Staffing Signatures

[Morrigan 1,826]

So something I'm okay with on sites like this are signatures. It makes sense, it's there for you to be able to express yourself. Now, for a roleplay I find very little use for them. Most people use it as a way to express their character more fully or show more images of them or advertise their plotters or whatever but I've never really understood that. Does that really need to be shoved in everyone's face every time that person posts?

 

That being said I'm considering getting rid of them on the RP I'm working on right now.

 

What are your thoughts or opinions on signatures and their use within RP?

[Elena 546]

I love signatures. They are a way to portray better the character's personality, to show links, and to separate clearly one post from the other. I wouldn't like not being able to have signatures. If you choose to have only links in the signature and not graphics, then it is half OK and I'll link to a Pinterest gallery for said character.

[CovertSphinx 710]

I like them, when they're not obnoxious, because it breaks up the posts a little. Although I think most boards give an option in the profiles settings to choose whether or not you see them. So depending on your host, you could probably disable the view for yourself while letting members do as they please with them.

[Guest Archaic Cyborg]

I used to actively display them, but I haven't used any for maybe a year. No one uses them at my games anymore, and I don't mind. At my newest game, I don't allow them, just to cut down on bandwidth and whatnot. I really don't have the patience to yell at people who'd insist on using gifs and advertising their sites and whatnot.

[Honorem 219]

19 hours ago, Blackjack Bart said:

I used to actively display them, but I haven't used any for maybe a year. No one uses them at my games anymore, and I don't mind. At my newest game, I don't allow them, just to cut down on bandwidth and whatnot. I really don't have the patience to yell at people who'd insist on using gifs and advertising their sites and whatnot.

Interesting point, I have the same experience, very few people actually use them. So it begs the question why are they really needed?

[Huskerdust 625]

I turned them off on my site because nobody was using them anyway and it just kinda looked ugly with our setup. Plus, it means one less graphic people feel like they should make. Focus on the writing!

[Elena 546]

1 hour ago, Zozma said:

It means one less graphic people feel like they should make. Focus on the writing!

 

What if they like making the graphics too, besides focusing on the writing? The graphics are often an inspiration source for the writing.

[Morrigan 1,826]

I feel they could still make them @Elena but they can display them in other areas like thread trackers and whatnot and wouldn't be constricted by the maximum size of a signature either.

 

I think, for me personally, it was a way to advertise yourself instead of playing the game. Which was always weird.

[Elena 546]

This makes sense, @Morrigan! Having the opportunity to display them elsewhere is a good idea.  Besides signatures, I have graphics in character diaries too, plus on Pinterest, which is linked below the signature like here.

 

If the graphics are character-related, they aren't to advertise yourself (this might be the OOC signature I have) but to show the character's personality.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Elena

[Morrigan 1,826]

Yeah. I've seen it both ways but most of what I see in signatures are links to "Thread Trackers" or "Other Characters" with a big banner of the character or mini-pictures of the other characters. I remember when I felt obligated to have both an avatar and a signature banner.

 

To me the signature felt like it never helped the character at hand.

[CovertSphinx 710]

On the old anime site I used to be a part of, there was a time when a group of us all had.... nicknames of sorts. A friend of mine was the "Profile Nazi", I was "The Corrupter", etc. We had tiny signature banners showcasing these "reputations" at one point. It was the most fun I ever had with signatures.

[AKNyx 33]

I feel like I'm a dying breed on a couple of the sites I frequent because the majority of them prefer not to have signatures enabled across the board. I've always been a fan of turning them off if you prefer not to see them, as it lets the rest of us who like to gawk to gawk at our leisure.

 

Will I join a board that doesn't have them? Absolutely! I'm on one right now that's pretty cool and doesn't allow for them.

Do I prefer it? Heck no. I love displaying my character's current "mindset" with a single look or a single image that screams them at that moment in time. A snapshot that suits them (and matches their avatar because I refuse to do something not matchy). For me, it creates a more rounded out flow instead of post after post after post.

 

Then again, I think it's more what I'm used to. The trend of disabling signatures has only begun to appear in sites I write on very recently... Late last year, recently.

[Morrigan 1,826]

It might be me. I have never minded them personally but maybe it's a peeve? Some sites give you this gigantic banner area to fill (allowing signatures up to 500 pixels tall etc) which isn't a "rounding out" that's a header bar after every single post. I think the other part is I like to browse mobiley on the desktop view (because most mobile sites are horrific) and it always makes my scroll hell.

 

Perhaps the mobile thing is why it's a trend. Perhaps I'm old and hate feeling obligated to create just one more image for my character. I'm pretty sure I stopped making sigs for my characters about 2 years ago now.

[Varos 0]

I've noticed on my site, members enjoy making signatures that are just pretty, and relate to the character. Usually it's a photo of the character, with some sort of quote. Probably because you can link your app and stuff to your mini profile. It's not bothering anyone, so I let them have their fun. It makes them happy.

[Cloud 0]

This is ultimately going to be a personal preference, but I think the majority of people are in the "Indifferent" boat about them. I can't imagine anyone refusing to join a site because of signatures. I'm sure they exist. But I doubt it will be a common occurrence. 

 

As for myself, I prefer them. I do a lot of shoop work and like to display more pics of my characters via sig form and include theme music links.