# You know your username goes at the top of every post, right? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 22, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255 "2011-02-22T18:14:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/61 "2011-02-23T06:32:04Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > This is the thing that baffles me the most. We’ve already got a way to attach a “signature” to each post, and in a way which allows the reader to determine whether that signature adds to the noise level of the board or not… and yet some posters insist on circumventing that nice, clean system so that we are forced to read that they, in fact, posted that message. > > I really don’t understand why the mods have never enforced using signatures instead of signing posts. Because we have a rule that says you can only sign one post per thread. And that rule exists because people tend to put way too much crap in their signature. A name and a line doesn’t add too much at all, but that’s not what signatures are usually used for. (I don’t think I’ve seen a signature that doesn’t have a quote.) The thing is that you guys really don’t seem to get what the signature field is actually for. It’s long since not being used as a place to put your signature. It’s usually used either to advertise, or, as mentioned above, to include a quote that you think is particularly good. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/62 "2011-02-23T06:34:06Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Because we have a rule that says you can only sign one post per thread. And that rule exists because people tend to put way too much crap in their signature. Then that is a ridiculous rule. A line at the end of the post adds crap you \*can’t avoid. \*A signature adds crap you can _choose to turn off._ ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/63 "2011-02-23T06:59:44Z")
> [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](#): > > Why does this issue seem to bother people so much? I mean, I couldn’t think of anything I’m less bothered about if I tried. I don’t understand why it seems to incite so much ire in posters here. Why do I find it infuriating when people list songs title-author rather than author-title? I don’t know. People just have weird buttons that others innocently push, and more of them are anti-sign off than those of us who hate people who list song titles first. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/64 "2011-02-23T07:16:04Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > What annoys me more is the edit note. I don’t need to know someone edited their own post, and I sure as hell don’t need to know why. I never mention _why_ I edit … I’m afraid the extra time wasted would cause me to miss the 5-minute window. :smack: Best always and thanks for all the fish, **septimus** ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/65 "2011-02-23T07:20:08Z")
A sign-off breaks up the flow of a thread. It feels like I’m constantly tripping over something or snagging my sock on that nail that is sticking out of the floorboards. Another advantage of signature fields is that even when they can’t be hidden, they’re usually visually set apart from the rest of the post, so my brain can just sort of spot them ahead of time and mentally edit them out without me actually reading them. A sign-off doesn’t stand out from the rest of the post so much, and so I’m constantly bumping into them at the end of posts and reading them unintentionally. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/66 "2011-02-23T08:05:27Z")
I think they’re mildly annoying, and a serious throwback to Usenet. Seriously, are they posting from 1993 or something? On the SomethingAwful forums people who sign their posts would get a new asshole ripped into them for it. The only signature I found really annoying (and thankfully he doesn’t post anymore) was Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/67 "2011-02-23T08:22:00Z")
˙uʍop ǝpısdn buıʇıɹʍ ʇou ǝɹ,ǝʍ ʇsɐǝן ʇɐ -HC ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/68 "2011-02-23T08:27:49Z")
On the subject of the edit notes, I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen on other boards that there’s sometimes a very small window where you can edit your post without an edit note being applied. Apparently, there’s an elusive sweet spot where there is time to fix a typo, but not enough time for intellectual dishonesty. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/69 "2011-02-23T08:38:53Z")
Wow! Okay, I honestly never thought that putting my name at the bottom of a post would bend folks out of shape _at all_, let alone the reasons why (as stated above). People getting “new assholes” on other boards for something as innocent as _that_??? Does my posting style otherwise (the double spacing between paragraphs) bother y’all too? Has this ever been put to a vote by the admins/mods and made a part of “posting etiquette”? Not being obtuse, nor am I upset. I just don’t get it, I reckon. What if I ended my posts/threads like this: “Thanks Q”. All on one line. Would that be acceptable to you? Probably not, huh? You just don’t like a signature in a post, period, right? Sorry, but until it is an official rule to not end one’s posts with one’s name, I’ll continue to do so. It’s my style. It’s “poetic license”. Thanks Q ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/70 "2011-02-23T09:12:54Z")
Fine. Then we know the reason is that you intentionally want to annoy other posters. I think I’ll go cool off now… ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/71 "2011-02-23T09:26:31Z")
The problem isnt signing posts as such, its that it very rarely fits the text, and as such just looks jarring and out of place. Instead of wondering about what was said, you are wondering what the fuck “Regards” has to do with anything, or why the somebody didnt see the letters mmm sitting there when the post was previewed. But “regards” isnt the dumbest one, oh no… "You are a fucking moron, your mother struggles with vegtables and your pets are all sucking each others dicks by the pool. Enjoy, Steven". Actually, that one does fit, but you get the idea. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/72 "2011-02-23T09:32:33Z")
I have to admit, it bothers me from the posters I don’t like and I don’t notice it from the posters I do like. Quasi is one of my favorite posters and can do no wrong in my book. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/73 "2011-02-23T10:12:29Z")
The only time it bothers me is when I read Mean Mr Mustard’s “mmm” as a comment, rather than a sig. It just seems like a speculative “Hmm”. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/74 "2011-02-23T11:09:05Z")
OK, until the nonsense stops, I will now end all my posts with: PLEASE USE THE F_CKING SIG FIELD FOR SIGNING YOUR POSTS! Regards, thanks, hmm, enjoy, f_ck you. M.B. ---
**Author:** ![xoferew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/e9a140/32.png) [@xoferew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xoferew)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/75 "2011-02-23T11:12:27Z")
I only just now realized that “mmm” is a sign-off! I think I skimmed it as “nm” for “never mind” all this time. Like he was always editing out some vitriolic stuff he thought better of immediately after. I often don’t look at usernames when reading through posts, and then sometimes I finish reading the post and want to know who it was, and if it’s a long post I have to scroll up. Poor me, right? So it can add a tiny droplet of convenience to have a name at the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![ColdPhoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@ColdPhoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColdPhoenix)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/76 "2011-02-23T11:13:39Z")
I barely notice it now but when I do it’s vaguely annoying. It’s attention seeking and forces people who don’t want to see it. What I don’t understand is why they do it. Can anyone enlighten me? Why not put it in the sig field? ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/77 "2011-02-23T14:13:17Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > […] > > Valete, > Vox Imperatoris Dammit. That was going to be my signature in this thread. /Panurge ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/78 "2011-02-23T14:18:17Z")
[runs hand through hair] Pshaw! Too slow. Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/79 "2011-02-23T14:23:15Z")
Well. At least I still get to take another favorite of mine … > [@the lone cashew](#): > > […] > love, > **yams!!** Dammit. /P ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255/80 "2011-02-23T14:30:25Z")
> [@ColdPhoenix](#): > > It’s attention seeking and forces people who don’t want to see it. > > What I don’t understand is why they do it. Can anyone enlighten me?? I have it on good authority that they do it mainly to seek attention and force people who don’t want to see it. And because the board, for some reason, thusfar allows them to get away with it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-your-username-goes-at-the-top-of-every-post-right/572255.md?page=5)