signatures

[Justin Monroe]

People on this site take up to much time explaining to people that they need to sign their post.
Why can't it be a mandatory part of signing up to post that you have to create a signature?
We have to give our names why don't you make it automatically use that until we go to the usercp and make another custom one?

[Himiko]

Justin: Here is my experience of forum users in general (not falconers in general). Most don't bother to read rules. They simply want to post or read posts but not those with rules. I think much of it is because they don't think they will be a problem. That is not their intent.

Many of the folks not initially signing their posts are newbies (not all of course) and they just don't feel it is important or think about it because they feel the issue is covered with their username.

I'm just starting a forum specifically for Merlin falconers. The first 10 registers never read the rules (except for 1 women) regarding registration and, as you have suggested here, created a lot of extra work.

The only good outcome I can see from the need to remind folks is that the presents of moderators is revealed which possibly keeps some on their toes but I'm sure the mods are happy much of their work is not more serious.

[KittyCanuck]

It might be more helpful for newbies if it was more obvious in the rules, though. I can't see anything about putting your real name in your signature in those rules. It's also not mentioned in the signature/avatar section of the FAQ.
My intro post didn't have my name in the signature, even though I read the Rules thread, because I didn't know I was supposed to. I learned that rule from reading other threads and seeing others told that they had to do so.

On most forums, it's considered weird to put your name in your signature, because the name you wish to go by (your username) is already on your post, so you're essentially signing things twice.

I'll be honest: as a newbie, it was creepy to learn I had to put my real name in my signature. My real name is not a big secret, but in general I only give it out to new people I meet online after we've talked for a bit and we know more about each other, since it's personal information.

[Himiko]

Caitlin: I don't believe it is a rule to put your name in your signature but rather a suggestion to save people from forgetting to sign their posts (which I believe is a rule). I think Justine was making a suggestion that by creating a rule to put your name in your signature it might save the mods having to tell folks.

I actually like to learn peoples real names because it adds more authenticity to the post. Not too much of an issue here but on many forums usernames are a means to hide and be anonymous with rudeness or aggression. I respect for women it might be a greater risk to use your real name although on here it is usually only the first name.

[KittyCanuck]

I can understand the reasoning behind the rule, if not the appeal of it, thus if it's a rule it's a rule and I won't debate it.

Caitlin: I don't believe it is a rule to put your name in your signature but rather a suggestion to save people from forgetting to sign their posts (which I believe is a rule). I think Justine was making a suggestion that by creating a rule to put your name in your signature it might save the mods having to tell folks.

If needing to sign your posts is a rule, again, it's not in the Rules post I linked to, so perhaps newbies, even the ones that real the rules, do not know. Alternately, they may think that the simple act of posting counts as "signing" your post, since their (user)name is attached to every single one, since that's the general standard.

When I joined I read the Rules post, and I did a cursory check of the FAQ. Since the FAQ didn't appear to have been edited from vBulletin default, my inclination was to ignore it because I already know the software. I read the Rules, but I didn't know about needing to sign posts. I only found that out by seeing others get called out for not doing it.

That said, it would be easy enough to create a required custom field during registration for people to enter their real names, and this could be automatically placed in their signature. Much easier than running around needing to "remind" people to do it.

If there is another place where additional rules can be found, please let me know so I can go read those as well. Thanks ^_^

[outhawkn]

Must be one of those "unwritten" rules........