A polite request re: signatures

[Clint]

Hey, everyone. We've had a recent trend of flashy new signatures at our site. They've been largely tasteful and attractive, but they're getting pretty big. Many forums disallow images altogether to avoid the problems they cause, namely slow loading (yes, some are still on *gag* dialup), heavy server loads, and looooong threads.

We've discussed this issue in the moderator forum but haven't come to a consensus. The fact is, none of us mods want hard restrictions on signature size. So I'll appeal to you all to moderate your own sig layouts.

Please keep in mind that your signature is seen repeatedly, sometimes in a single thread, and that means mouse-wheel smoke and lots of it. If you weren't aware, you have the ability to link to photo galleries or single images through your signature (see my "Clint" image below). There's no need to install a full-size image there. Just use a thumbnail and a hyperlink, and those of us who want to see your bike/dog/kid/lawn mower in large-as-life detail can do so, when we choose to and only as often as we choose. No need to force-feed it.

So - I propose the following guidelines (my own, not those of the entire moderating team):

• Try to keep the total height limited to around 150 pixels, including both images and text. For help on resizing images without distortion or reduced quality, feel free to PM me. For help with creating links, click here. Using an image as a link involves using both the [img]http://www.motorcycle-journal.com/forum/paddock/ and [url] tags, as demonstrated in the above link.
• Limit total byte size to about 50KB for all images combined. We don't have the means to limit linked image size, so we'll rely on your cooperation so we don't have to disable this feature.
  
• If you have several images, show them in a single row rather than using line breaks. They'll automatically wrap for smaller window sizes and monitors, and your sig won't be so tall. You can make them look more organized by using the [center] tag.
  
• If you're displaying lots of text, size it to "1". It's still plenty readable and doesn't interfere so much with the normal flow of posts.
  
• Remember that this isn't really the place to loudly broadcast your political, religious, or philisophical messages. Large, bold type isn't going to help your cause. Just link to it.
  
• If you do insist on keeping your entire human experience in your sig, uncheck the 'show your signature' box in most of your posts, and only display it when deemed appropriate.

I hope it makes sense why I'm asking for this. I'm sure the other mods will have additional suggestions to make it easier to create small signatures that still convey the theme you'd like them to.

Thanks for understanding, and I welcome your comments.

[Trapper]

Very well put. I'm on dial up at work because my boss would like to discourage me from using the internet so much. So help me "stick it to the man" and shrink those sigs.

[Clint]

Comic Sans and animated .gifs. I think I slept so long that the 90's came back into fashion.

[inspiron]

Some people still haven't learned about subtilty ... sometimes less is more.

[Pinhy]

i agree 100% and i am one who likes to have a sig banner. there really should be a size limit for both height and width. 150 tall and ??? wide?


i dont use a sig banner as much for advertisement as i do to find my own posts....when i dont have a banner i hate to look over and sort through avatars.

i think you guys SHOULD come up with a size restriction and if people dont abide by it moderators delete them. we had it on my car forums and i was a mod and it worked fine

.

[Clint]

Pinhy, I did suggest 150 pixels. Your image is 165 and your text adds another 50 or so. What's the deal-i-o?

[Clint]

FWIW, Inspron's sig measures about 71 pixels as it is.

Pinhy, if I was to suggest a max width, it'd likely be 700 pixels or so. That way those running 1024x768 resolution won't get horizontal scrollbars. Those with monitors smaller than that can just....

My new image is actually two 350x60px images to allow multiple hyperlinks. What's that mean, you say? Mouse over the two halves and watch your status bar for the URLs.

[Louis]

Come on people, as Rowdy says, we don't want to enforce limits for this. Use your heads. No one would want to take the blame if we decide to not allow signatures right?

[Pinhy]

Originally Posted by RowdyRed94

Try to keep the total height to around 150 pixels, including both images and text.

Originally Posted by RowdyRed94

Pinhy, I did suggest 150 pixels. Your image is 165 and your text adds another 50 or so. What's the deal-i-o?

key words are "around 150" and "suggest". i wasnt thinking about the text ive recently added, but my banner is "around 150".

i'll edit the pic tonight.....or maybe i should just change the text since it seems noone is sticking to their donation claim except mavman...

.

[tlwisner]

Originally Posted by inspiron

Some people still haven't learned about subtilty ... sometimes less is more.

Indeed. The threads are really stretched out by these giant sigs - and they quickly become tiresome. I would welcome restrictions on sigs - I don't need to be bombarded by ads for other sites...

[Clint]

I did a little goofing around with your image. I could do better with the higher resolution original. Take it or leave it.

[Pinhy]

i KNOW how......i have resizing programs....but the original full pic was here at home.....

now i get home and photobucket is down so i cant upload the new one....so i deleted it to make Clint happy....

[Clint]

I didn't have a problem with your sig. I adjusted the color and shadow levels to make the bikes more visible. It's something I enjoy doing.

[Trapper]

I don't think Clint is concerned with his own happiness as much as he cares about the membership. (WRT forum functionability)

[Louis]

Originally Posted by Louis

Come on people, as Rowdy says, we don't want to enforce limits for this. Use your heads. No one would want to take the blame if we decide to not allow signatures right?

Temptation level is creeping up rapidly...

[Pinhy]

sarcasm on the "clint" comment....

i have already resized and waiting to upload to photobucket...no biggie. like i said above i would LOVE to see a limit on sig heights...used to enfore them myself...

[Clint]

Cool. If you're using Photoshop, the shadow/highlight adjustment is invaluable for poorly exposed photos. Then you can use contrast and brightness to fine tune.

[Trapper]

It's nice to see you during the day, Clint. I picture you in a construction trailer, condensation coming from your breath, those little flip open mittens pecking away at the keyboard, and frozen snot on your face, but hey, you're here!

[Clint]

LOL! I managed to procure an electric heater this morning to use while the furnace caught up. It's around 20* but the wind is nasty. I had to duct tape the air vent because of the draft.

I'll make 'er, though!

[MagnumForce]

Is my current signature acceptable?