slashdot.com where the moderators assign ranking to the value/usefulness of each post. That's kind of neat, although it is subjective and also could lead to people being afraid to post for fear of having their message ranked lowly. :)

What does everyone think about letting registered users assign icons to their post? Would it be useful? Alternatively, the case can be made that if a user posts a descriptive subject that the icon would be redundant.

Craig Steiner