Signature Rules

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DrSpooky
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Signature Rules

Post by DrSpooky »

Apparently members of The Board need some guidance in proper etiquette in regards to signatures. Here are some guidelines which should be followed:
  • Keep them short.
  • Do not link in more than one image.
  • Keep linked images small (no larger than the board logo 300x150 pixels)
  • General board rules on offensive material apply.
The site software cannot (at this time) automatically enforce the rules on linked in images. This means folks are on the honor system.

As Administrator, I DO have the capability to modify any user's signature but I do not want to HAVE to do so.

I am also capable of adding some automated checks on signatures to the site software but I have better things to do with my time and hope it won't come to that.

Come on folks. Big pictures in signatures are not nice and they aren't cool. They arre just irritating as you try to read posts -- especially on a slow link.
I won't even mention bandwidth issues on the hosting side.
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RedShoes
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Post by RedShoes »

Thanks, DrS - we appreciate it :)
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BlueChair
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Post by BlueChair »

Here here
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spooky girlfriend
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Post by spooky girlfriend »

Anyone who hasn't removed multiple pictures or gif's in their signatures by tonight will have them removed by an administrator. We can't have the bandwith tied up any longer. We don't mind hosting the site, but there is a limit to what each person can use on a regular basis. Everyone only gets one image per signature.

Just to let you guys know. . . . . .more members are joining each day and we are averaging around 30,000 - 50,000 hits per day on the site. We just need the space for other things.

Thanks for you understanding. :)
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BlueChair
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Post by BlueChair »

I woke up to like four complaints that WHAR had a nude photo as his signature.
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spooky girlfriend
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Post by spooky girlfriend »

Well, this is kind of ridiculous. We're trying to get ready to go to a funeral that requires a two hour drive and we'll barely get there in time, and now this.

This is supposed to be a place where mature people of all ages can come and discuss various matters of life, music, etc. Doc and I are tired of these silly antics.

He will be given a 90 day ban. After that, if he comes back to the board, he will be given no extra chances. Any offense at all after that will be a permanent ban of his IP address.
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verbal gymnastics
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Re: Signature Rules

Post by verbal gymnastics »

DrSpooky wrote:Apparently members of The Board need some guidance in proper etiquette in regards to signatures. Here are some guidelines which should be followed:
  • Keep them short.
  • Do not link in more than one image.
  • Keep linked images small (no larger than the board logo 300x150 pixels)
  • General board rules on offensive material apply.
Don't worry Doc, you can count on me. My technomological expertise is second to..well, everyone.

And WHAR getting banned?

Is this Back to the Future? :lol:
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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RedShoes
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Post by RedShoes »

Dr & Mrs Spooky - I just wanted to thank the two of you for taking care of this. As you've said, this is supposed to be a place where mature people chat, and unfortunately that's not always the case. It certainly didn't feel like a very welcoming place with a very objectifying photo seen repeatedly throughout.

It's really too bad that you had to deal with this, especially on a day like today - but that makes it even more important that you know how much we appreciate it. Thank you for making this forum a lot more friendly - in more ways than one :)
Last edited by RedShoes on Wed Jan 26, 2005 11:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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BlueChair
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Post by BlueChair »

In case it's unclear, banning wehitandrun because of his use of a naked woman as his signature is not an act of prudishness by the Spookies or I.

Many people on this forum access it in environments where such nudity is innapropriate, whether it be from work or at home in front of small chlidren.

It is also more to do with his violation of the rules than anything.
selfmademug

Post by selfmademug »

RedShoes wrote: It's really too bad that you had to deal with this, especially on a day like today - but that makes it even more important that you know how much we appreciate it. Thank you for making this forum a lot more friendly - in more ways than one :)
I second, and maybe even third that sentiment. Thanks.
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so lacklustre
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Post by so lacklustre »

Signature Rules
Okay
signed with love and vicious kisses
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Post by laughingcrow »

Thanks to you Dr and Mrs Spooky...

Would it make sense to delete some of the signatures who never appear here after say 6 months...e.g King Of Spain? Just to free up space.

Is it better just to link to images too, rather than post them? I really am not that knowledgable about bandwidth, but doing that would be no probs!
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spooky girlfriend
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Post by spooky girlfriend »

The main thing was, he had two large figures and each time he posted it took up 1/2 of the topic page that anyone was reading. The fact that he was a top poster made it even worse. Someone occasionally posting a pic or a small figure in their signature is not a problem.

And signature space from posters who don't post anymore isn't really a problem. Doc and I have thought about a policy where if you haven't posted in more than a year, maybe deleting accounts, but we haven't decided anything for certain.

The fact is, he broke the rules. And it wasn't his first time. I may have a Mary Poppins attitude about a lot of things, but a prude I am not. The naked picture actually didn't bother me at all - the fact that he posted it as his signature line after I deleted one of his signature images is the problem. I've seen naked breasts - I even have some of my own. But people download this site for things besides naked pics - at work, school, etc. - places where it might be inappropriate on a screen. Having it inside a thread with a message stating it was there would have been different, I suppose, but on a signature line - NO.

And for any of you who saw that pic, I'm convinced it was a frosting of some kind and not a bodily fluid. The consistency was very different. :wink:
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noiseradio
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Post by noiseradio »

I'll be the prude. Don't mind. The nudity was uncalled for in the context of the board, but especially because of the objectification inherent in the picture. Maybe it was icing, but it was meant to suggest the obvious. A woman's body isn't a canvas to be exploited by someone because they're pissed about having rules to follow. As you say, if there was a separate thead with a warning in te title, it might not have mattered. But even then, the picture would have been offensive. Besides, that isn't really what we're about is it? There are thousands of sites people can turn to for naked pictures. One of the thing I like about this site is that we're here for loftier purposes. Explore a chakra above the waist, you know?
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
--William Shakespeare
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migdd
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Post by migdd »

As far as I'm concerned, having WHAR off the board gives us all more time to devote to talking about more fun stuff. . . like Elvis Costello.
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bambooneedle
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Post by bambooneedle »

And he can concentrate on making better donuts.
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migdd
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Post by migdd »

Flying ones, I assume! 8)
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bambooneedle
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Post by bambooneedle »

At $12/hr he'd better make 'em good.
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Post by Mr. Average »

It is an exercise in futility to try to understand how the mind of WHAR actually works. But there is something at the root of all this, and I would hope that we can all agree with that, while at the same time agree that kids his age sould be held accountable for their actions (with the possible exception of Michael Jackson).

Was his stupid signature post a recalcitrant punk response to the administrators call for signature reform, or was it meant as a smug retort to a post made in that particular thread? I wonder, although it makes no difference as to the outcome, which I applaud. But it does have some meaning...

WHAR can learn accountability a number of ways. Banning him from this site probably won't be the catalyst for change. But something, sadly, more tragic will have the effect of, ahem, helping him grow up and absorb accountability.

For what it's worth, and I doubt it if it is worth much, I saw an effort on his part to be a good boy and behave. Certain little triggers (not little trigger pullers) seem to tickle his amygdala and send his limbic system into some sort of feedback loop that escalates until the neurotransmitters run dry. But for whatever it is worth, I saw evidence that he was trying.

But he failed. I agree with all the sentiments, especially as regards to the picture posted in poor taste.

It is an interesting saga...
"The smarter mysteries are hidden in the light" - Jean Giono (1895-1970)
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oily slick
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Post by oily slick »

maybe he's a jerk.
I'm not concerned about the very poor.
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Post by Mr. Average »

Maybe.

Of course, we are all bozo's on this bus. At one time or another in our lives, we have all been jerks. If you haven't, you have lived a very priviledged existence.

And the age of jerkdom for many guys is right around 18 years, is it not?

I am not defending WHAR. But I see him for what he is...a troubled kid without a good grasp on what he needs to do to change. I thnak God for my parentage and good friends. In spite of that, I still found ample time to be a pretty accomplished jerk.

Before you cast the first stone...

Oily, I just think the situation is just a tad more complex then simply ascribing a label and then disposing of the issue. I wonder why. Maybe I shouldn't.

This is not a defense. I genuinely think it is interesting and that there are messages here for many, or any, who care to think about them...
"The smarter mysteries are hidden in the light" - Jean Giono (1895-1970)
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bambooneedle
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Post by bambooneedle »

It's hard to tell where WHAR went wrong in life...
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Post by Gillibeanz »

I didnt see a thing- drat! Ialways miss all the fun! :lol:
COME ON YOU SPURS!!
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Post by verbal gymnastics »

I have never heard the word amygdala before let alone seen it written.

I've either led a sheltered life or move in the wrong circles.

As far as WHAR is concerned, I'd hoped he'd learnt his lesson from the previous ban. In fairness when he came back he was fine for a little while.
Still, if he comes back after his ban he knows that it's 3 strikes and out.

I personally don't have anything against him.
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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spooky girlfriend
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Post by spooky girlfriend »

Neither Doc nor I had anything personal against WHAR either. It's just that if we allow one person to get away with things on the board, we would have to let everyone get away with everything else. Doc says we already have a houseful of kids to discipline, we don't need an electronic one.

Everyone here is responsible for their actions, no matter their age. Maybe he's never had enough discipline in his life - that's why he pulls these stunts. . . . . .but I don't have anything against him. He just still has some things to learn. I'm not a heartless bitch. :)
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