Signature Size for Users? How Large is to LARGE?

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Optimizer
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Signature Size for Users? How Large is to LARGE?

Post by Optimizer »

We have a very popular forum still running phpbb2 with about 62,000 members. I wanted to ask what we should allow in terms of user signatures? Some signatures are currently 4MB and some even larger. Most are stored on another server but people that look at a page have to download all those images.

What do the experts here suggest? How can we limit size? How large should they be? What format should we allow? gif, jpg, flash, etc?

I also heard some images pulled off another site could have some potential virus or bad scripts?

Thanks for the help!
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Re: Signature Size for Users? How Large is to LARGE?

Post by Brf »

Moved to phpBB Discussion.

Large-size signatures are obnoxious. They detract from the discussion.
Signature with a large-bytesize are even worse. Users with a slow internet connection will not even be able to read your forum.
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Re: Signature Size for Users? How Large is to LARGE?

Post by Optimizer »

Brf wrote:Moved to phpBB Discussion.

Large-size signatures are obnoxious. They detract from the discussion.
Signature with a large-bytesize are even worse. Users with a slow internet connection will not even be able to read your forum.
So what size would you suggest we limit signatures to? How do you limit them in phpbb2?

Thanks
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Re: Signature Size for Users? How Large is to LARGE?

Post by Brf »

You limit them by telling your users to stop making them so large.
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Re: Signature Size for Users? How Large is to LARGE?

Post by Optimizer »

Brf wrote:You limit them by telling your users to stop making them so large.
Ok gotcha there.... but what do you suggest is a proper size for a 60,000 member forum?

Under 400kb? What about total image size? I just wonder what most people use or what the norm is.
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Re: Signature Size for Users? How Large is to LARGE?

Post by Brf »

The limit here is 6K.
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Re: Signature Size for Users? How Large is to LARGE?

Post by Optimizer »

Do we have any other online users with large forums or links to large forums? Gaming type forums where I can check size?
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Re: Signature Size for Users? How Large is to LARGE?

Post by Linda Carter »

In my opinion:

- Signatures (and avatars) should be allowed to be turned off by members, if they don't want to see them. I believe phpBB can have that option. If yours don't, there are MODs available that can do this for you.

- Speaking of size limits, personally I am considering something between 30 KB and 100 KB (avatars + signatures) for each user, and no more than 100 pixels of height (a good measure) and about 500-600 pixels of width. That should be big enough to please everyone. Avatars might have less than 10 KB, but remember to consider both when calculating the bandwith used.

As for not seeing these signatures, you can always use Adblock Plus (Firefox plugin).

- Another great addition as a MOD:

phpBB 2:
http://www.phpbbhacks.com/download/1548
Display Poster Information Once helps to reduce bandwidth, loading time and screen space used in phpBB forums by reducing the display of a poster's information to one time per page in topics. The first post a user makes is displayed normally, but posts after that one will have certain images or information removed.

The supported types of poster information that can be removed are avatars, signatures, signature images, rank images, rank titles, locations, registration dates, number of posts, and profile, email, website, and instant messenger links. Left over HTML line breaks that pointlessly take up extra space can also be removed. Exactly what information is removed can be changed when installing the changes or by editing viewtopic.php later.
Remember, not only signatures can waste bandwith, but screen space it's very important. :idea:

phpBB 3 have this kind of MOD, and I am always using on my board. I see no reason to show a signature twice on the same page if the member has posted twice on that page. It's nothing but redundant information, that's why it should be displayed just once. There is no need in my opinion, to hide the other info suggested above.

phpBB 3 MOD, with install instructions:
http://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopi ... &t=1150505

As for signature text, I consider 5 lines and 500 characters enough, including tags. More than that can waste more screen space than any image with 100 pixels of height.
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Re: Signature Size for Users? How Large is to LARGE?

Post by Brf »

Yes.
If you are allowing huge signatures, that type of mod is a must. I have also seen some that only show a user's signature once. That type of thing can be done with one line of code in phpBB3.

In viewtopic.php, find:

Code: Select all

	unset($attachments[$row['post_id']]);
after add:

Code: Select all

	unset($user_cache[$poster_id]['sig']);
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Re: Signature Size for Users? How Large is to LARGE?

Post by dsavi »

This is a constant pain in the butt for the moderators over at another forum I go on; They are constantly replacing signatures and avatars with "Oversized signature/avatar" images because they break the limit and they weren't uploaded to their server (->No control over the size until they see the signature.)
I can't really say anything on behalf of the administrators there but I'm sure they'd appreciate if signatures were parsed before submission to the database so that they wouldn't have that 24/7 job of keeping the size in check.
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Re: Signature Size for Users? How Large is to LARGE?

Post by Eelke »

I have personally limited the space available to signatures using HTML/CSS. Admittedly, people can still place huge images in their sig, but they are cut off, which for most people is enough of a hint to adapt their sigs.
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Re: Signature Size for Users? How Large is to LARGE?

Post by Lumpy Burgertushie »

and there is always..... set rules, then enforce them.
If you have members that will not follow your rules, then you do not need them as members, period.


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Re: Signature Size for Users? How Large is to LARGE?

Post by MartectX »

Too large:
>100px vertically
>800px horizontally
>100kB file size
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Re: Signature Size for Users? How Large is to LARGE?

Post by Optimizer »

So what size limit would be good?

Image size
kb size
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Re: Signature Size for Users? How Large is to LARGE?

Post by MartectX »

800 x 100 px
100 kB
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