Signature Changes

[MikeWarner]

In order to help users conform with signature rules here, I have not enforced some of these in the software so it is now impossible to have more than 3 lines of text and text that is too big.

I have also now made changes so non MIGClub Members can no longer add links to signatures.

Another new feature is that signatures now onlt show up on the users first post of each page. This conserves bandwidth, helps with search engine ranking and reduces overall load on the server.

Thanks
Mike

[Add_Gee]

Another new feature is that signatures now only show up on the users first post of each page. This conserves bandwidth, helps with search engine ranking and reduces overall load on the server.

Thanks
Mike

Cool, can this be done to avatars too?

[MikeWarner]

Avatars are fine as the browser only loads this once to display it as many times as required. Signatures are text based so have to be created by the server and loaded individualy.

[Nemesis]

Thanks for the update Mike

[chip]

That reminds me, I must buy a new Bidet

[maniac8v]

you must be very tight with the bandwidth to be using these methods...

[Jack]

Another new feature is that signatures now onlt show up on the users first post of each page. This conserves bandwidth, helps with search engine ranking and reduces overall load on the server.

Sorry Mike, but that's just plain stupid.

The amount of bandwidth that some signatures must use must be negligible.

All it serves to do is piss people off. Even though it's something petty and small, it's going to annoy me something rotten. I know of plenty of free forums that don't have as many restrictions as this.

I think maybe you should stop focusing on trying to optimise the forum software and start trying to optimise and upgrade the server in general.

Out of interest, how close is the server to running at peak load? What sort of disk I/Os are we looking at, and how much CPU time?

If optimisation is ultimately going to affect the way that users operate the system, you've got to question whether or not it's worth it.

[Nemesis]

It's not so much about bandwidth, it's about how intrustive signatures are. If you have some giant text advertising some crappy forum, it gets a bit boring reading it every time that user posts.

Better just to have a small, neat signature (like yours Jack!)

[chip]

Chav, its nothing to do with that, because
A) mike just said it was about bandwidth
B) in your CP you will find a section for that:
You have the option to show or hide various elements of messages, which may be of use to users on slow internet connections, or who want to remove extraneous clutter from posts.

[Jack]

Better just to have a small, neat signature (like yours Jack!)

Some members though, have links to their projects thread in their signature, and I do quite like having a sneaky click and seeing the current progress.

Signatures have become an important part of a forum as an aid to user identification, which is especially important on a forum, where you can't see peoples faces and hear their individual voices.

You either have signatures on, or you turn them off. Showing them for the first post and then none afterwards is just plain daft, in my opinion, and the bandwidth saved from not sending a few hundred bytes of text is completely un-important.

A better idea for big bandwidth improvements would be to turn off avatar uploading. Then members would be forced to use images on their own hosting, saving hundreds of kilobytes per page load.

[chip]

Personally I cant see why you need to see someons signature 10 times in one post anyway TBH Jack.

Mike, if its search engiens you are worried about, set the profile for the default guest account not to have sigs visible

[LEE69]

Just scrolling down this thread shows how much cleaner it looks.

[Drizz]

I agree. Good thing IMO

[chip]

Just scrolling down this thread shows how much cleaner it looks.

[heavenly_d3vi1]

i dont seem to be seeing any signatures... is this because im mot a member, or do i have an option turned off or something?

[chip]

you must have the option turned off.

[Jack]

Personally I cant see why you need to see someons signature 10 times in one post anyway TBH Jack.

Thread, you mean?

As I said, it's an important part of distinguishing between members.

No matter what forum I'm on, the thing I look at most to determine the user is the avatar and the signature. If it's been the same for a while, you can usually tell at a glance whose post it is.

Migweb has unfortunately adopted to not allow users to have avatars, which makes it difficult to distinguish between all but the very active members.

For the trouble it causes, it wasn't worth touching, in my opinion. Not when other options exist that would make a million times the difference.

[chip]

Jack, as a top tip, try looking at the name of the user, thats what I do, it changes far less often than sigs do anyway

[Jack]

Jack, as a top tip, try looking at the name of the user, thats what I do, it changes far less often than sigs do anyway

I mostly skim read, so I usually just glance at the avatar or signature to see whose post it is.

I'm having to read usernames now, and it's annoying.

[heavenly_d3vi1]

Thread, you mean?

As I said, it's an important part of distinguishing between members.

No matter what forum I'm on, the thing I look at most to determine the user is the avatar and the signature. If it's been the same for a while, you can usually tell at a glance whose post it is.

Migweb has unfortunately adopted to not allow users to have avatars, which makes it difficult to distinguish between all but the very active members.

as a newbie especially, these factors are making it most difficult to distinguish between all the new ppl! even on forums ive used for ages and know all the ppl i still use avatars and sigs to recognise ppl!

[welsh andy]

as a newbie especially, these factors are making it most difficult to distinguish between all the new ppl! even on forums ive used for ages and know all the ppl i still use avatars and sigs to recognise ppl!

Ju stop causing trouble

[heavenly_d3vi1]

Ju stop causing trouble

lmao, you know me

[Terry81]

What about non Mig members having links to other mig threads? Like mine which has dissapeared that was directing to a wanted advert on Mig.

[lee866]

If you think having text makes things messy try spending a day on edition38 or passionford iirc. you can't tell when a post ends and a sig begins sometimes

[heavenly_d3vi1]

yes txt sigs can be very annoying, but avatars, i think are a good idea!