Post Whores / Board Whores / Sig Whores - Whatever....

[Lee]

Just curious to find out what you folks thought of these individuals who post on forums for no other reason than to have their signature seen?

For me, whilst i can appreciate the fact that companies want to get more exposure of their sites to webmasters by paying individuals to pay using their banner or button in that individuals signature i also cant help wondering if it is a waste of money in the long run?

So what do you folks think? Does selling / buying sigs mean a long term investment for the companies that utilize this or is it money that could be better spent elsewhere like building new sites or hiring more support staff?

Regards,

Lee

[Dzinerbear]

Lee,

When I see new sigs or banners, I check them out. I like to be able to put faces with names, but I also like to see what others are offering. I'm always open to expanding my little world.

In fact, last week I was trying like a bugger to find one particular member whose avatar I'd seen a while ago. I remembered clicking his sig file and found this clearinghouse-type site of sponsors. But I couldn't find him, and it was driving me nuts. He was wearing big dark-rimmed glasses and he smooshed up close to the camera and I think he might have been kissing his lips. I don't know.

Anyway, in answer to your question, I always check out people's sig files and banners because these are, afterall, the people that I work with and they may have something that can help me. And the only way I'll know this is if I click.

If I were in a position to hire marketing people, I'd definitely make sure they surfed and chatted on the boards as a part of their efforts.

And BTW, can I be the first (or maybe not the first) to say that Scorpio's got a hot and happening avatar these days!

Cheers
Dzinerbear

[Lee]

Originally posted by Dzinerbear
And BTW, can I be the first (or maybe not the first) to say that Scorpio's got a hot and happening avatar these days!

No you cant because i sad that to Gary last night when i realized he had changed it LOL

Thanks for your response to the thread too

Regards,

Lee

[basschick]

i click stuff in people's sigs if the banner or text is interesting to me. i make a couple paltry hundred a month off people signing up under my sig.

when i posted more at bigger boards, i made more. when i posted more at gfy, i made up to a thousand a month from people who clicked my sig. there was one ppc sponsor i used to make $500 - $800 a month from just from my sig at awi when it was busier.

if you are fairly knowledgeable, amusing, posted a combination of useful and fun things, and posted at 4 larger boards, you could probably pull in an extra $2000-$3000 if you knew which sponsors worked the best.

[CuriousToyBoy]

Even though my sig promotes my own stuff, I always try and at least offer something of value/humor/personal feeling when I post in anyone elses thread.

Apart for that one glaring exception (:crybaby, I also try and start threads that have the same.

I have NEVER sold my sig on ANY board because I have always had something of my own to offer.

I would suggest that if you have your own stuff and you promote someone else's in your sig one would have to question the value of what you have yourself to offer. I must say here that I have seen some program owners swap sigs for a bit of a laugh for a short time, but that is more for fun, and also has it's own value in public relations...

I DO click the sigs of others.

All the time.

I also like to know who I am dealing with on many levels, and I must say probably 50% of what I do I do through the boards and through board sigs.

So there is obvious value, and I won't kid you, I do post on several boards, and as time goes on my post count here will grow accordingly, and our sig being exposed is only a small, if not valuable, motivation for me to be doing that.

I just like the sound of my own voice

That's my 2c.

[AusCoding Allan]

I post on boards not to get my signature seen but to learn and grow as a webmaster. I have studied marketing and whilst it seems pertinent to take advantage of every opportunity presented to me IMHO I think that utilising your sig as an advertising resource for products or services other than your own shows that you either don't need to sell your product (because it sells itself) or you don't have confidence in your product (and therefore don't promote it).

Either way I like to think that if you make a valued contribution to the board that generally board regulars will support you in new endeavours regardless of your sig as they know that you are committed to your new programs and projects and therefore can be rightly justified in expecting a quality high paying site/project.

Cheers,

Allan

[basschick]

ozmalegalleries - just to be more clear... i have never posted on a board to get my sig seen. i posted for two years before someobody showed me what sigs were for *LOL*

i don't see the harm in offering my own program or programs that i honestly use and like to people. i was recently offered a fairly nice sum to buy my sig on several boards, and i turned it down because i didn't know the people nor did i know their product.

if you're posting anyway, i can't see how it hurts to have something you legitimately like in your sig. on the other hand, people who make the big bucks posting are an entirely different animal.

you know the one that gets me? sigswap. using sigswap, you don't even KNOW who you are promoting - you could promote a program who you KNOW doesn't pay without a clue.

[Bec]

I click sig links pretty regularly ... it's a great way to learn about new products or to learn more about what another board member is doing in the biz... helps when I'm narrowing down who I want to hassel in ICQ for something :fracais:

[Chilihost]

I click sigs of people regularly too, I think its smart to give business to mates you meet on the boards. But I actively avoid supporting sig whores who go on boards and post stupid comments in every thread just to get their sigs seen....I hate that idea!!!


cheers,
Luke

[AusCoding Allan]

Originally posted by basschick
ozmalegalleries - just to be more clear... i have never posted on a board to get my sig seen. i posted for two years before someobody showed me what sigs were for *LOL*

I wasn't aiming comments at anyone in particular, and definitely not someone as upstanding as yourself basschick, the comments were aimed at people that just post to get their sig seen. Sorry I should have clarified what I was saying.

Allan

[McAttack]

I posted fairly often on certain boards and as for sigs, I've never sold mine, but I do tend to promote stuff that I use or my clients. I've noticed that it helps a bit in search engines because it offers many links to the site, and if there are keywords that relate on the page, then it's all better.

But I don't think you'll actually have any action from people clicking your link unless you are able to show that you DO know your stuff and not just someone with 500 "own3d" pics or something.