Signature Restrictions

[SunDrop 59]

I'm all for signatures, don't get me wrong. It's a lot easier to glance at someone's timeline for reference than opening up their timeline in a separate window. I also click through to other people's blogs quite often, and remember which member has a link to a useful thread (like Vanessa+Tony's links to the Aussie specific threads)

However, there are some members with ridiculously long signatures containing nothing of any use information-wise.

Sure, have a small pic of you and yours; have a LINK to your favourite utube track; have a countdown ticker or two but c'mon... embedding 3 vids in your sig or 6 different sparkling animated what-have-yous or whacking great big 'my uterus is expanding at a rate of .5 micrometres per second this week!'

This isn't aimed at any members in particular, but is it really necessary? I'm sure there is a way of restricting the size of graphics and length in cm that your signature can extend to. At least, there used to be on other Invision Board software forums I haunt...

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

I've brought this up before and was shot down.

At least the Meez signatures finally went away.

[Ovaltine Jenkins 5]

I'm all for signatures, don't get me wrong. It's a lot easier to glance at someone's timeline for reference than opening up their timeline in a separate window. I also click through to other people's blogs quite often, and remember which member has a link to a useful thread (like Vanessa+Tony's links to the Aussie specific threads)

However, there are some members with ridiculously long signatures containing nothing of any use information-wise.

Sure, have a small pic of you and yours; have a LINK to your favourite utube track; have a countdown ticker or two but c'mon... embedding 3 vids in your sig or 6 different sparkling animated what-have-yous or whacking great big 'my uterus is expanding at a rate of .5 micrometres per second this week!'

This isn't aimed at any members in particular, but is it really necessary? I'm sure there is a way of restricting the size of graphics and length in cm that your signature can extend to. At least, there used to be on other Invision Board software forums I haunt...

How is "nods and points" useful?

[Otto 83]

Under Board Setting (in My Controls) you can choose whether or not to view signatures. If that helps.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Actually, if you find a signature overly long send a report to the Mod team about it and we will ask them to reduce the size of their signatures. If they don't comply and the signatures really are excessive, then it can be done by administration. Overly large signatures eat up a lot of memory and make the pages slow to load so it does become an administrative issue. Most people do co-operate when it is explained to them like that.

[SunDrop 59]

How is "nods and points" useful?

Erm if you read my post a little more closely, you would see that I'm not suggesting banning signatures outright, but rather restricting their length.

And ever since putting that there, I haven't had a single person refer to me as 'he/him/his' which was happening several times a day, so....

Actually, if you find a signature overly long send a report to the Mod team about it and we will ask them to reduce the size of their signatures. If they don't comply and the signatures really are excessive, then it can be done by administration. Overly large signatures eat up a lot of memory and make the pages slow to load so it does become an administrative issue. Most people do co-operate when it is explained to them like that.

My point exactly. Costs more to run a board when a lot of signatures are byte-heavy.

That's good to know, thanks Kathryn

Under Board Setting (in My Controls) you can choose whether or not to view signatures. If that helps.

Which takes the benefit of signatures away completely. Limiting them either by an automatic process or by asking for Mod assistance as per Kathryn's suggestion is a happier medium.

[SunDrop 59]

And sort of along the same lines of thinking, but when I see my posts, there's no space below the end of my sig but on others there is? What causes that to happen?

ETA: Actually, it seems intermittent. Mystery deepens, lol.

Edited February 10, 2010 by SunDrop

[Ovaltine Jenkins 5]

It's because you "nod and point" and others don't

[SunDrop 59]

It's because you "nod and point" and others don't

LOL.... ahhhh. Well, fixed that so let's see what happens

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

I used to have my timeline in my signature. Then I realised it was only of interest to ME and that anybody interested in my timeline could click on my VJ timeline link on the sidebar.

Personally I would kill all sigs. Links in sigs get out of date fast. I hate the meez, Blingees, timelines and bits of extraneous garbage that is of practically no interest to anyone except the true obsessives. It's all whimsical f*ckery of the most banal order and I hate it all equally.

[SunDrop 59]

I used to have my timeline in my signature. Then I realised it was only of interest to ME and that anybody interested in my timeline could click on my VJ timeline link on the sidebar.

Personally I would kill all sigs. Links in sigs get out of date fast. I hate the meez, Blingees, timelines and bits of extraneous garbage that is of practically no interest to anyone except the true obsessives. It's all whimsical f*ckery of the most banal order and I hate it all equally.

LOL kudos for honesty

Guess I'm lazy. I appreciate the timelines in the sigs, don't mind the one or two small bits n pieces but when you've gotta scroll through inches of it to get to the next post, especially if the 'offender' is the thread originator, meaning they're replying a lot more...

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Actually I disabled signatures for this exact reason It's pretty good and makes reading threads SO much better... but sometimes people don't fill in their timelines because they think their sig is enough.

One reason for my timeline is because then other Aussie's can see how long a police check took, or medical, but perhaps I should relocate that to somewhere else on my profile? Okay.. done Hope it helps with the clog

Oh and thanks for the shout-out

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

but sometimes people don't fill in their timelines because they think their sig is enough.

Le sigh. Yes. And by not filling in their timelines the timeline data suffers, and then people complain that the data isn't sufficiently accurate.

To get off topic a little here, I know that at one point in this very sub-forum there was a debate about whether newbies should need to read some of the guides and/or begin a timeline before posting. Surely a timeline menu could be tweaked to allow the option of "considering filing" or "getting ready to file" without the need to input dates yet. It might instill the discipline of updating timelines if we can get people doing it from the beginning.

Just another hare-brained thought.

[Armenia 18]

I used to have my timeline in my signature. Then I realised it was only of interest to ME and that anybody interested in my timeline could click on my VJ timeline link on the sidebar.

Personally I would kill all sigs. Links in sigs get out of date fast. I hate the meez, Blingees, timelines and bits of extraneous garbage that is of practically no interest to anyone except the true obsessives. It's all whimsical f*ckery of the most banal order and I hate it all equally.

I find the timelines in signatures useful probably because my husband and I have just started the immigration process. It's a quick way to get an idea of how long each stage takes and what to expect. Although, some people do put so much detail in their timeline signatures that they become so so so long. Some of the information are useful to others, some are not.

Edited February 11, 2010 by Armenia

[sleepy in Seattle 3]

I think bit***ing about signatures is pathetic, please find something else to bit***** about. People here are lonely and have a lot of stress, and sometimes the signatures help them feel more at home and sharing apart of their lives, so don't look if you dont like them.

I find the timelines in signatures useful probably because my husband and I have just started the immigration process. It's a quick way to get an idea of how long each stage takes and what to expect. Although, some people do put so much detail in their timeline signatures that they become so so so long. Some of the information are useful to others, some are not.

I agree, It has been rather helpful for me as will.