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Winged Mermaid
08-06-2011, 06:26 PM
Currently options for BB Code, pictures, and links are enabled for signatures. As long as these capabilities are not abused they will remain available.

How to Make A Signature:

To change your signature, click on "Settings" at in the upper right corner of the page. On that page on the left, the in the third box down, under "My Settings" click on "Edit Signature". This will take you to a page where you can edit your signature with a rich text editor.

Pictures can either be uploaded to your signature two ways. The first is to upload a "signature picture" (from url or from your computer) then, click "Insert Signature Picture".
The other way is to upload your image to a photo host- such as photobucket, minus (great for large file size gifs), Tumblr, ect. Use the "Insert Image" button (a icon of a picture of a tree) to insert the photo. Make sure that the url is a direct link (not the display page for the photo). To do this, once the image is uploaded to the host, right click the photo and click "Copy Image Location". If you do not have this option, please check this page on how to do it on your specific browser (http://email.about.com/od/usingfreeemailtothemax/qt/How_to_Copy_an_Image_s_Web_Address_URL.htm).

Be sure to click "Save Signature" when you're done! To have your new signature show up when you post: when you reply, click "Go Advanced", then scroll down to "Miscellaneous Options:" and check the "Show Signature" box. It should automatically be checked from then on every time you post or reply. If you have issues with this, please PM me.


Tapatalk Signatures:

To edit your signature or signature settings on Tapatalk: bring up the Tapatalk app, tap the Profile icon at the bottom (on the far right), then the settings icon in the top right (a cog icon), then "Signature".
If your signature is turned on, you can edit your signature in the box below- that will be the signature that will show every time you post from the Tapatalk app.
If your signature is turned off on Tapatalk, but your signature is auto enabled on the forum (from the website) to show every time you post, every time you post from Tapatalk it will post your regular forum signature.


Signature restrictions:

1) No pictures larger than 175 pixles in width or 550 pixles in length. This includes animations/gifs.*

2) Only one image may be used per signature.

3) If multiple lines of text are uses be sure to keep it to 6 lines or under.

4) Please use reasonable text size in your signature. If you are using a limited number of text lines a larger font can be used.

Please keep in mind that if you do not follow these rules your signature text and/or image will be removed.

(These restrictions are subject to change as admins see fit.)


*Note: There is a free online image editor available at the following address: http://www.online-image-editor.com/ There you can upload from your computer or from a picture URL. Once in the editor you can do all of the following: Resize, crop, add text, flip/rotate, add borders, vignette, round corners, add animation.

If you do not have the software to resize a photo, or don't know how, please use a online resizer such as this one (http://picresize.com).

Easy way to check image size: right click on the image that you're using in your signature (or want to use, if it's posted elsewhere on the net), right click on the image and click "View Image Info" (or some such depending on your operating system).
You can also do this by saving the image to your computer, right clicking on the image file on your computer and selecting "Get Info" if you're on a Mac or if you're on a PC right click and select "properties". It will list the information, including the dimensions in pixels.

If the image is larger than 500 pixels long and/or larger than 175 pixels in height, then the image is too large and needs to be resized if you want to use it.


Disable Signatures on the Forum:

If you don't wish to see signatures while viewing the forum for whatever reason (ex: the gifs are an epileptic issue) go to Settings (upper right hand corner) > Click "General Settings" (under "My Settings" on the left hand side) > scroll down to "Thread Display Options" > Uncheck the box next to "Show Signatures".


If you have any issues with finding the size of an image, resizing it, or any other issues with your signature, please PM me!

Winged Mermaid
08-29-2011, 06:50 PM
PLEASE FOLLOW THE SIGNATURE RESTRICTIONS. I've had to send out 7 notifications asking people to reduce their signature image size already. Most of them I have to resize and upload becuase people don't know how to resize gifs. I have a lot to do whenever I get on here, and that is one more thing that isn't necessary if people would follow the rules in the first place. I don't want to have to disable pictures in signatures, but I will if this continues.

I have edited the main entry to contain an ONLINE and free image editor where you can resize your own gifs. Please use it.

AniaR
08-29-2011, 07:10 PM
Maybe people aren't seeing this thread? To be honest I didnt see it til you pointed it out to me and I tend to lurk a lot ;) do the mods have the ability to send out mass PMs? It might be helpful in the future instead of having to message everyone :)

malinghi
08-29-2011, 08:41 PM
I'm pretty sure there's a way to send an e-mail to all members, though I think making announcements that appear in the yellow box at the top of all pages is a good way to get the word out.

Also, about signatures, personally I'm not crazy about them. It isn't a very high priority, but finding a way to make them less obtrusive without making everyone mad at me has been on my to-do list for a while.

Mermaid Jewel
08-29-2011, 10:27 PM
Yeah, I only caught this thread because I found it right when it came out so I resized my sig pic right. Most people don't realize how big the pics are until they upload them. Preview on Macs can resize it too, if you own a Mac.

I personally think the moving gifs can be kinda distracting, but I guess it depends on how much it moves.

Evangeline
06-08-2012, 06:05 PM
I didnt even see this untill you deleted the pictures from my signature.....

Winged Mermaid
06-08-2012, 06:19 PM
I didn't mean to insult you, dear. I have a lot to take care of running the site, and the large images, especially in signatures as they are far more frequent, are part of why the server is having so much trouble.

I use to PM and ask people to resize and wait for them to change it, but I found users who were less active sometimes took weeks or more to do, and in the mean time it loads up the server and increases the scroll time in all the threads the user has posted in. I've found it easier to remove the image and provide the URL (just in case the user got the picture elsewhere) in the PM. In the majority of the cases the user has to reupload a new image and re insert the new URL in the signature either way, so this is much easier. I meant no disrespect, I'm just busy trying to run around getting everything done- I've sent out 8 of these Signature Image messages just today! I don't expect everyone to keep up on things, which is why I PM even though it takes up my personal time to make it easier for the user. If Malinghi had it his way there would be no signature pics at all, so I have to do all the personal errands to keep them in check so we can have them! The way the server is going we may have to remove all images from signatures, but that is still up in the air. So please don't get offended.

LindseyLu
06-08-2012, 06:59 PM
I'm cool with you guys removing signatures all together Winged Mermaid...I am on the same page as Mailinghi and Kanti. If that's the main reason the server is having problems I vote get rid of em. I'd rather be able to get on the site without server problems then look at everyones signatures (no offense intended to anyone who uses and likes them). Plus, your time is valuable, you shouldn't have to spend it fixing this sort of stuff, especially when you could be enjoying the forum with everyone else! :)

Mermaid Sirena
06-11-2012, 04:22 AM
I agree with LindseyLu, if it makes life easier & helps the server then I say go for it :)

Mermaid Lorelei
06-12-2012, 01:42 AM
I'm pretty sure that I'd be happy without signatures, but I wouldn't mind if we could leave just a couple of words or something. I kind of like seeing the links to people's pages, but I could do without all of the pictures.

Kanti
06-12-2012, 01:52 AM
Yea, especially if they're lagging the server and junk.

Winged Mermaid
07-22-2012, 04:32 PM
*Bump* Another reminder about the restrictions! Been having to send out more messages lately! Please follow the signature image restrictions as outlined above!

Maple
07-22-2012, 05:20 PM
I don't feel the need to have pictures in signature lines. That's what your profile pic is for. It's kind of silly when people have signature pictures that take up more room than their actual posts.

Thalassa
07-22-2012, 06:01 PM
Is this thread a sticky? I feel like it needs to be a sticky, since it's such important info.

As far as the sig/no sig debate goes: Honestly, I like pictures in the signatures. Yes, we have profile pics. Yes, we have avatars. However I like to put my logo out there (I worked hard on it, and am working hard on going pro), but also want people to have a chance to see ME, not a picture. I feel like it gives more personality, a face you can put the name to (I'm aware I have a pic as my avatar now, but it's a drawing of me as a placeholder until I get a photo of me in a tail). If I had to choose between my logo and my self for what people here see...I'd be pretty disappointed. If it had to happen to help the site run I'd put up with it, but I'd be disappointed.

New York Mermaid
07-22-2012, 06:05 PM
yikes i hope i fixed it right.. let me check- its 155 high 295 long

Maple
07-23-2012, 12:33 AM
Yes, we have profile pics. Yes, we have avatars. However I like to put my logo out there (I worked hard on it, and am working hard on going pro), but also want people to have a chance to see ME, not a picture. I feel like it gives more personality, a face you can put the name to

Are you saying that my avatar ISN'T a picture of me?? :p

Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!
07-23-2012, 03:19 PM
I obviously don't have a signature... I write enough that I don't need to have any extra writing information at the end, and as for pictures, those are best in the galleries. In the threads themselves, we're really scrolling to read what we're saying, and occasionally see videos and pictures posted there, not to see the same pictures and video clips at the bottoms of everyone's name. Yes, they make a cool method of customizing and stylizing your message and promoting yourself further, but I'm not sure self-promotion is the purpose of EVERY thread.

Winged Mermaid
08-03-2012, 06:15 PM
Bumping this again. I've had to sent out several more messages about signature restrictions. Please take note and follow the restrictions! Thanks!

Winged Mermaid
10-28-2012, 11:27 PM
-Bump-
I've added a new rule. "Only one image may be used per signature."
The goal of the signature restrictions is to limit the size of the signature area so it doesn't largely add to posts and also make scrolling through thread pages an inconvenience. If there are two images or more that kind of negates the goal.

If I see any additional images I'll remove them. But please make my job easier and adhere to the restrictions.

Winged Mermaid
01-01-2013, 03:41 AM
Bumping this again! I've seen a lot of bigger gifs and images in signatures lately. Please follow the restrictions/rules for these! From now on, if there are a lot that I need to do, or am under a time crunch, I will simply remove the image from your signature and may not PM you about it. So keep that in mind. If you find your signature image removed, it was becuase it was too large or did not follow other rules and you need to fix that before reinserting it in your signature.

Winged Mermaid
01-01-2013, 03:14 PM
I just removed images and sent out PMs to 10 people due to them not following the signature restrictions. PLEASE take it upon yourselves to follow the rules. Easy way to check: right click on the image that you're using in your signature, and click "View Image Info" or "Get Info" (or some such depending on your operating system). It will list the information, including the dimensions in pixels. First number is length, second is width. If the first number is greater than 500 and/or the second number is greater than 175, then the image is too large and needs to be resized if you want to continue using it.

Miyu
07-20-2013, 12:03 AM
Oops. just saw this thread. Took off my second (moving) profile pic. I totally understand where you're coming from on this, don't want to make your job harder :)

Winged Mermaid
01-19-2014, 05:16 PM
Bumping this again- please follow the signature image restrictions! I'm seeing a lot of oversized images. It does take time out of my day to remove the images and PM the user about it, so please make my job easier and follow the rules from the get go :)

Mermaid Kelda
01-19-2014, 07:36 PM
Can I just add my two cents and say that lots and lots of text in signatures is just as bad (if not worse) than lots of images.
I tend to browse the forums on my phone a lot, and on such a small screen those ten lines of text become 25 and so the signature is several times larger than the actual post.

Winged Mermaid
01-19-2014, 07:42 PM
I agree! The rule say that it needs to be six lines or under, which is plenty! I don't have any way to check signatures, I just notice them as I'm browsing through the forum, so I tend to not catch them all.

I did want to put in- you guys can help! If you see a signature with too big of pictures or too many lines of text, report it. Just use the report button on the bottom of any of their posts (the little ⚠ button at the bottom of each post) and put for the reason you're reporting "Isn't following signature restrictions" or "Signature is too long", "Signature image is too large", ect. Would help me out a lot :) If you feel extra generous you could post a visitor message to that person's profile saying they need to change their signature to fit the signature restrictions and link to this thread so maybe they'll do it and I don't have to ;)

Winged Mermaid
04-01-2014, 04:19 PM
Bumping this because we're having a lot of people use oversized images again, especially gifs. Remember, the signature picture can't be any larger than 175 pixles by 550 pixles! There's a link in the original post to a site that will crop and scale gif images.

Echidna
04-01-2014, 04:24 PM
Can't the signature uploading page be modified so only appropriately sized images will be processed?

Similarly to the rest of the forum, if you upload a too large picture it will say, "image is too large, it can only be so and so big"?

When I uploaded my sig, I didn't see the size restrictions anywhere, so I'm not surprised many people get it wrong when they're not prompted during upload.

Winged Mermaid
04-01-2014, 04:28 PM
I've been looking into add ons to do just that, as this is starting to drive me up the wall, but all of them are very outdated and would only create more problems. :/ I'm not giving up on it just yet, but I'm not sure I'll be able to find a free mod that will work with our version of the forum software.

Mermaid Jessica Pearl
04-23-2014, 01:18 AM
Whoops sorry only just saw this and have fixed mine now.

Winged Mermaid
05-06-2015, 08:42 PM
Bumping cause I added info on how to make and enable signatures on the forum and tapatalk, and also as a reminder for people to check their signatures to make sure they're following the signature rules ;)

Mermaid Kimberlee
06-23-2015, 10:27 AM
Thanks. I will see if I can find a friend who will help me downsize my photos. :)

Ciriun
08-04-2015, 01:46 AM
Question: How does image ownership apply to signatures? I know a lot of people use photos or video clips of themselves or drawings they or another mer made for them, but I've also occasionally seen .gifs from mermaid movies and other images that look like they were found via Google search. Is there anything that isn't allowed or any rules about crediting for signatures?

Winged Mermaid
08-04-2015, 02:05 AM
Question: How does image ownership apply to signatures? I know a lot of people use photos or video clips of themselves or drawings they or another mer made for them, but I've also occasionally seen .gifs from mermaid movies and other images that look like they were found via Google search. Is there anything that isn't allowed or any rules about crediting for signatures?

There's no written down rule, but speaking as an Admin I'd say that gifs from TV shows/movies are fine. Gifs of OTHER mers however, is debatable. If I had to make a rule, I'd say no gifs of other mermaids in the community. That could get very confusing.

We DO have a rule about citing the source for all photos/pictures that don't belong to you or that you didn't get specific permission to use. It's in the offical rules. So if you found it elsewhere, please link back to the creator/source- either by making the image itself a link, or using a hyperlink somewhere in the signature. After all it's only right and proper to credit someone for their work! I know mermaid are very passionate about people giving credit for their photos if someone else uses them, the same should extend to artists as well :)

If you don't know who the artist/photographer/creator is, a reverse google image search typically can lead you very quickly to them. :) I hope this answers your question!

Ciriun
08-04-2015, 02:16 AM
Yup, that clears it up. Thanks for the explanation!

RNHime
06-14-2016, 02:12 PM
Heyyy...this is an old thread but the only one I found. I've done a search but haven't come up with anything so please direct to the answer if it's out there and I've missed it because of using the wrong terms or something.

I'd like to put a small image in my signature but underneath the editing box it says I don't have permission for images or .gifs. I'm used to forums where you have to meet a certain number of posts before being granted image permission, but I didn't see that requirement anywhere and I have seen people with .gifs and fewer posts than myself. So I'm lost! Someone please tell me what I should be doing here, thanks... :$