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A rule change about signature line links
08-20-2008, 04:03 PM
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#1
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 8,827
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A rule change about signature line links
A Rule Change
Executive Summary: no more web site links of any type, and no commercial references in signature lines - use your member profile instead.
With a recent increase in commercial links in signature lines, the moderators have determined that it would be best to limit all standing links to the member profile alone.
While many signature line links were to personal and noncommercial sites, many others were basically links to commercial interests. It has become difficult for the mods to track all these down, and even then it is sometimes difficult to know what is commercial and what is not. Because signature links are in your face every single time a user posts, we felt this was the best policy in order to spare our members from constant self-promotion. The community rules have been changed accordingly.
We freely acknowledge that many such links had no commercial motives, but it has simply gotten too cumbersome for us to check them one by one. This will also enable us to filter out the "one-time wonders" (one post, one ad, gone with the wind) more efficiently for you.
So, for those of you whose signature line has any links, any commercial content, or any reference to commercial content (including such content in your own profile), please move them to your user profile at your soonest convenience. After a while, the mods will delete them as time permits or PM the user to do so.
We believe this will help both the readers as well as the posters, who can now post free of any question of ulterior motives. Thanks for understanding as we work to keep ER a spam-free zone.
The Moderator Team
__________________
Rich
San Francisco Area
ESR'd March 2010. FIRE'd January 2011.
As if you didn't know..If the above message contains medical content, it's NOT intended as advice, and may not be accurate, applicable or sufficient. Don't rely on it for any purpose. Consult your own doctor for all medical advice.
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08-20-2008, 04:27 PM
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#2
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Boise
Posts: 7,882
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RIT,
Thanks for doing this.
I might add that there is some switch somewhere which allows users the option not to view signatures. I have mine set so I don't see them.
2Cor521
__________________
"At times the world can seem an unfriendly and sinister place, but believe us when we say there is much more good in it than bad. All you have to do is look hard enough, and what might seem to be a series of unfortunate events, may in fact be the first steps of a journey." Violet Baudelaire.
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08-20-2008, 04:34 PM
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#3
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright
Posts: 2,847
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 Quote:
Originally Posted by SecondCor521
I might add that there is some switch somewhere which allows users the option not to view signatures. I have mine set so I don't see them.
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I didn't know that was an option until you mentioned it. Some folks signatures can be distracting and not seeing them neatens things up. Go to User CP, select Edit Options, and go to Thread Display Options.
__________________
There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is having lots to do and not doing it. - Andrew Jackson
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08-20-2008, 04:37 PM
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#4
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,021
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Interesting: Two guys with sig lines set their CP so they don't have to see other's sig lines... 
__________________
Numbers is hard
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08-20-2008, 05:13 PM
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#5
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Boise
Posts: 7,882
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I don't really see the hypocrisy. As far as I'm concerned, anyone on the board can set their viewing options any way they like and can have signatures or not. For what it's worth, I have an avatar picture but I don't display those either. The reason I don't display avatars and signatures is that I can read the content of the board faster that way.
If you meant that in a humorous way and I missed the humor, I apologize. I've spent the last 24 hours on matters related to a reluctant lawsuit and the past week unsuccessfully battling a side effect of a medication and am therefore not in a very fine mood.
2Cor521
grumpy
__________________
"At times the world can seem an unfriendly and sinister place, but believe us when we say there is much more good in it than bad. All you have to do is look hard enough, and what might seem to be a series of unfortunate events, may in fact be the first steps of a journey." Violet Baudelaire.
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08-20-2008, 05:20 PM
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#6
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,021
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SecondCor521
I've spent the last 24 hours on matters related to a reluctant lawsuit and the past week unsuccessfully battling a side effect of a medication and am therefore not in a very fine mood.
2Cor521
grumpy
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On behalf of my DW, I'll pass along a "poor baby" to you. 
Quote:
Originally Posted by SecondCor521
If you meant that in a humorous way and I missed the humor...
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As long as you've been around this board and you think I was serious? That must be some nasty medication...
__________________
Numbers is hard
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08-20-2008, 05:26 PM
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#7
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 8,827
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Good point on hiding the sig lines.
Links in signature lines are a tried and true way for people to steer traffic to their web sites; that, in turn, increases revenue from click based advertising such as Google Ads. Every message they leave with such a signature raises the ranking in various search engines.
Overall, I like signature lines - adds a little local color and interest, as long as it is used for its intended noncommercial purpose.
__________________
Rich
San Francisco Area
ESR'd March 2010. FIRE'd January 2011.
As if you didn't know..If the above message contains medical content, it's NOT intended as advice, and may not be accurate, applicable or sufficient. Don't rely on it for any purpose. Consult your own doctor for all medical advice.
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08-20-2008, 05:45 PM
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#8
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Central, Ohio, USA
Posts: 2,635
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Good Idea..... Guess someone is reading this stuff......
__________________
Vietnam Veteran, CW4 USA, Retired 1979
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08-20-2008, 05:46 PM
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#9
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Boise
Posts: 7,882
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Thanks...
Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
As long as you've been around this board and you think I was serious? That must be some nasty medication...
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A small confession: For the most part, I engage in this board with little note of who is saying what. Some posters stand out to me at various times and in various aspects, but many do not. I dunno, maybe that's different than most people. At any rate, I don't keep track of individuals' senses of humor and other specific characteristics, so I was just trying to cover both bases.
But now I notice you're a Moderator Emeritus. You must have a sense of humor... 
2Cor521
__________________
"At times the world can seem an unfriendly and sinister place, but believe us when we say there is much more good in it than bad. All you have to do is look hard enough, and what might seem to be a series of unfortunate events, may in fact be the first steps of a journey." Violet Baudelaire.
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08-20-2008, 05:53 PM
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#10
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,021
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SecondCor521
Some posters stand out to me at various times and in various aspects, but many do not.
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Oh.
My ego may never recover...
__________________
Numbers is hard
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08-20-2008, 05:54 PM
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#11
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Lake Livingston, Tx
Posts: 4,204
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RW!
I'm shocked! You mean you have not been serious all this time..... I am going to have to re-think.
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08-20-2008, 05:58 PM
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#12
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,764
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Quality derail +5 points
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08-20-2008, 06:03 PM
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#13
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Boise
Posts: 7,882
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
Oh.
My ego may never recover...
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Oh trust me, you stand out. 
I also have a tendency to miss humor sometimes just because I am 99% of the time an extremely serious person.
And remember, just because you're here, you're special 
2Cor521
__________________
"At times the world can seem an unfriendly and sinister place, but believe us when we say there is much more good in it than bad. All you have to do is look hard enough, and what might seem to be a series of unfortunate events, may in fact be the first steps of a journey." Violet Baudelaire.
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08-20-2008, 06:06 PM
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#14
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright
Posts: 2,847
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And I almost said the same to SecondCor right before I remembered some of the sig lines I've seen recently and decided "hey, that's not a bad idea!"
__________________
There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is having lots to do and not doing it. - Andrew Jackson
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08-20-2008, 06:43 PM
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#15
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
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Well this is a huge bummer. It was easy to spot the evildoers when you saw a brand new user with the sig web links to their newly released book on how to buy annuities through leveraged gold etf's and then trading them via a momentum scheme for giant wheels of beaver cheese.
Without this valuable tool, I fear we're all lost.
In proper deference, I should at this time admit to a certain degree of sarcasm.
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
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08-20-2008, 06:52 PM
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#16
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gone traveling
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 3,864
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich_in_Tampa
A Rule Change
Executive Summary: no more web site links of any type, and no commercial references in signature lines - use your member profile instead.
With a recent increase in commercial links in signature lines, the moderators have determined that it would be best to limit all standing links to the member profile alone.
While many signature line links were to personal and noncommercial sites, many others were basically links to commercial interests. It has become difficult for the mods to track all these down, and even then it is sometimes difficult to know what is commercial and what is not. Because signature links are in your face every single time a user posts, we felt this was the best policy in order to spare our members from constant self-promotion. The community rules have been changed accordingly.
We freely acknowledge that many such links had no commercial motives, but it has simply gotten too cumbersome for us to check them one by one. This will also enable us to filter out the "one-time wonders" (one post, one ad, gone with the wind) more efficiently for you.
So, for those of you whose signature line has any links, any commercial content, or any reference to commercial content (including such content in your own profile), please move them to your user profile at your soonest convenience. After a while, the mods will delete them as time permits or PM the user to do so.
We believe this will help both the readers as well as the posters, who can now post free of any question of ulterior motives. Thanks for understanding as we work to keep ER a spam-free zone.
The Moderator Team |
"A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow"
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08-22-2008, 07:44 AM
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#17
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Charleston, SC
Posts: 13,566
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And lets get out of the way right now: no hiding links to www.buybeavercheeze.com in your user profile!
__________________
“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching.”
Gerard Arthur Way
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08-22-2008, 08:29 AM
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#18
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,498
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Good one, Sarah!!! Also, as another illustration of the new rules, no siglines like
"To learn more about me, go to buymynikes dot com!". 
That is essentially a link, and commercial promotion, both.
Thankyouveddymuch...
__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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08-24-2008, 07:27 PM
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#19
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,859
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich_in_Tampa
We freely acknowledge that many such links had no commercial motives, but it has simply gotten too cumbersome for us to check them one by one. This will also enable us to filter out the "one-time wonders" (one post, one ad, gone with the wind) more efficiently for you.
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While this policy is certainly easier to execute, it's a shame that E-R.org can't allow links for contributions to early retirement-- like Bob Clyatt's book link to Amazon.com (giving money to E-R.org for each purchase) or the Kaderli's downloads. Out of the 7600 members over all these years, there might be a few posters who've earned the right to have a link. A "uniform" policy makes it awful hard to figure out who's earned it.
Rich, I'm getting queries from people who want to add their personal profiles to the FAQ archives as I've done:
http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...ile-33131.html
I'm happy to put their text into a profile post, but one of the software tweaks has removed my permissions to edit the FAQ archives. If one of the admins will restore my editing permissions then I'll add profiles for those who want them.
__________________
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Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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08-25-2008, 05:50 PM
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#20
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,859
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OK, I'm able to edit the FAQ archives again ( http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f47/). If anyone has a set of threads or links that they feel should be gathered into a common subject and posted in the archive, send me the text in a PM and I'll add it to the archives.
The "About Me" section of our user profiles has been expanded to 2500 characters. Instead of posting my personal info in the FAQ archives, I've managed to squeeze it into my profile. Others may wish to do the same.
__________________
*
Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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