Thread: No sig lines means no sig lines

Ok, I'll post something that's less likely to be taken as critical and more likely to be seen as helpful, which is more my intention.
Another forum I help moderate uses the services of this group to help stop spammers: Stop Forum Spam
They provide automated checking as well as the ability to add spammers by username, email address and IP address to a database.
I mention this as I have seen (and banned from my other forum) many a spammer that used sig lines to include their spam links.

Thanks, Bruno. I don't see it as a problem in the least because it's easy to still be polite without adding several lines. Best regards, Paul

..Can I say, Love Carl, kiss kiss kiss, hug hug hug?

Reminds me of my "Chow Hall Days"; When I'd ask, "What did you just put on my tray?"
They would just shout at me, "Get it and go, Private, just get it and go!"

Well with 200 hungry service men behind you that's pretty good advice!

Originally Posted by Hirlau

Reminds me of my "Chow Hall Days"; When I'd ask, "What did you just put on my tray?"
They would just shout at me, "Get it and go, Private, just get it and go!"

OH that brings back memories! The first day when you still had your hair walking into that massive hall with all those bald headed people! Maybe if we post signature lines we'll all be 'backsquadded' to Newbie rank? Or have to sing songs like "This is my razor this is my gun, this is for shaving this is for fun" while we run around in the rain and the mud? Just jokes, Corporal-Sergeant-Bombardier-Sir..I, I, I mu mean Mu, Mu, Moderator, just jokes :-)

Oh I DO crack myself up, really I do...

Originally Posted by MickRussell

This is a community, not a bulletiin board or email discussion group. If the board is struggling with storage issues then perhaps the community could help cover the costs of expanding server capacity, but just putting the clamps on people without telling them why is a little harsh.

This is not a storage or data issue.

There are a couple of other issues. The first one is that often, sig lines take up much more space than the actual message.
At 20 posts per page, that is an awful lot of scrolling. Pages are now at least 50% shorter for the same amount of content.
The second is that a post should only be about the post. Not about self-expression through off topic content. With this I mean the large amount of people who use their sig to show their political affiliation, their view on religion or the second amendment, or their philosophical approach to life and the problems of the world. We have a conversation forum for discussing these things, and if you want to share your opinions with the world, that is what facebook and twitter are for.
And in case of advertizing, people should have the certainty that vendors post because they have content to share, and not to get their webstores plastered across the forums.

And while I do understand that in formal communications, people sign at the bottom, the fact is that this is not a formal communication.
If you have a conversation with someone, you don't finish every paragraph with 'Best regards' either. The medium does not work that way.
In a similar vein, people say 'over' when using walkie talkies, but not when using cell phones. The medium works differently.

The forum part of SRP is a discussion forum, with a back and forth of conversation. signatures and prefaces are typically not used in a discussion. While it is true that many forums allow use of sig lines for self expression, that does not necessarily mean it's a good idea. Many forums I have been to allow members to not-quite insult each other, goad each other into heated arguments, and be outright rude, especially in the conversation forums. We're deviating from the norm here as well, and rightly so.

Thank you. Having a clear presentation of what's going on and the thinking behind that helps a great deal.

Originally Posted by Bruno

This is not a storage or data issue.

There are a couple of other issues. The first one is that often, sig lines take up much more space than the actual message.
At 20 posts per page, that is an awful lot of scrolling. Pages are now at least 50% shorter for the same amount of content.
The second is that a post should only be about the post. Not about self-expression through off topic content. With this I mean the large amount of people who use their sig to show their political affiliation, their view on religion or the second amendment, or their philosophical approach to life and the problems of the world. We have a conversation forum for discussing these things, and if you want to share your opinions with the world, that is what facebook and twitter are for.
And in case of advertizing, people should have the certainty that vendors post because they have content to share, and not to get their webstores plastered across the forums.

And while I do understand that in formal communications, people sign at the bottom, the fact is that this is not a formal communication.
If you have a conversation with someone, you don't finish every paragraph with 'Best regards' either. The medium does not work that way.
In a similar vein, people say 'over' when using walkie talkies, but not when using cell phones. The medium works differently.

The forum part of SRP is a discussion forum, with a back and forth of conversation. signatures and prefaces are typically not used in a discussion. While it is true that many forums allow use of sig lines for self expression, that does not necessarily mean it's a good idea. Many forums I have been to allow members to not-quite insult each other, goad each other into heated arguments, and be outright rude, especially in the conversation forums. We're deviating from the norm here as well, and rightly so.

Let's axe the avatars next. That will remove additional clutter and help keep the discussion focused on the topic by removing distractions that can encourage light-heartedness, humor, and deviation from propriety.

Oh and these smilies and icons... more too much of a good thing...

I enjoy this forum because of the fount of knowledge here dispensed with what I perceived to be a collegial congeniality and camaraderie: it's fun. A straight and narrow road may get you there efficiently, but the path which turns and curves generally has scenery making the trip much more enjoyable.