Opinions please on allowing signature links

[Divinum Fiat]

My forum is new but it's already becoming evident that I'll have to keep a close eye on whose there to participate and whose there for personal self gain. How do you handle the ability of allowing links in signatures?

I'm thinking of having a free and paid membership and making the link in the signature a 'perk' of the paid membership.

How is everyone else handling this?

 

[steven s]

Are you referring to competing forums, or links to personal or forums of the member's interest?
I have never given it any thought. I have not forbid links in sigs.
I include a forum in my sig that could be considered competing on another forum and there has never been an issue.
I have links to my xf forums in my vB sig as well as links to my vB forums here.
I think it really depends on whether the person contributes to the community or is just their to promote their forum.

 

[Divinum Fiat]

Yes, definitely competing forums, and others who may be complimentary.

 

[steven s]

Yes, definitely competing forums, and others who may be complimentary.

Then I guess it depends on whether the person is on your forum to contribute or just post to promote their forum.
Also depends on how much confidence you have in your own forum.
I had one person start their own competing forum. I wasn't concerned. It didn't last very long.

So. . .
So far I have no policy regarding links in sigs.

 

[jackrouse]

You have a choice to either ban them or tolerate them, google can look upon as reciprocal links, which with the Panda update it tends to ignore, so they are not of any real benefit to the poster or you, other than promoting their forum to your members, if they are regular and frequent posters, they are at least adding content to your forum, which is good. So playing devils advocate, if you ban them, you risk losing content.

 

[Divinum Fiat]

Okay, I'll think about it some more... thanks much.

 

[Sadik B]

I don't allow links/emails in signatures to new members until they reach 5 posts (changeable) through my Addon.

 

[jackrouse]

I don't allow links/emails in signatures to new members until they reach 5 posts (changeable) through my Addon.

That's a very low number IMO, too low to stop people spamming the board just to get backlinks anyway.

 

[kkm323]

disable signature in thread view. There is no need for signature, it always make threads looks bad.

 

[Sadik B]

That's a very low number IMO, too low to stop people spamming the board just to get backlinks anyway.

It's changeable in the admincp. Besides the error message does not tell them what's the number, so it works.