h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It has been suggested in some parts that it would be helpful for volunteers to sign off with helpful signatures... but it's hard on the fingertips, all this typing.

Now, most bulletin boards have an option to define a signature that is automatically assigned to your messages if you tick a box or something. Could this be considered as a possible addition to the system? A little text box in Preferences that allows you to define a short, standard signature and note whether you want it to be appended automatically. When you post there could then be the option to add your signature there too - so if you don't choose the Preference option you can add your signature ad hoc instead.

Seem like an idea? It would obviously benefit all Researchers, too - many of whom already have elaborate signatures.



The Apprentice

Sub-Editor

This would be a great idea! It might also help shrink the size of researcher names and the muddle they can make of the who's online list.

Hmm

I tend to make my signatures post-specific.

I don't sign some posts, I sing others just with a letter B (which is confusing when Master B and I are in the same thread, because we sign in the same way).

If I am posting to someone who doesn't know me I sign 'a girl called Ben'; and in some conversations I do what I am about to do now...

a customiser of signatures called Ben

We have this feature on <./>development-features</.> -
Split Nicknames - Consider splitting nicknames into two fields. One, a short (20 characters?) name, and the other a long (255 characters?) field for adverts, comments, acronyms etc. This would enable us to create layouts that super-long names won't spoil, but those areas where an advert would fit could display both names. It also celebrates the use of names as adverts, a great aspect of h2g2.

Is this the kind of thing you are suggesting?

No, they want sigs to be added to forum posts. This has been suggested before, i can't remember the result though, I think it was "no" because of Spam.

Tango

If someone was going to spam, it'd be easier to do with Notepad and cut&paste.

What the suggestion is, is like myself, I always sign off with a , it used to be a fish, but I really don't like he fish smiley that we have now, so I changed to a rose. It would, I suppose mean an extra bit with the user preferences where each user set up their signature, and each time they write a post to a forum, the signature is added.

If you have the spam msg in a sig you just have to click "post" lots of times.

Tango

So do I say
Hi, the h2g2 Post team now proud to appear in Brunel!
or
Hi, Rose!

Anyway, Hi!

'tis Pastey

> "If you have the spam msg in a sig you just have to click "post" lots of times."

That's all you have to do now. Write a message and then click the "Post Message" button like a demon. Having a spam msg in sig wouldn't make that any easier, at least not currently.

-Martin

> "If you have the spam msg in a sig you just have to click "post" lots of times."

That's all you have to do now. Write a message and then click the "Post Message" button like a demon. Having a spam msg in sig wouldn't make that any easier, at least not currently.

-Martin

> "If you have the spam msg in a sig you just have to click "post" lots of times."

That's all you have to do now. Write a message and then click the "Post Message" button like a demon. Having a spam msg in sig wouldn't make that any easier, at least not currently.

-Martin

I think you've proved your point

So you don't think that having a second part to your name could be used as a kind of signature?

I personally don't think that adding a signature to the bottom of every post would be of any great benefit - a lot of Researchers find it annoying, and I certainly get frustrated at reading the same thing every time I talk to someone on message boards that do have them.

If there was a big demand for this, then we could add it to the to-do list, although it wouldn't be very high priority, and I'd like to see the previous conversation if there was one. *goes to search*

One thing I find REALLY helpful with having the as my signature in conversations is that I can quickly scroll through conversations to see what my previous posts were, it stands out a lot better than looking for the name.

I can see your point, but would it stand out so well if everyone had one?

True, but if everyone had one, then I'd not have one and simply look for the post without one

The primary reason that I raised it is that there has been a call for volunteers to make their presence a little more apparent by putting something like:

The Apprentice
Sub-Editor

- at the end of a post. Now, that might seem like very little to type, but if I'm posting a lot, it's more than enough. It would be worse if I was:

The Apprentice

Sub-Editor
Scout
Guru
Field Researcher

- or whatever. Which obviously I'm not. Well... not obviously, but anyway. I'm not.

So...

I also think it worth clarifying that it would be ideal to have a little tick box under the 'Post to a Conversation' box that says:

[ ] Include Signature

With a checkbox where the [ ] is. The researcher could set in their Preferences whether they want their signature added by default - and this bit under the Post field would be auto-checked if they said 'Yes - default it' in Preferences and not checked if they said 'No - leave it to me'.

So, if Ben wants to add a customised signature - fine. Don't stick it on by default in Preferences. And if Ben gets lazy at the end of the day, there's the option to hit the [ ] Include Signature under a Post and the signature will be included for that Post only.

For those whole like leaving footprints they could choose to have the footprint Smilie as their signature and switch it ON in Preferences. Then if they want to bookmark a thread they just hit reply and Post Message. If they choose to post something they uncheck [ ] Include Signature.

Saves a little finger-tip... I know the skin on the end of mine is beginning to grow a little thin.

The Apprentice

Sub-Editor

Centering on the Sub/Guru/Ace/Etc sign offs, might it be an idea to have them automatic against someones name anyway? Rather then having hte researcher type it in over and over, or even to set it up as a signature, just have the parser put in what volunteer groups the researcher is part of?

It's on the list to think about having volunteers' names in another colour.