The Daily Grind: Online character profiles?

Web-accessible online profiles for characters in MMOs have been around for a while. The first ones I remember were profiles available for EverQuest players. In the years that have passed, they've slowly popped up everywhere. Now you can generally find something about people's characters on the game's site, on commercial guild and player database sites, or even privately hosted guild sites. Some are very simple, offering a quick overview of gear and talents. Others are far more detailed, like the World of Warcraft armory, or the almost social-networking build of Lord of the Rings Online's player pages.

With all that said – some people love them, and some people absolutely hate them. The reasons vary from player to player. On the negative side, some feel that others shouldn't be able to look at their gear if they're into PvP, or don't want others knowing how much money they have. As for positives, some like to be able to compare gear with others they know to see if they can find ways to improve their own, others think that listing your regular play-times so other folks looking for friends to adventure with can find you is a great idea. This morning we wanted to ask what you thought about online character profiles? Do you love them or hate them? What are some of the best – and worst – features you've seen on different MMO character profile sites? Anything you'd add to your favorite if you could?