IconBuffet | Free Icons, Stock Icons, Custom Icon Design

Hoshichan on Apr 11, 2007

I'm a pre-new-IBer :D Woo!

aaroncampbell on Apr 11, 2007

I'm also Pre-New...and also not a big "social site" person.

iqon on Apr 11, 2007

I don't consider myself an original member but I have been an IBer since the beginning of 2006. I find it easier to zero in on IB newbies - people with low icon sets & friend counts. They seem very grateful when you deliver sets out of the blue and ask for nothing in return. Watch the Blog Forum for newbie post (no avatar is a good indicator) and throw a little icon love their way. I also checkout people making helpful post and if I have sets they are missing I send a few.

spiffinghat on Apr 11, 2007

That's good advice, iqon. I read on one of the blogs that some people find it weird to spam someone with sets, but I don't really understand how someone could be offended at generosity...

Jen on Apr 11, 2007

I was also a member before the new IB was rolled out. :)

fuseunderground on Apr 11, 2007

I was a member before everything changed, and I must say I am finding it a lot easier to be sociable on the new site. I am also very impressed with the generosity, the positive attitudes, and the expert advice everyone seems willing to give to away for free. Long may this site continue, viva la iconbuffet! :-)

iqon on Apr 11, 2007

Spiffinghat: If someone feels "spammed" with sets I suspect it is because A) they made a generic request and got scores of deliveries. . .or more likely B) they feel obligated to accept every delivery. I briefly felt bad about declining offers. Once you realize everyone is being friendly and its okay to say "no thanks", you can start having fun.

Starwolf13 on Apr 11, 2007

I was a sporadic barely social member of the old IB...and I find I have a small sprinkle of sets on the new site.. So I'm off to find people I can spam, until I run out of stamps....

justG on Apr 11, 2007

Another "Old Skooler" here. Found the transition to be a cinch. Have lots of (relatively minor) usability and glitch complaints about the new site, but love it anyway. Totally dig the more strategic game-like approach to IB free delivery collection.

gswd on Apr 11, 2007

I was also an old IB user, and had collected all of the sets through careful navigation and reciprocation of the old connection system. Many of my sets had 0 deliveries.

The "social" aspect of this version is different, to say the least, and I think is actually less socially interactive. When we had limited sets to send, we would not just blindly send them to people. They had to ask for them.

With this new IB, I have received the new sets from people just because I was on their friends list as not having it (I am guessing).

Better? Worse? My jury is still deliberating. In the meantime, I will just say different.

Starwolf13 on Apr 11, 2007

I like that you can just send or receive sets by seeing the friends list as to whether they have them or not. My free time is very limited, so it makes it much easier...

justG on Apr 11, 2007

gswd wrote: I think is actually less socially interactive. When we had limited sets to send, we would not just blindly send them to people. They had to ask for them.

I think that the old system lent itself more to anti-social "sharing." The "free for all" threads with their delivery links meant that anyone could basically stock up on the entire collection in a couple days (that's how long it took me). I think that those who *want* more social interaction will get it out of this system just as they did the last. Just as I only replaced the links I used but didn't post all 5 deliveries as free-for-all links on the old forums, so too I fill requests and occasionally send a welcome gift but basically stay away from unsolicited deliveries on IB 2.0.

Ultimately people will take from it what they will, but I think the new approach lends itself much better to social interaction and establishing relationships with community members that go beyond, "Hey, got this?" "Cool, thx!"

Starwolf13 on Apr 11, 2007

It did motivate me to actually make an avatar this time....I find that I know more about old-timers now, with the "visit their page, get a glimpse of their interests" while seeing who might need an icon. But I wish you could see who was out of tokens....

emed795 on Apr 11, 2007

I've been a member since the old Icon Buffet.

My experience with the new system has been positive for the most part. The greater emphasis on the social aspect adds a new twist and the new delivery system really makes it easy to send icons to other people when compared with the old system which required you to know the other person's e-mail address but the introduction of the new token system does add some frustration at times as you will have received all these new icon deliveries but can't do anything with them.

mcd on Apr 11, 2007

The old site wasn't very conducive to the social aspect of IB. Socializing consisted mostly of "I need this set, send it to me@me.com". And quite frankly it was way too easy to get all the sets. I'm just kicking myself now for not keeping up with it, since the sets were so much easier to get back in the day. And I know "back in the day" wasn't all that long ago. :)

So yeah, I'm an old-school IBer, but it got old real quick and I didn't maintain my collection. Now I'm playing catch-up.

The new site is so much better has easily renewed my interest in the buffet.

angelamaria on Apr 11, 2007

I'm also pre-new, but haven't been very active at all on the previous IB. XD

cjvan56 on Apr 11, 2007

I've been an IB member for a long time, but never paid much attention, and like mcd didn't maintain my collection. The transition got me much more involved, and I've met some really great folks and found some fabulous graphics for my projects from member websites in addition to the icons here.

spiffinghat on Apr 12, 2007

It's good to see that there are a lot of different opinions on the new site. I quite like it, but it's a bit difficult for me to adjust! There's a lot more excitement to it now, though. It's got a lot more room for strategy and the blogs are neat, I think.

redwolf on Apr 12, 2007

I was a bit of a lurker on the old IB. Mostly dropping by once a month for an icon binge.

While the new version encourages more interaction and socialisation, I prefer the less rigid method of sharing icons from the old days.

I'm hankering for Authentic Jobs too. This whole unveiling hours prior to it being unleashed on the community is frustrating and annoying.

cry187 on Apr 12, 2007

I've been a member since early 2006, I got most sets by asking people in the forum back then before the whole site is redesigned. I was one of the lucky ones who has downloaded the shanghai vector set.

spiffinghat on Apr 12, 2007

redwolf: I agree that it's frustrating to have things unveiled long before the release. Teases.

cry187: I had Shanghai Vector, but I'm not sure what I did with it. :\ What happened to it if you had it but didn't download it yet?

jake on Apr 12, 2007

Well I'm an old IB member and have just stepped into the new site and am still trying to work out how the system works. I kind of like the social side that has been brought in but the actual icon sharing seems a little over complicated at first glance.

spiffinghat: I had Shanghai Vector in my old account... it now seems to have vanished :!

Jem on Apr 12, 2007

I've been around since last year.. never really used the old IB though (other than collecting the free deliveries sent to my inbox), so the changes have certainly made me more active :)

tamashii on Apr 12, 2007

Finally decided to chime in.

According to my download records, I came to IB sometime in mid-November 2005. Clearly, I was fartin’ around on either IB or Firewheel for a bit before that, and I am sure I don’t remember where/how I saw the Free Delivery service advertised for the first time.

At the start, I wasn’t downloading any of the sets I collected, but on Jan. 4 2006, I downloaded 5 sets (Taipei Monkey, Shanghai Tech, Farewell Snow, Oslo Atmosphere and Oslo Finance). Joyfully, five days later, I downloaded Shanghai Tech Vector.

My activity on the forum had become nothing more than the occasional post detailing the sets I had (DO NOT SEND) and the sets I wanted/didn’t have. I catered to “trades” via email only – as I had far too many deliveries go the way of the dodo due to multiple sends. My most prolific trade-“buddy” was Julie (aka tau – linked as I think they are one-in-the-same). A few months prior to the update, I would only check in every Monday and made no trades or posts unless I had received a Free Delivery from the chefs. Upon getting the one free set a month, I would easily claim the one or two that I was missing. I had made over 250 deliveries of the sets via the old system (purely estimated figure).

Six days after receiving Amsterdam Free Love and Athens Beach Party, I visited to find the site was “closed” while being updated. I was simultaneously excited and scared about what Firewheel had planned. They did good. Real good. I love the social aspect of the site. I enjoy the “game”/strategy now employed. I am actually conversing more with members of IB, rather than just the sporadic post on what I have and what I want. It just feels better.

So, ya… I’ve been around for a bit.

spiffinghat on Apr 13, 2007

tamashii: I see you around all over the place here, so I dare say it's made you more active. ;) I suppose I find myself at a loss as to where to begin! I don't know how you lot make friends just chatting on blog posts and comment boxes.

Are people just making friends here and then talking to them elsewhere?

justG on Apr 13, 2007

No, I'm making friends here and talking to them.. here. =)

Fwiw, I'll disagree with those who wait impatiently for a new delivery. I like that it's "unveiled" by appearing on the site before it's actually delivered to anyone, and I'm not frustrated or annoyed by that. It's an icon set. It's free. I can wait 'til it appears in my inbox. S'all good. =)

ADM on Apr 13, 2007

Yeah I was here before the "big change" and had every set but slipped a bit in the recent months and now need 5 but of course am out of tokens.

kmfnj on Apr 13, 2007

justG said: I like that it's "unveiled" by appearing on the site before it's actually delivered

I agree -- it gets me all excited throughout the day, wondering if I'll be lucky enough to receive it direct from a chef (NO SPENDING TOKENS! :D) or through one of the many awesome people in this community.

KatieK on Apr 13, 2007

I was on the old IB. I think I started sometime in summer of last year.

spiffinghat on Apr 14, 2007

I think I'm a little too OCD to handle the unveiling! I love it in a way, but it's like the opening sequences of a suspense film. If it goes on too long, the tension drives me crazy! I'm entirely too wrapped up in these things.

This is such a strange way of communicating, for me, but the new strategy aspect of the sharing makes me want to give it a go.

Sparkie on Apr 15, 2007

I joined the old IB - I think last year some time. I like this better as we were clogging up the forum saying "I have such and such sets and need such and such".. And giving your email address out in order to receive them. Kind of a spam magnet...

Luckybeitia on Apr 15, 2007

Pre-new over here!
Still remember the 5 deliveries per set limit :D...

Jon335 on Apr 15, 2007

Pre-new here. I've just logged on for the first time...

Just getting used to this. I need 23 sets, can other people see what sets I have?

Luckybeitia on Apr 15, 2007

@ Jon335: Yep! I've sent you some icons.

quicksilver on Apr 15, 2007

I was around before the switch, too, and I find it much easier to stay involved in the community with the new site.

With the old system, by the end I was just logging in a couple times a month to see if there were any new sets out. If there was one, I'd hang around long enough to get it, and usually send out my 5 deliveries, then I'd disappear again.

Now, I'm seeing people with no tokens and/or stamps still around, actively participating in discussions (like this one). You rarely saw that on the old site, and I must say, I like this better.

mkhall on Apr 15, 2007

I'm old style, myself, but I am grooving on the new style.

rajr19 on Apr 15, 2007

I was an old member.

kimberleygrey on Apr 23, 2007

I was an old member, but apparently not all that active, as the new system has made me painfully aware! Time to fix that, wot. ;)

anti on Apr 23, 2007

I have been around for just about forever. The old way was fun but I think the new system focuses on the members more. It is about more than just icons now.

MobiTec on Apr 23, 2007

Yeh i'm 1 of the original Members.. Joined up back in 2005 and my first set i got was Manhatan Night Life!! And i Loved it.. Went mad collecting as much as possible... then mid 2006 it died off abit, due to work and family.. but still popped in now and then to see what was new.. Now i'm back and it has taken over my life once more.. *You chef's really know how to draw people in!!* hahahaha

lparziale on Apr 23, 2007

Yeah, old member here too... it took about two days to get it. No need to socialize if you prefer not, you can simply spend your tokens each month. Trust me, you will get people sending ya stuff!

@mobitec - when your loved ones ask, "Hey, what is that "blog" you are always on lately"... you may need intervention!

Shalla on Apr 25, 2007

I joined back in 2005 as well, I think my first set was Oslo Finance. I'm not overly social on sites and keeping up with stuff and actually giving people icons they need is a bit more difficult on this site mainly 'cause everyone else is more on top of it than I am.

Debi on Apr 25, 2007

I joined ages ago, I had a bit of a shock but seem to be adjusting, think Im likening it, less work to get my collection but at the same time limited on completing it. So I guess I'm still adjusting to the new format.

tanic5 on Apr 25, 2007

I too am an early member and I love the site. It took a little getting used to be so much more talkative and I am trying harder to be more active, hopefully some small changes can be added in to help make that easier.

VHormazabal on Apr 25, 2007

I´m an early member too and I love the new system and the community :D