Signature Length

[Roxie Faye]

[color=#9933ff]Well I just wasted 30 minutes trying to condense my signature in every way possible while still being readable and having it fit under the 500 character limit, and I still didn't get everything to fit in. (I just wanted to add one freaking line to it)

This isn't the first time I've had problems with the limit, either. A couple times before I've spent around 20 minutes trying to condense a signature to fit into this character length. (Case in point: I specifically remember fiddling around with the AHB advertisement to fit in the description and the banner. I think I ended up condensing the actual file name to be within the 500 character limit.).

To be honest, I don't really remember signatures being out of control, even when there was no character limit (well, there was a 300 character limit a while back but at least on my machine it never worked).

I'm not asking for something crazy like 1000 characters (that's approx. twice my current length), but perhaps something around 600-750 characters to allow for just a little extra.

I'd also like to point out that ultimately, whether you make the character limit 200 or 1000, there will always be someone to go around making their signatures the longest things in existence by putting every word on a different line. Generally we have good members with common sense, so I don't see the harm in loosening the character length a little bit.

I'm sure to some of you, especially moderators and admins, it seems a little ludacris to be getting worked up by a character length on a message board, but it is important to me, and besides, on the flip side of the coin, isn't imposing a 500 character restriction for signatures getting worked up over them, too? ^_^



P.S.: Oh, and by the way, just to let you know, the restriction doesn't even work right. According to TWO outside sources that I used, I'm at 538 characters as of this moment. At one point when I finally fit in everything I wanted to, I was at 498 and it kept telling me that I was 500 characters. Evil I say, evil! >< [/color]

[Goodbye, Face]

Reading this, I can't help but think back to 2001 where everyone's sig had pointless nonsense and club lists that went on for entire feet. 600 characters isn't going to bring it any closer to that, so I'm all for it, even though I probably would never use the space.

[Morpheus]

One thing I'd really like for the Edit Signature page is a real-time counter. It would make the page a lot more efficient.

[Doc]

[font=Century Gothic][size=1][color=DarkSlateGray]I know my opinion won't change anything, but I wish the limit was just a little longer. I mean, I know my current sig isn't 500 characters, but with the banner and the formatting, theres alot of space I don't get to use to display the message I wish to. I had only wished to include another part of a verse from the song mentioned in my sig, because it does have a message I wish displayed. I mean, without truely condencing each word to abreviations.

Also, I had actually resorted to counting the characters at one point. I'm not trying to complain, but I think that a minor boost in the limit, and a counter would both be welcomed features/upgrades. And, as I believe Roxie said, some members can be idiots, but most of us have commen sence, and the ability to make some decent, space saving decisions.
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[Boo]

[color=gray][size=1]As far as I know, vB code -or anything between the codes- is not counted with the ammount of characters. This should not have any effect on the ammount of text you want in your banner.

As for the 600 characters idea, I wouldn't care. The past few months I only had a banner and either a quote or a link in my signature. I'm still alive![/size][/color]

[Doc]

[QUOTE=Boo][color=gray][size=1]As far as I know, vB code -or anything between the codes- is not counted with the ammount of characters. This should not have any effect on the ammount of text you want in your banner.

As for the 600 characters idea, I wouldn't care. The past few months I only had a banner and either a quote or a link in my signature. I'm still alive![/size][/color][/QUOTE]
[font=Century Gothic][size=1][color=DarkSlateGray]Are you serious? Well, if someone such as James says this too, I shall just delete this and my previous post, for they would be useless attempts, which inturn would also contain wrong information. ^_^[/color][/size][/font]

[Roxie Faye]

[color=#9933ff]If VB code isn't counted, the signature thing still isn't working right because along with not being able to fit everything in, that's also the problem. To get everything I wanted in at 498 characters I abbreviated half my words, took out all the "enter" characters and then had to finally delete all the formatting... and it still didn't even work, so I went back to what's in there now, which, as I've said, is 538 characters. *laughs* [/color]

[Boo]

[color=gray][size=1]Do you realize that that's probably with vB included? The text you now have in your signature is just 490 characters. The vBcode is around 40-50 characters. Coinsidence? I think not, but an admin may tell. [/color][/size]

[Retribution]

[SIZE=1]Not to be mean or anything... but why do you need to add in a whole 'nother verse to your signature? Another verse that no one will read, and it'll just sit there festering?

I think 500 is fine... and I have trouble imagining what you'd put there. I mean, I was on a site with a 50 character limit, and I managed. **shrug**[/SIZE]

[Doc]

[QUOTE=Retribution][size=1]Not to be mean or anything... but why do you need to add in a whole 'nother verse to your signature? Another verse that no one will read, and it'll just sit there festering?

I think 500 is fine... and I have trouble imagining what you'd put there. I mean, I was on a site with a 50 character limit, and I managed. **shrug**[/size][/QUOTE]
[font=Century Gothic][size=1][color=DarkSlateGray]I don't [b]need[/b] too. I was only complaining because of a message I was trying to get across. I'm more than happy not having the other "part" of the verse. It was only 1 line. Meh, I just think that some people do have some interesting things to say, and sometimes the limit does hinder that.

Also, I read almost any and all signatures I come across here. Yet that's a habit. I can do without a signature, if needed, and would survive, but since I have the privelige to have one, I think that the 500 limit should be coushined a little because of the ammount of VB code added.[/color][/size][/font]

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]
I thought I'd like to make a point. Just re-read Roxie's post as I quoted underneath, and notice my editing of it.[/size]

[QUOTE=MistressRoxie][color=#9933ff]Well I just wasted 30 minutes trying to condense my signature in every way possible while still being readable and having it fit under the 750 character limit, and I still didn't get everything to fit in. (I just wanted to add one freaking line to it)

This isn't the first time I've had problems with the limit, either. A couple times before I've spent around 20 minutes trying to condense a signature to fit into this character length. (Case in point: I specifically remember fiddling around with the AHB advertisement to fit in the description and the banner. I think I ended up condensing the actual file name to be within the 750 character limit.).

To be honest, I don't really remember signatures being out of control, even when there was no character limit (well, there was a 300 character limit a while back but at least on my machine it never worked).

I'm not asking for something crazy like 1500 characters (that's approx. twice my current length), but perhaps something around 900-1100 characters to allow for just a little extra.

I'd also like to point out that ultimately, whether you make the character limit 200 or 1000, there will always be someone to go around making their signatures the longest things in existence by putting every word on a different line. Generally we have good members with common sense, so I don't see the harm in loosening the character length a little bit.

I'm sure to some of you, especially moderators and admins, it seems a little ludacris to be getting worked up by a character length on a message board, but it is important to me, and besides, on the flip side of the coin, isn't imposing a 750 character restriction for signatures getting worked up over them, too? ^_^



P.S.: Oh, and by the way, just to let you know, the restriction doesn't even work right. According to TWO outside sources that I used, I'm at 798 characters as of this moment. At one point when I finally fit in everything I wanted to, I was at 748 and it kept telling me that I was 750 characters. Evil I say, evil! >< [/color][/QUOTE]

[Kamuro]

[SIZE=1]lol, I love Baron. To tell you the truth I really don't have a problem with the character limit. 500 is plenty really. As you can see there is an image, 4 formatted links, a quote, and a thanks to Revue. This is more then enough and although it's not all needed, I found the limit to be perfectly fine for anything you might have in mind. Now if your link is extensively long with a high amount of characters you don't really need then I can see where you're having problems, but is that really OB's fault? or OB's problem for that matter? I'm sure James is busy enough without having to waste his time formatting the site's signature spacing for a couple extra characters.[/SIZE]

[Roxie Faye]

[color=#9933ff]Boo - really? *checks* You're absolutely right. I do clearly remember changing the file name of that banner, so I always assumed it was to fit the character limit. Hmm... I swear to God that VB code counted. merferfle. *goes temporarily mad and then recovers* :/

Baron - You obviously don't know me at all because that's incredibly absurd. I've never exceeded 1000 characters in a signature. Ever. Not once. The longest I remember having a signature was probably around 760. And I either cut something out or made all of it a size one so it wouldn't take up space. (I remember doing that with my "sirius black fan club" too - making it size one. I was also still unhappy that it looked quite bulky). Everything up to the end of this sentence is 846 characters, which, if you were going to put it in a signature, is long enough, don't you think?

There is a big difference between 500 characters and 1000 characters (or 750, whatever), Baron. It's unfair to compare the two; it's rather like comparing KB (or to be more fair, even a MB) to GB in terms of space, and you know it.

I honestly don't understand what you all have against raising the character limit. If I recall correctly, back in the depths of Otakuboards when the limit was first introduced, it was to reduce the overall length, i.e., in pixels, that a signature takes up. As an example, if you take screenshots of Baron's signature and my signature, his is longer because he has a banner in it, but he stays within the character limit for the sheer fact that he's got an image. I know this next sentence is overly dramatic but it's the only comparison I could think of: it's almost like you're punishing me because I want to put words in, instead of an image. And to me, that's incredibly unfair.

Edit: And Kamuro, I'm not wasting James' time, either. No, I don't own a VB, but it's safe to say that all you have to do is browse through the Admin panel to find the options for signatures, delete "5" and type in "6". As of today, I understand he's been busy with myOtaku and big structural changes with Otakuboards. Changing the character limit isn't even close to making a dozen new skins or a hack, and I'm not asking for either of those, jeeze. :/[/color]

[Annie]

[QUOTE=MistressRoxie][color=#9933ff]
If I recall correctly, back in the depths of Otakuboards when the limit was first introduced, it was to reduce the overall length, i.e., in pixels, that a signature takes up. As an example, if you take screenshots of Baron's signature and my signature, his is longer because he has a banner in it, but he stays within the character limit for the sheer fact that he's got an image. I know this next sentence is overly dramatic but it's the only comparison I could think of: it's almost like you're punishing me because I want to put words in, instead of an image. And to me, that's incredibly unfair.[/color][/QUOTE]

[font=tahoma]I honestly tried to keep away from this thread, but I am inclined to comment on this paragraph.

Firstly, I can vouche for the reduction in character length in signatures. I modded for another site, and basically helped the admin with several situations. Signature length was one, and the most troublesome. With a large limit/or none at all, signatures would take up [i]so[/i] much space, you couldn't tell where the member's post began and ended. It's simply a matter of taking up too much space on a page. It was all sig, and little posts. Even if a member wrote a legit post, their sig would take up too much space, and limit how many posts were on a single page. It was irritating, cluttered, and very hard to give a wave of attention.

Secondly, no one is punishing you. Baron's sig doesn't look any larger than yours. His looks clean, clear, and under control for the sheer fact that he uses images, rather than a sonet of words. Yours takes up more space for the fact that it actually does. An image doesn't exeed the limit based on pixels..well, sort of, but that's a whole other story. But for this case, the banner's coding is counted by the character's it uses to make up the url. What is your problem? Banners/images use characters, and are limited to characters just like the characters in sigs cmposed of lyrics/sentences/etc. are.

The rules are there for a good reason [refer to my first paragraph]. If you want to add more things to your sig, you have to either simplify or sacrafice.[/font]

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]Roxie darling, I wasn't saying that you would want a 1000 character limit. What I [b]was[/b] doing was manipulating your post to show how it all depends on where you're coming from as to what is restrictive. As long as there is a limit, there will always be a situation where it's not quite enough, and people will want more space so they can just fit in those last few words. As I said, I wasn't having a go at you, I was showing you another point of view.[/size]

[James]

[color=#332e1d][font=franklin gothic medium]Signature length is a very tricky subject. Even with 500 characters, people can still make pretty large signatures by spacing things out.

At the end of the day we'll never be able to completely stop that by controlling images and characters alone. The only way to really stop it is to kill signatures entirely, which I don't want to do.

500 characters is really a compromise. It lets you have [i]something[/i] reasonable in your signature, without going overboard.

However, I do recognize that this version of OtakuBoards does interpret vB code as being part of the overall character count. Therefore, even with fewer letters/words, lots of colour/font/URL formatting will reduce the overall amount of content that one can have in a signature.

I am not inclined to raise the limit much at this point, but I will bump it up by another 100 characters for now. That should provide you with some more space for entering vB code, while still having reasonable space for actual visible content. So as of now, the character limit is [b]600 characters[/b].[/font][/color]

[Roxie Faye]

[color=#9933ff]*huggles him to death and glomps James indefinitely* YAY! I luffs teh Jamesy. ^__^ That's all I was asking for, really. *dances like a ninny* ^______^ Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! *does a pierouette and hops away like a child because she's just that strange*[/color]

[Doc]

[font=Century Gothic][size=1][color=DarkSlateGray]Thank you James. ^_^ I know it will be appretiated by many. Yet, if you could figure out how to make it that the VB code doesn't count, 500 would be an awesome limit. But since it does, 600 is amazing. Thank you, sir.
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