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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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”.
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.
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.
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.