# Signing your name
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [June 17, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774 "2004-06-17T01:06:22Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/1 "2004-06-17T01:06:22Z")
Why do some people insist on signing their name, manually, at the end of every post? Are they not aware that their name is displayed in big, blue letters at the top of their post? Do they not know how the automatic signature function works? Or do they intentionally do it to force people to edit it our of replies?
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### Author:  [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/2 "2004-06-17T01:09:32Z")
Is this a great debate? đ
-XT \<----because I like to sign my nameâŚ
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### Author:  [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/3 "2004-06-17T01:16:48Z")
> [@xtisme](#):
>
> Is this a great debate? đ
Yes! You present your reason, then I yell at you for it.
Rawr!
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### Author:  [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/4 "2004-06-17T01:26:29Z")
lol. Well, to be honest, I do it because I come from the older bulletin board era when they didnât have all these fancy controls and suchâŚso its habit. As to why others might do it, I have no idea, though Iâd guess a similar answerâŚlots of older folks on this board.
-XT
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### Author:  [@NotMrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotMrKnowItAll)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/5 "2004-06-17T01:58:13Z")
Well, sometimes our screen name and our real name do not match, and we wish to personalize it beyond our made-up pseudonymâŚadds a human touch.
-David
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### Author:  [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/6 "2004-06-17T02:13:00Z")
> [@NotMrKnowItAll](#):
>
> Well, sometimes our screen name and our real name do not match, and we wish to personalize it beyond our made-up pseudonymâŚadds a human touch.
But why not as a signature through the system that is set up for specifically this purpose and automatically removes it from replies?
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### Author:  [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/7 "2004-06-17T02:25:33Z")
WellâŚI donât really use the auto-reply button in the individual posts either. đ Just call me old fashion. I cut and pasteâŚhell, its only recently Iâve expanded into using the quote and link buttons. You have to step into this technology stuff cautiously Zag⌠đ
Why does it bug you so much btw?
-XT
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### Author:  [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/8 "2004-06-17T02:30:55Z")
> [@xtisme](#):
>
> Why does it bug you so much btw?
Becuase I have to delete it every time I reply. It is just one of those little annoying things. đ
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### Author:  [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/9 "2004-06-17T10:58:42Z")
**Moderatorâs Note:** HmmmâŚNot much of a flame at the start, and itâs not really about the _administration_ of the SDMB, but it does seem to be a complaint about other peopleâs behavior on the boards.
Off to the Pit it goes.
MEBuckner
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/10 "2004-06-17T11:04:08Z")
Probably a hold-over from Usenet where that was a standard, at least back when I posted there. Also, some posts get long enough that the posterâs name scrolls off the top of the screen by the time you get to the end, and in those cases itâs nice as a reminder.
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### Author:  [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/11 "2004-06-17T13:55:51Z")
Some people sign with their own name, others with the celebrity they have just as much common sense as.
Love
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### Author:  [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/12 "2004-06-17T15:41:50Z")
Luckily, I never sign my name to postsâŚ
Who
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### Author:  [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/13 "2004-06-17T16:05:32Z")
Back when I was doig the Welcome Wagon threads, I mocked every newbie who put their screen name at the end of their posts. Why did it bug me? I dunno, just a pet peeve. Didnât stop anyone from doing it, of course. So now, I just live with it, secure in the knowledge that while Iâm an enormously self-centered egomaniac, at least I donât feel the need to put my name on stuff twice. đ
- CF
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/14 "2004-06-17T16:13:16Z")
What really irritates me is when some dumb-shit posts an OP like this in GD-- especially when the guy has been around for several years-- forcing someone to report it to a moderator so it can be moved to the Pit. đ
âJohn Mace
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/15 "2004-06-17T16:35:31Z")
> [@NotMrKnowItAll](#):
>
> ⌠adds a human touch.
>
> > [@Zagadka](#):
> >
> > But why not as a signature through the system that is set up for specifically this purpose and automatically removes it from replies?
Huh. An automated process to remove a human touch. Very Kurt Vonnegut.
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### Author:  [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/16 "2004-06-17T19:35:08Z")
Hi, my name is Debaser.
-Debaser
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### Author:  [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/17 "2004-06-17T19:57:28Z")
I always find it rather amusing when people sign their names with âRegardsâ or âEnjoyâ. Obviously theyâre doing it for themselves, which is really, wellâŚa bit sad. But as I said in the other thread, if it makes you feel better about yourself then thatâs super for you. đ
As for the whole âsignatureâ thing, I too attribute it to habit rather than pretention (as above). Personally, I only âsignâ my name when I write a post which is personal and directed towards a single person. E.g., âSorry your poodle got run over by a car. â leanderâ
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/18 "2004-06-17T20:00:00Z")
> [@Debaser](#):
>
> Hi, my name is Debaser.
>
> -Debaser
Itâs a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir.
âJohn
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### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/19 "2004-06-17T20:02:06Z")
You know, the OP is right. Only an asshole would do something like that.
Regards,
Shodan
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### Author:  [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-name/250774/20 "2004-06-17T20:20:05Z")
What a fucking whiner.
Sam
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