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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
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    1,339

    Thumbs down Can we please stop garbage posts just to push a signature?

    Greets,

    I understand that WHT is a marketplace as much as it is a problem-solving resource, but the following repeat scenario is really beginning to grate on me...

    The thread goes like this: a user is looking for information on what type of hosting they need, opinions on a certain host, etc. Answers then get posted by a few people, who all offer varying advice on what to do, and pretty much cover what needs to be said. Fine and dandy....conversation pretty much over. But then as comments move to passing shots, you get some real winners who trail the conversation posts that are either mundane, irrelevant, mock sympathy (my favorite), or a combination of all three. They type whatever their fingers can manage before it's too much effort, and bam, that all-important signature, plastered with links to their hosting site, gets slammed into another thread. Score! Here...let me find an example...the thread gets off to a decent start, then we come to a pretty resounding conclusion...and then WHAM, signatures invade. Nothing new added.

    And for the devil's advocates, yes, I know the line between advertising and "helping" is razor thin around here. And yes, I know that "instead of bitching, I can simply ignore it." But after all this time, I'm seeing it everywhere, so I figured I'd say something. Maybe it's a point worth enforcing? Or maybe it's too hard to police? What do you think?

    Cheers,
    Trip
    Last edited by Trip; 10-13-2005 at 12:28 AM.
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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Lakeport CA, Clear Lake
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    1,856
    I have noticed a lot of what you're describing and I agree that it gets out of hand sometimes but I'm not sure how WHT mods could remedy the situation. Hopefully there will be some good suggestions.
    Everyone is entitled to MY opinion.
    CatfishEd.com
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
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    Originally posted by catfished
    Hopefully there will be some good suggestions.
    We hope so too We have been discussing this in the executive board room

    The number of posts that are reported because of this, is indicative that action needs to be taken, trying to figure out the best action is what we hope to achieve. So between out collective minds, maybe we can get something workable up and running soon.
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  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2001
    Location
    Kalamazoo
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    Originally posted by anon-e-mouse
    We hope so too We have been discussing this in the executive board room . . .
    You spelled bathroom wrong!


    *unticks sig
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  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Posts
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    Thanks guys. Good to hear I'm not alone.
    Haha SWR, nice post.

    Trip
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  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Lakeport CA, Clear Lake
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    Originally posted by SoftWareRevue
    You spelled bathroom wrong!


    *unticks sig
    That's funny!!!!
    Everyone is entitled to MY opinion.
    CatfishEd.com
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  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2001
    Location
    HK
    Posts
    3,082

    Smile

    I've never noticed about this until now.

    My posts are just expressing my own opinion rather than pushing up and showing off my sig. Even if some of the posters have answered the OP's questions, I may still post the main points and break them down a little.

    If signature is the issue here, why don't we disable all the signatures? I'm sure that'll help this problem here ~

    The posts that bother me are the repeated ones that says, use the host quote feature, search the forum, look at the offer secton. I've seen those millions and millions of times!
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  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2001
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    Maybe signatures are just more noticeable now.

    What if we went back to the signatures that didn't allow vb code?

    When we introduced hyperlinking and colors, it was on a trial basis.

    Maybe the perception of sig spamming is due to signatures being more noticeable?
    There is no best host. There is only the host that's best for you.
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  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
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    New York, NY
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    10,710
    Hmm...I would definitely not mind the lack of VB code in signatures. It would definitely reduce the amount of people who just post to get their sig noticed.
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  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
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    Originally posted by SoftWareRevue
    Maybe signatures are just more noticeable now.

    What if we went back to the signatures that didn't allow vb code?

    When we introduced hyperlinking and colors, it was on a trial basis.

    Maybe the perception of sig spamming is due to signatures being more noticeable?
    Signatures without vB code would not be a bad suggestion at all, Not mentioning any names but i see one individual who consistently posts in thread where a user is looking for a host with something like:

    Good luck with your new host bla bla
    <<My company rocks>>

    Some do it more than other, Like i say disabling VB code is a good idea i am all for it
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  11. #11
    would it be complex to say allow vbcode after 100 posts, so the people that are chatting, can still usevb code, and the spammers carnt?
    Note to self: Add something funny!
    Search is your friend!
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  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
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    United Kingdom
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    Originally posted by tree-host
    would it be complex to say allow vbcode after 100 posts, so the people that are chatting, can still usevb code, and the spammers carnt?
    See thats the thing its not just spammers where talking about here, There is people with 1000+ posts doing it
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  13. #13
    In that case i say disable it
    Note to self: Add something funny!
    Search is your friend!
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  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
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    Australia
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    24,027
    Sig pimping is a problem, and members need to be discrete, where their sig is displayed. There's the untick sig option when making a post, and it's a personal thing as when to use it. If you're posting in a thread where you could be seen to gain a commercial advantage from, then untick the sig box.

    I'm not sure how something like this could be enforced. It's such a grey area, and open to interpretation.
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  15. #15
    Join Date
    May 2004
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    It's not a personal thing when the moderators untick it though.

    Rather than guess as someone's intentions, if a comment does not directly address the OP's topic or the natural extension of the topic's discussion, I've taken to just removing signatures. That way, if someone's intention was truly to contribute, then the contribution, however valueless, will remain and they shouldn't be upset about the signature leaving.

    If they are upset, then this means the removal was probably justified

    Maybe upgrading to vB 3.5 will allow us to remove signatures via inline moderation (maybe a small hack necessary there)? If so, moderating like this will be the easiest thing in the world. Sig spammers will get tired of playing a losing game very quickly, and will either fall off the forums (good riddance), or start making meaningful contributions, thereby earning the right to display signature ads
    Studio1337___̴ı̴̴̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡̡.__Web Design
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  16. #16
    Maybe removing signatures in the Advertising forums and in the Lounge would be a good idea, just to start out with?
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  17. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
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    Australia
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    Originally posted by the_pm
    . . . Rather than guess as someone's intentions, if a comment does not directly address the OP's topic or the natural extension of the topic's discussion . . .
    But, most sig pimping is actually contributing to the thread, in an ontopic and somewhat (maybe underhanded) meaningful manner. It's splitting hairs to say what the actual intent of the poster is, and that's a slippery slope to go down, imo.

    Something needs to be done. There's just no simple solution.
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  18. #18
    Join Date
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    But, most sig pimping is actually contributing to the thread, in an ontopic and somewhat (maybe underhanded) meaningful manner.
    Then what's the problem? If it contributes somewhat meaningfully, then you've earned the right for your signature to show.

    I think the following situations should result in sig removal, but the post stays:

    1. Posting sympathies.
    2. Posting in agreement with an earlier post, without giving any unique insight.
    3. Restating points already made, even if done in different words, without adding any unique insight.
    4. Linking to pages with tools, or to other forums/pages within WHT, unless the thread starter specifically asks for this type of feedback.

    #4 example:
    OP: I'm looking for a reliable host with the following features: X, Y, and Z. Please post recommendations.
    Reply: Try doing a search here: wherever.com/

    Ok, that's not necessaily a bad contribution, but it doesn't offer a recommendation based on the information in OPs post. Signature removed, post stays

    There are probably other cases where a judgment call must be made. I just thought I'd give a few off the top of my head.

    Also, see the poll I started regarding signatures in advertising forums. Not only do I believe postcount should not increment when someone posts in advertising forums (2:1 in favor of this when I posted a poll last), I also believe sigs should just be stripped out of advertising forums entirely.

    But that's just me
    Studio1337___̴ı̴̴̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡̡.__Web Design
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  19. #19
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
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    Toronto, Canada
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    It is a slippery slope indeed.

    I feel sorry for the mods, as this is a daunting task, as insidiously helpful posts are not always what they appear. Many times, they are made for the express purpose of strategic sig placement.

    We discussed this recently and clearly, the privilege of membership is being abused by some.

    IMO, all we can do is help the mods as much as possible by reporting suspect posts, so that they can isolate and deal with them as efficiently as possible.

    Vito
    DemoDemo.com - Flash tutorials since 2002
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  20. #20
    Join Date
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    Originally posted by vito
    I feel sorry for the mods, as this is a daunting task, as insidiously helpful posts are not always what they appear. Many times, they are made for the express purpose of strategic sig placement.

    We discussed this recently and clearly, the privilege of membership is being abused by some.

    IMO, all we can do is help the mods as much as possible by reporting suspect posts, so that they can isolate and deal with them as efficiently as possible.
    I had a nice long reply typed up, but vito summarized by thoughts perfectly.

    I still vote to do away with signatures, but that's just my opinion.

    Sirius
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  21. #21
    Join Date
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    One thing that may be useful is getting rid of "color" tags in signatures and reducing the max size to 3 lines.
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  22. #22
    I think doing away with signatures would be as much a loss as a gain. I have found many great websites by clicking on links in people's signatures. I don't see how getting rid of colros or shortening the signature would help anything. If you reduce the number of lines to 3, a company can write:
    We are a Great Host!
    155% Uptime!
    http://www.companiesurl.com

    Theres no point in reducing the number of lines, IMO.

    I have to agree most with the_pm. Probably the Proslacker can code an inline mod hack into vb 3.5, and then the mods could easily remove signatures from posts. Disabling signatures in the Advertising forums might also be a good idea.
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  23. #23
    Join Date
    Sep 2000
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    Alberta, Canada
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    I'd suggest: go with one line, max. 60 - 80 viewable characters, colours allowed.
    Some would disagree, but colours in Sigs do have a way of "brightening up" threads. Black on white/grey can get so boring.

    I would have no problem following whatever Sig guidelines are in place, such as a I do now , but I also agree the Sig Spamming is getting out of hand. Will never be able to prevent useless posts, but restrictions that will help to cut down on them would be applauded.
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  24. #24
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Houston, TX
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    I agree with the one line sigs. This is a great forum, but everytime you refresh you are lost again, and its all the people just pushing their sigs.

    Maybee allows 1 line only and then allow VBcode after 1000 post or something.
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  25. #25
    Join Date
    May 2001
    Location
    HK
    Posts
    3,082

    Smile

    I think the problem is not related to how many lines or how attractive the signature is. The problem is that people posting garbage just to push their signature. No matter it is one line or one word or not, they simply post just to show off the signature.

    I'd say disable it is the best choice to handle this if you don't mind ~

    Doesn't mean I want it disable, but if you think signature causing people to post garbage, you have to disable it ~

    Or make the signature no links or no URL or whatever you could think of to stop the advertisement ~

    Sometimes, people post is just to express their opinion rather than showing off the signature. That's what I think when I do my posting ~ I have never thought that my signature can really do boost up my sales or make my site become popular since 99% chances here are simply hosts.
    Last edited by YUPAPA; 10-13-2005 at 05:16 PM.
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