I hate to come across as a grumpy old man (I'm not THAT old), but I was just wondering whether some companies, who produce PFRPG supportive material, have been given express clearance to post signatures (promoting their companies) with their every post?
It has been posted several times that this is something you guys generally frown upon and the FAQ states:
Why can't I include a signature with my posts?
We're trying to keep the appearance of our messageboards as clean and streamlined as possible. Signatures that get repeated over and over on a page detract from the main conversation, and we'd prefer that you not manually insert them into your messages.
It's not that I don't want these companies to grow and thrive, but if this is a rule for regular posters, shouldn't it be a rule for companies too?
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There's nothing stopping you putting a footnote in your posts.
Post away.
But thanks to the 'no sigs options', you have to remember to do so every time. So it's likely that you'll;
a) keep it short;
b) keep it relevant;
c) get really sick of doing so, which should give you a hint that everyone else got sick of seeing it a long time ago.
There's nothing wrong with one line, enclosing a link to a company website.
The problem sigs are the ones with the automatic, mindless repetition of fifty lines of dialogue from some craptastic film or series that no-one but the poster cares about.
There's nothing stopping you putting a footnote in your posts.
Post away.
But thanks to the 'no sigs options', you have to remember to do so every time. So it's likely that you'll;
a) keep it short;
b) keep it relevant;
c) get really sick of doing so, which should give you a hint that everyone else got sick of seeing it a long time ago.There's nothing wrong with one line, enclosing a link to a company website.
The problem sigs are the ones with the automatic, mindless repetition of fifty lines of dialogue from some craptastic film or series that no-one but the poster cares about.
Actually, I'm not looking for permission to put signatures in my own posts (I dislike them as much as most people here have expressed in earlier threads). I'm just curious whether these companies have been given permission to do something that has been mentioned several times runs contrary to the express wishes of Paizo (and is even mentioned in the FAQ).
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Personally, as long as it's only a brief one or two line thing, I don't mind at all. In fact, I sometimes find it useful as a reminder that the poster is speaking as a representative of that particular publisher, especially if there's a link to the site. For example, here is the kind of tag line that I think is appropriate, unobtrusive, and useful:
-- Bob Smith,
XYZ Game Company
Personally, as long as it's only a brief one or two line thing, I don't mind at all. In fact, I sometimes find it useful as a reminder that the poster is speaking as a representative of that particular publisher, especially if there's a link to the site. For example, here is the kind of tag line that I think is appropriate, unobtrusive, and useful:
-- Bob Smith,
XYZ Game Company
On the other hand, the same can be accomplished much more unobtrusively with an "official" company profile or alias and the link to your company in your profile description.
Especially when it's not all that unobtrusive when it's in bold, slightly stylized and appears numerous times in a thread that you're replying to (even in an "official" capacity).And again, it also goes back to the question whether this is okay for a company to do so when Paizo several times have asked people not to do so.
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On the other hand, the same can be accomplished much more unobtrusively with an "official" company profile or alias and the link to your company in your profile description.
Hmm, good point. Sometimes I forget to look at user names though. Maybe use the Official Company Alias idea in general, and only use the tag line in threads that are explicitly about XYZ company's products?
Senior Software Developer
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Personally I'd prefer if nobody ever manually included a signature in their posts, including 3rd party publishers, Paizo staff, secretaries-general of the United Nations or ambassadors from another solar system. But that's just me, and others here may have a different opinion. We'll talk about it.
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Chief Technical Officer
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...thanks to the 'no sigs options', you have to remember to do so every time. So it's likely that you'll;
a) keep it short;
b) keep it relevant;
c) get really sick of doing so, which should give you a hint that everyone else got sick of seeing it a long time ago.There's nothing wrong with one line, enclosing a link to a company website.
That.
One option we do allow publishers—upon request—is a parenthetical messageboard title after their name. However, we do have know they're legit; they have to agree to use their full real name, and they have to provide a reasonably informative job title. Take, for example, Wolfgang Baur, whose title is "Publisher, Kobold Quarterly", or Hyrum Savage, "Minister of Propaganda, Super Genius Games."
Any legit publishers who wish to have that set up may e-mail me.
Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line?
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Director of Sales
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Personally I'd prefer if nobody ever manually included a signature in their posts, including 3rd party publishers, Paizo staff, secretaries-general of the United Nations or ambassadors from another solar system. But that's just me, and others here may have a different opinion. We'll talk about it.
I agree completely!
Thanks,
cos
Personally I'd prefer if nobody ever manually included a signature in their posts, including 3rd party publishers, Paizo staff, secretaries-general of the United Nations or ambassadors from another solar system. But that's just me, and others here may have a different opinion. We'll talk about it.I agree completely!
Thanks,
cos
I see what you did there.
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One option we do allow publishers—upon request—is a parenthetical messageboard title after their name.
[snip]
Take, for example,Hyrum Savage, "Minister of Propaganda, Super Genius Games."Any legit publishers who wish to have that set up may e-mail me.
That's exactly the sort of thing I SHOULD have noticed, but HADN'T. Thanks for the heads-up, Vic!
Personally I'd prefer if nobody ever manually included a signature in their posts, including 3rd party publishers, Paizo staff, secretaries-general of the United Nations or ambassadors from another solar system. But that's just me, and others here may have a different opinion. We'll talk about it.
I feel strongly that some ambassadors from other solar systems should be permitted to manually include signatures in their posts - but not necessarily all. It should be assessed on a case by case basis.