# Why isn't my .sig appearing in posts? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 23, 2001, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-sig-appearing-in-posts/62926 "2001-04-23T00:05:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2001, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-sig-appearing-in-posts/62926/1 "2001-04-23T00:05:49Z")
I never put anything in my .sig before, but yesterday I decided to put the World’s Funniest Joke in my profile. But it does not appear in my posts. What is going on? ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2001, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-sig-appearing-in-posts/62926/2 "2001-04-23T00:18:43Z")
Make sure you check the “Show Signature” box below the message when you post. And it DOES work retroactively, but only to posts where you checked that box before hitting submit. So, seeing as you didn’t before, it doesn’t appear on old posts, but it will on new ones when you check the box. Can’t make it any easier than this. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2001, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-sig-appearing-in-posts/62926/3 "2001-04-23T00:28:42Z")
Ah. I never look at those checkboxes, I guess I should have. I presume this is a setting that sticks, once you turn it on it stays on. No need to tell me if this is so, I’ll see it in action soon enough. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2001, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-sig-appearing-in-posts/62926/4 "2001-04-23T00:33:22Z")
Gonna tell you anyway: you need to check it everytime you post to make it appear in THAT post. And I don’t get your joke. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2001, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-sig-appearing-in-posts/62926/5 "2001-04-23T01:32:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > \*\*Gonna tell you anyway: you need to check it everytime you post to make it appear in THAT post. > > And I don’t get your joke. \*\* I thuooght thees juke-a ves bunned und boorreeed in 1950 by zee Genefa Cunfenshun? Dues thees meun thet Culdffure-a veell noo hefe-a tu bun Ches.I? Vhet iff sumeune-a gets zee juke-a? Bork, bork, buum! ---
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2001, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-sig-appearing-in-posts/62926/6 "2001-04-23T02:06:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > \*\*Gonna tell you anyway: you need to check it everytime you post to make it appear in THAT post. > > And I don’t get your joke. \*\* Yeah, I discovered that by now. And that’s a damn stupid thing, this sort of setting should be persistent, or at least something that can be set permanently in preferences. Hmm… I just noticed that this isn’t even persistent after a preview, now that is really bad programming. You ought to have a word with the developers. And while you’re at it, tell them that Oracle is offering a $1mil bet that they can make your website’s database 3x faster. As far as The Joke, I am opposed to explaining jokes, it kills the humor. Read it in context at: [http://www.montypython.net/scripts/funniest.php3](http://www.montypython.net/scripts/funniest.php3) Don’t people remember this stuff anymore? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2001, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-sig-appearing-in-posts/62926/7 "2001-04-23T03:28:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chas.E \* > Don’t people remember this stuff anymore? I thought Coldfire was playing along with the joke by stating “And I don’t get your joke.” ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2001, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-sig-appearing-in-posts/62926/8 "2001-04-23T09:15:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chas.E \* > **And that’s a damn stupid thing, this sort of setting should be persistent, or at least something that can be set permanently in preferences. Hmm… I just noticed that this isn’t even persistent after a preview, now that is really bad programming. You ought to have a word with the developers.** I don’t think we will. I’m sure it’s possible to follow any or all of the scenarios you suggested, but think of it this way: sigs are a burden to our server. It’s OK to have one and use it, but preferably just once per thread. Also, sigs should be no longer than about 4 lines. If we let users display their sigs at all times (e.g. by means of a preferences checkbox), it would mean an extra workload for our server for every pageview request. That’s why we’ve chosen the path of most resistance in this case: we’d rather you forget it every now and then - as opposed to having it show up under every damn post without choice. Well, WITH choice, but you get the idea. Muffin, I wish I could claim humour in this case. But as it is, all I can do is slap myself for missing a Python reference. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2001, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-sig-appearing-in-posts/62926/9 "2001-04-23T17:21:06Z")
Well, okay, as long as it’s with a fish and you’re wearing _lederhosen_. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2001, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-sig-appearing-in-posts/62926/10 "2001-04-24T00:48:26Z")
**The Fishy-Slappy Dance!** Hah! See, I can still do it. 😃