# A question about sigs **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 29, 2015, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050 "2015-10-29T03:08:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/1 "2015-10-29T03:08:01Z")
brushing up on the rules and came across the FAQ about signatures. In there it seems to say that only members (not guests) can have “profile signatures”. When I look at my cp, I see an option for a signature. Have the rules changed in that regard? Are guest profiles now allowed to have signatures? I’ve been playing with the option in my profile for a couple of days but have no idea if it actually works or not since I was always under the impression that they were reserved for member profiles. by signature I don’t mean a simple sign off at the end of a post like Yours Truly guestchaz ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/2 "2015-10-29T03:41:31Z")
Your OP above seems to have one. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/3 "2015-10-29T14:41:22Z")
I know, it’s spooky right. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/4 "2015-10-30T02:50:00Z")
well, I guess that answers my question. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/5 "2015-10-30T05:13:53Z")
[It’s a long story](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=700669). The short version is that they work fine for guests and there’s no rule against using them, despite the rule against using them. Hope that clears things up. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/6 "2015-10-30T12:55:50Z")
Sig test ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/7 "2015-10-30T12:57:05Z")
try again :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/8 "2015-10-30T13:20:28Z")
The trick is to get a sig that has the potential to be ironic depending on the nastiness of the body of the post. Regards, Leo ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/9 "2015-10-30T13:29:49Z")
> [@Crazyhorse](#): > > [It’s a long story](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=700669)… An amusing thread. I notice I made a funny with the same materials there too. I gotta get new material. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/10 "2015-10-30T14:32:08Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > The trick is to get a sig that has the potential to be ironic depending on the nastiness of the body of the post. > > Regards, > Leo Jesus, get over it. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/11 "2015-10-30T14:36:42Z")
> [@guestchaz](#): > > brushing up on the rules and came across the FAQ about signatures. In there it seems to say that only members (not guests) can have “profile signatures”. When I look at my cp, I see an option for a signature. > > Have the rules changed in that regard? Are guest profiles now allowed to have signatures? I’ve been playing with the option in my profile for a couple of days but have no idea if it actually works or not since I was always under the impression that they were reserved for member profiles. by signature I don’t mean a simple sign off at the end of a post like > > Yours Truly > > guestchaz Distilling the [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=700669) cited by **Crazyhorse** , Ed Zotti temporarily re-enabled non-paying guest access to profile signatures because guests who had been using them wanted to retrieve the signature text for use as a “manual signature”. Fairly gracious, really, IMHO. “temporarily re-enabled” became “temporarily for the last two years”. Don’t know specifically why Ed et al. didn’t follow through and turn profile signatures back off in VBulletin. I can speculate by saying in his place, my reason would have been forgetting to do it. I’m no moderator, but my conclusion reading the rules and that earlier thread, in light of the technical _status quo_, is that as a guest you can have a profile signature, but you may not use it. And the “can” part is subject to termination, potentially without further notice, because Ed gave ample notice two years ago. This happens a lot in software-user relations: just because a software system permits you to do something, doesn’t mean that the overall system (including Terms of Service and other assorted rule-mongering) allows you to do something. See also “[exploiting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploit_%28video_gaming%29)” in an online computer game context. ---
**Author:** ![donkeyoatey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@donkeyoatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donkeyoatey)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/12 "2015-10-30T18:02:06Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > The trick is to get a sig that has the potential to be ironic depending on the nastiness of the body of the post. > > Regards, > Leo I hear you. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/13 "2015-10-30T22:03:57Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Distilling the [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=700669) cited by **Crazyhorse** , Ed Zotti temporarily re-enabled non-paying guest access to profile signatures because guests who had been using them wanted to retrieve the signature text for use as a “manual signature”. Fairly gracious, really, IMHO. > > “temporarily re-enabled” became “temporarily for the last two years”. Don’t know specifically why Ed et al. didn’t follow through and turn profile signatures back off in VBulletin. I can speculate by saying in his place, my reason would have been forgetting to do it. > > I’m no moderator, but my conclusion reading the rules and that earlier thread, in light of the technical _status quo_, is that as a guest you can have a profile signature, but you may not use it. > > And the “can” part is subject to termination, potentially without further notice, because Ed gave ample notice two years ago. > > This happens a lot in software-user relations: just because a software system permits you to do something, doesn’t mean that the overall system (including Terms of Service and other assorted rule-mongering) allows you to do something. See also “[exploiting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploit_%28video_gaming%29)” in an online computer game context. Nah, it’s a lot simpler than all that. The actual change to sigs was made in 2010 not the 2013 thread I linked to about it. At the time TPTB were looking at all kinds of ways they could monetize the various features of the board. Ed turned them off for guests but a bunch of people complained that they were going to lose their copyrighted creative works (their sigs) so he graciously, I agree, turned them back on for an undefined period of time so they could copy them somewhere. I don’t think he forgot about it later in the sense you mean. I think over the years since, the idea has been shelved because on today’s internet it would be really very silly to try to charge people for signatures. What was forgotten was to update the text that still indicates it’s a pay feature. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/14 "2015-10-31T00:17:35Z")
It would be nice if the stated rules and the board functionality were in agreement. Pending Ed turning off sigs for guests, I would suggest not trying to enforce that rule. It just feels wrong. If you don’t want it, don’t make it possible. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/15 "2015-10-31T04:55:40Z")
so, okay, messing around with the signature, I notice that if I change it for a new post, it changes the sig on all of my previous posts globally across the board. That seems counter intuitive to me. I would think that a post, once posted, would be pretty much locked in as is. Is that an unexpected feature/bug or something built into the software on purpose? Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/16 "2015-10-31T05:23:47Z")
I have updated the FAQ to reflect the signature rules as currently enforced: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7697069#post7697069](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7697069#post7697069) If you believe that any other changes need to be made, please let me know. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/17 "2015-10-31T05:24:05Z")
It’s a feature. The signature is not recorded as text in your post. It is a field appended to the post. What gets appended is whatever is stored in the database under your sig. So you change your sig, that changes the stored data. Whenever the post is accessed, it pulls up the stored data for the content of the post, and then reads that you appended your sig, so it pulls your stored sig from it’s database. Just like your username is not stored in the post data, it is stored as a header call that goes to your user file. If you change your username, it will retroactively be your username in all your previous posts, too. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/18 "2015-10-31T05:25:18Z")
> [@guestchaz](#): > > so, okay, messing around with the signature, I notice that if I change it for a new post, it changes the sig on all of my previous posts globally across the board. That seems counter intuitive to me. I would think that a post, once posted, would be pretty much locked in as is. Is that an unexpected feature/bug or something built into the software on purpose? Anyone know? That is built into vBulletin on purpose. Similarly, if you change your user name, it changes on all previous posts as well. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/19 "2015-10-31T05:25:35Z")
Thanks, **engineer\_comp\_geek**. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050/20 "2015-10-31T15:41:19Z")
Irishman and engineer\_comp\_geek, thanks both of you, makes sense now. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-sigs/736050.md?page=2)