Mkay, so on a lot of other boards, you can have a slick little pic in your signature. Nothing real fancy, just something that's real short, but wide enough to fill the signature box (the whole 5 lines thing).
Now you can't do this at the moment. I searched this forum and got two reasons:
1) It's tacky.
2) It puts a strain on the server.
My first question, is that if linked from an outside server (i.e. photobucket), is the server really handling any extra strain? I do not claim to be the networking whizz, but I can't find a problem. The bandwith load would be placed on the server that's actually holding the image, not this one. At least that's what I recall....
As for the tacky part, most people agreed in the thread that I searched for and found, that if it was the right size (there would be restrictions of course, just like avatars) and was done in some tasteful manner that it would actually make the board look better.
I'm not really pushing this idea or anything, I just think it would be something cool that could add a little more color and individualism to the board.
Kevin: Remember that one time when I ate those napkins?
Me: (laughing) Yeah.
Kevin: That was funny. Do you remember what made me do it?
Me: I'm pretty sure you just said, "Hey, watch me eat these napkins".
Kevin: (laughing) Yeah, that sounds about right.
Photobucket wouldn't work as the image expires after it's been viewed 100 times or something and if you had someone who posts a lot, every time a person even opened a thread that contained a post wi th the image signature, that would count as one view at photobucket and it would take less than a day for that image to become a red X on the screen. But with using other photo-hosting sites, it would work better.
But no matter who is actually hosting the image, the image itself still needs to load through INR's server as part of the page to be visible. This is where the bandwith gets effected.
Also you have to think of the Staff, we have enough work to do when it gets busy montioring what text and links people put in their signatures, it would create chaos to monitor everyone's signatures if we let everyone have images as well.
Actually, I have a photobucket account, and the images don't expire after 100 views. But, maybe that's because I pay $10/year for it. But, it would cause us to run slower, because it still has to load.
But, that's besides the point. The whole reason for not having signatures is because it would detract from the ads which businesses pay to have showing on the top, and right side, of the board. That's why the colors of the board are white, gray scale, and black. It allows the advertisments to show up, and be the main "color" focus.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
I have to say, I am not a member of any other forum, but have explored them on occasion. I find INReview's colour scheme/ interface to be clean, user friendly, easy to navigate, and most importantly, un-cluttered. Quite simply: it's easy on the eyes and has a more adult feel than the other forums I have explored, which is one of the reasons I keep coming back.
I pay nothing for my photbucket account and none of my images have expired either. It may be another one of those image upload sites that does it...
I agree with flutterby, btw, the colour scheme and layout of inreview is fairly nice. I think signatures could not only slow down some of our 56kers, but chances are various colours and images thrown here, there and everywhere could cheapen the look of the board.
"I'm for it so we can put Nuclear power plants up there, and then beam the power back to earth on a laser beam." ~ Whidden
INReview was set up this way... it's what Marc invisioned, and it's his "baby"
It works... it looks professional.. and we don't need a bunch of signatures all over.
Plus, I DONT want to be patrolling people siggys... we have enough "patrolling" to do without that added in to the mix.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
OT/ FYI: I have been told that when you hotlink to Photobucket accounts you get this image that comes up instead of the picture itself once your daily quota has expired. It get reset again the next day.
I see this photobucket image everywhere. There's another one they use with alittle frog on it.
Oh oh oh, I guess thats if its viewed 100 times in a day... just means it'll come back the next day... And Kris wouldn't get it at all, since she pays for it
"I'm for it so we can put Nuclear power plants up there, and then beam the power back to earth on a laser beam." ~ Whidden
11-24-2005 01:21 AM
