A tiny suggestion, perhaps?

N

Nemphtis

Hunter
Some people have complained about signatures. Some say they are too large, some say they take ruin the forums' template. But some just want to put up their signatures without having a large signature which doesn't ruin the forums' template. People like me who enjoy showing their signature images without slapping a wallpaper on there.

But there is a cure to this disease. If the forum administrators look carefully enough online, there are many MOD community's which offers MOD's that allow an admin to set restrictions to signatures. Restrictions that force members to only be able to post images up to a certain size (eg. 300KB + 100x300PX Max.) which could allow people to use images without abusing it. Plus, for those who don't want ANY images, you can always just disable forum signatures all-together from your control panels. I'm not too sure though, because I don't use phpBB forums much. I'm more of an IPB person myself.
 
if a 100k avatar is too much for somepeople adding a 300k sig isn't really going to help though is it

also i don't think i've ever seen a mod that can restick sig image sizes, just the ammount of text characters you can see
 
I've seen many Modifications which could do it, I've just never bothered to download them myself since I don't admin any phpBB forums. I've only administrated IPB forums but I'm fairly certain that phpBB forums also have Modifications available for what I mentioned. :)
 
if there are mods like that it would be a great thing to add, so that us people who like to show off our graphics skills can do so :)

however in the end the ball is in paul's court and he doesn't seem fond of sigs due to the 56kers

in the end though it is paul's choice, he's paying for the server and if he does or doesn't want to have images in sigs thats fine with me :)
 
Yeah, it doesn't make a big impact but I've been using forums for years and it just feels so weird to not have images in my signature for the first time. I suppose it will take me time to get used to it. :)
 
i go to alot of forums now that don't have sigs but actually this is the first forum i ever went to that didn have sigs. i remember the days of spending 3-4 hours ever week making a new sig to keep uptodate with what i was watching :D
 
I make a few signatures every now and then, I'm currently going through a "phase" where I can't be arsed with making graphics, so I just use pre-made avatars. But normally I do enjoy using signatures/avatars I have made myself to show what I'm currently hyped over etc.
 
The graphics are hosted externally, so nothing can be done to control their sizes. This is the same with the avatars.

As one of the people most annoyed with sig graphics & 500K avatars, I like to read forums. Vanity signatures with massive blocks of redundant graphics accompanied by a one line post and repeated through the thread I can do without.

Link to your website/myspace or whatever if you want to pimp your creations, or hell, even in the Creative Arena area
 
I'll look into to way of turning signatures on and off via a profile menu. I really don't like them at all and its especially bad in the anime community. I know that people like to ascert their identities in a community and show off their wares, but I think they are a large eye sore and fill threads up with needless graphical padding.

As I said, I'll look into it :)
 
Laughing Manji said:
The graphics are hosted externally, so nothing can be done to control their sizes. This is the same with the avatars.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but although your post seems like you know what you're talking about you are wrong. It doesn't matter if the graphics are hosted externally, you'd be surprised how much control an Admin can have if he installs or even creates his own MODs. I've seen phpBB forums in my time that even have Avatar limit MODs.

I suggest you look into the subject first, before putting it down. I think the problem is you don't want signatures full stop, and you're talking as if everyone is going to abuse it. I can understand your concern but the fact is, because of people who abuse it, those of us who don't are suffering the after-shock. I'm glad Paul is alot more open-minded about this, at least I don't feel like I'm fighting a hopeless case. xD

Question: Have you seen me make a one-line post yet?
Answer: Nope. So, that is proof that not all of us are like what you described.
 
Paul can easily disable images all together. Ive hardly seen anyone with a sig that is too big, at least not within the regulars. Personally I would never have a image in my sig, a few lines oif text at most,
 
It all depends on what you've grown used to, really. I know people from forums who have 200x200 avatars. For me, that's way too large, but to them it's the "standard" size since that's how they started with forums. Then there are those who find anything bigger than 50x50 too big. Me? I think 100x100 is the best size for avatars on a forum. As for signatures, I never make a signature larger than 350x150 pixels.
 
Even though nearly all of the forums I visit allow signatures, it doesn't exactly bother me that we're not allowed them here. I understand it can be annoying for some and it makes it less enjoyable to browse the site for people with slower internet connections.

I have seen a couple of forums which limit the height of your signature but the installation and moderation can seem too troublesome to some Administrators. It's no big deal if you can't have them, is it? =P
 
Indeed, it's not a huge deal really. But the idea of just completely removing them seems a bit unfair for those who have become used to having them up. Isn't it always better to at least try and find a solution which both sides can agree to, rather than just making one half happy?
 
Nemphtis said:
Laughing Manji said:
The graphics are hosted externally, so nothing can be done to control their sizes. This is the same with the avatars.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but although your post seems like you know what you're talking about you are wrong. It doesn't matter if the graphics are hosted externally, you'd be surprised how much control an Admin can have if he installs or even creates his own MODs. I've seen phpBB forums in my time that even have Avatar limit MODs.
Click to expand...

You cannot properly control the size limits of any externally hosted file unless you are downloading and physically processing that file. It doesn't matter what mods are available, externally hosted files have to be downloaded and processed. Which can be wasteful on server resources and bandwidth, and people can still get around them (changing the file after it is checked). The mods themselves might be tricky to install or conflict with other settings. So MOD control comes at a cost.

Its usually easier and more reliable to host the sig/avatar content on the server itself, then you can always control the files. I am sure the admins have their reasons for not doing this (their B/W costs, issues with 'hosting' inappropriate graphics, or potential copyright issues arising from the fact that avatars/sigs are typically derived works).

Nemphtis said:
I suggest you look into the subject first, before putting it down. I think the problem is you don't want signatures full stop, and you're talking as if everyone is going to abuse it.
Click to expand...

I have been clear on this in the past. I dont mind informational signatures (text, links, viewing list etc.), but the massive banner graphics are an eyesore. Paul summed up my position on this completely:

Paul said:
I really don't like them at all and its especially bad in the anime community. I know that people like to ascert their identities in a community and show off their wares, but I think they are a large eye sore and fill threads up with needless graphical padding.
Click to expand...

Nemphtis said:
I can understand your concern but the fact is, because of people who abuse it, those of us who don't are suffering the after-shock.
Click to expand...

I would like to see non-abusive examples of how hawking your custom or downloaded graphical content adds value to a discussion on imports vs domestic DVD releases, latest anime in japan or the imminent release of UK Naruto. Frankly the non-abusives sigs add nothing to forum content.

If you want to show off your creative content including signatures, there is a Creative Arena. There are also plenty of forums which allow graphical signatures. Personally the great attraction of Anime UK News is its discussion quality and knowledgeable community. That makes it a rarity in anime fandom. Having discussions broken up by big images that are unnecessary and unrelated to the discussion is annoying.

Then there's the abusive examples which are legion:
- ecchi signatures
- site pimping
- frankly ugly images
- over size (bytes) images for 56k-ers & BB-ers who dont want to use their B/W for downloading someone elses vanity
- over size (resolution) images which pad out threads like crazy and horizontally stretch out forums
- thread spammers with image signatures

Sure, the ideal setting would be to disable
 
I would like to see non-abusive examples of how hawking your custom or downloaded graphical content adds value to a discussion on imports vs domestic DVD releases, latest anime in japan or the imminent release of UK Naruto. Frankly the non-abusives sigs add nothing to forum content.
Click to expand...

ok very well 3 years ago i was veiwing a forum and i saw this very nicely drawn anime character and suddenly i desided i wanted to see the show.

if that person hadn't of made his avatar of Full moon and Mistuki i probually would of never of heard of or seen the show. which would mean i would never of bought the manga's and want to buy the DVD's

the same goes for Mai Hime

want me to contiune?
and don't say admins have no power over external file size's i've seen forums that can modify a 800x600 wallpaper into a 100x75 avatar
 
The fact that there is being discussion about it surprises me. In the end Paul has hosting costs to pay for, show me one advert on this site. There arent any (that I have found), so unless you want to start paying for using this forum and site be glad that Paul is willing to run it with little or less investment from others. In the end its his choice to save money by not allowing signature images.
 
not a shot at paul or anything but how much do you think it costs to run this site?

trust me if its more than £9.99 a month paul needs to start looking for a new host cause my media server doesn't cost that much and uses up 5X more bandwidth

and yes this is paul's server in the end, i'm just making sure you're all getting your facts right :p
 
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