Expandable signatures

[WaterKnight]

Hi,

I like to use the user signature appended to post to create visibility for personal projects, current events and important threads or resources (internal and external), also as a reminder to myself. Of course, the lists gets longer with time as more is learned and created.

A large signature shown by default would disturb the legibility of threads.

I would like to suggest for the reading user to be able to expand the signature for additional space on the spot, so the interested user can decide if they want to know more without having to navigate to other sites.

Moreover, currently it's not visible in the signature menu or the About tab in the user profile how the signature would be cut off in height.

 

[Ralle]

I have a feeling that a massive link to a special pastebin might go quite a way to solve this. I feel like signature is already overloaded based on what it is supposed to be, your signature.

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

This may be useful for this purpose: Scrollable Signatures

 

[WaterKnight]

I have a feeling that a massive link to a special pastebin might go quite a way to solve this.

That would induce navigation but a Hive pastebin would still have the Hive frame/immersion. Another way might be to link to the About page in the Hive profile for more information. But only having a link in the signature means that new/updated items would not be visible, so at least those should be shown directly in the signature as it's unlikely anyone including the author would re-visit the dedicated page for reading unless they know that there is a specific item they need.

I have a feeling that a massive link to a special pastebin might go quite a way to solve this. I feel like signature is already overloaded based on what it is supposed to be, your signature.

What is the signature supposed to be? Before opening this thread, I had reviewed signatures of some regular members of Hive and found that those who have a signature usually employ it for informational or promotional purposes about their work. I have not seen anyone putting a handwritten signature in there or using it to establish authenticity. What can be recognized is that a forum signature can serve as branding. If someone consistently uses the same signature (style) and it differs from others, the reader can tell the user identity from the signature. Authors may also write their community or real-life role in there, so readers of a post can have some (unverified) author's context that backs/reasons the content. But yeah, it seems only few do this directly. On the other hand, linking one's work in the signature and what they are concerned about does provide identity, too.

This may be useful for this purpose: Scrollable Signatures

Scrollable signatures may be useful, especially if even an expanded signature would be too long. You would have to do that it only scrolls by mouse wheel when having focus and think about when it gains the focus to not disturb the normal thread interaction.

 

[Kyrbi0]

An interesting conundrum. I agree that linking to a Pastebin solves one problem while introducing another. Scrollable seems like a better way to go?... But man this is making me reflect on what a Signature actually means or is supposed to be for... Like you I have used it for decades to advertise my stuff (projects, tutorials, etc). It certainly wasn't just a literal "signature" (i.e. my username), since that's already appended next to every post I make.

A fascinating relic of a bygone era.