Comment Signatures - Yay or Nay?
written by John Chow on August 1st, 2007
How do you feel about commentators leaving their signature in their comments? Most commentators on this blog don’t leave a signature because their blog or web site is already linked in their name.
I can understand why a signature is needed for a forum but is it really needed for a blog? For those reader who like to end their comment with a signature, I like to hear your reason for it. Many blogs have started banning comment signatures. My spam filter holds all comments with more than one link in it.
Comment signatures - yay or nay? Cast your vote (in the comments of course) and your reason(s) for it. I’ll add it all up in a few days and see where the community stands. Then I’ll decide if I should ban comment signatures like many other blogs.
- Posted in The Net
- 190 comments what's your take?
John, you’re getting closer! At least this post was about blogging.
Personally, I don’t think comment signatures are needed. As you said, in forums that’s one thing but that’s what the URI field is for.
Reply to this commentThe URI can’t tell you much about the guy’s site. A comment signature tells you where the blogger is coming from. For example mine tells you I am an ambitious professional blogger, and lets you know that my blog is about the same.
One Man. One Year. $100,000 online. Ambitious AND successful.
Reply to this commenthttp://www.oneyeargoal.com
And a little free advertising never hurt anybody
-Abemore
Reply to this commentI need to get that beer plug in. Is that through WordPress as well.
Reply to this commentI vote for no signatures… I think it is rude and uncalled for to spam comments…
Reply to this commentWhat do we need to know about a commentators site for? People come here to read John’s site and leave comments about the post. If you write a great comment I’ll visit.
Reply to this commentExactly, your commenting on what somebody else has wrote. I see signatures as spam, nothing else. Write something intelligent and I might visit your site.
Reply to this commentI honestly think it’s really tacky and leaves the apperance that one is only commenting to get promote a project / site / blog, not to add value, question or responce to a posting.
Reply to this commentWhat you sayin man all his posts are about blogging
Reply to this commentOh really? Let’s take a look at the 10 most recent posts:
This one - about blogging
5 posts about taxes
One post for a contest
One shout out to sponsors
One post bragging about his RSS subscribers
One paid review
Talk about value
If you go back and look at the last month’s worth of posts you’ll notice not many have been about blogging or making money online. Oh, and by the way, don’t forget to wipe that brown off your nose.
Reply to this commentI believe this blog is titled “The Miscellaneous Ramblings of a dot Com Mogul” Emphasis on the word *Miscellaneous* should answer your question.
Reply to this commentFirst of all, I didn’t ask a question. Second of all, you quoted the tag line. The title tag of this blog’s home page is Make Money Online with John Chow dot Com last I checked. The reason this blog has become a success is because John offered good tips, ideas, and advice to bloggers and people looking to make money online. He was posting quality content on a regular basis about how to best make money. In fact, he was able to create an e-book out of that content. I’m willing to bet if he created an ebook of his posts over the last couple of months it would have to be titled How to Brag About Success.
Reply to this commentYou need to relax and maybe lose your virginity
Reply to this commentYes, talk about value. Now let’s see how much you paid for the content that John provides… wow, I think you got great return on your investment!
Reply to this commentThanks for the tip Kwan
Reply to this commentI am going to side with Blogging Experiment here.
Time is money and thus I have already lost by coming here and reading the meaningless ramblings. Should have gone elsewhere and learned something good.
I have lost even more by commenting, but I can afford it (in contrast to others who might not).
On Topic:
Reply to this commentSignatures don’t belong in Blog Comments. If you have something to contribute, you can also do it for the sake of the community without thinking about link value all the time. I am sick of “I agree” type of posts with signatures longer then the post itself.
If you have to contribute a url that is on topic for the post I don’t mind. Otherwise the link in your name should be fine (no wonder some people call themselves viagra).
Yay. Comment signatures are really needed. Really. If someone comments on a blog and adds a lot of value, gives a lot of info for the readers, answering questions and giving valuable instructions or clarification, he deserves leaving his signature. It’s all about being a spammer or not. The golden rule is: help people and give a lot of ressources. If you feel that your blog is not worth being mentionned, don’t do it. If it is, then leave your signature. If people see it, the more likely they will click on it.
If you want to see my daily progression:
Reply to this commentBlogaDollar.com
Greetings from France John.
Blogadollar, it’s not at all needed. In case you didn’t notice, your name is already a link. That’s what you get for leaving a comment. Now most places moderate their comments and only let quality ones in at all. Here of course you have idiots just leaving smilies and crap like that but a signature is not needed.
Reply to this commentI agree that there shouldn’t be a link or signature. I come here to read John Chow and make comments on his postings. I think it looks terrible when a person leaves a three line comment and has a five line tag.
Reply to this commentYes. I know my name is already a link. Here is my contribution:
Reply to this commentThere’s a nice blog that I think will become a superstar very soon. I send you there because it’s related to this post.
It has to do with commenting and getting a + PR3 point. The thing is called D-List.
Courtesy of courtneytuttle.com.
courtneytuttle.com
It’s not my blog.
Mine is blogadollar.com.
So, according to you, is this comment useful or not? I posted a useful link, and valuable link to a future superstar blog.
I say YAY.
I say freaking unrelated, buddy! The fact you merely slipped it in BECAUSE of what he said. I’ll challenge you - if that’s how you feel - to use Courney Tuttle’s site as you signature from now till Christmas.
*ahem* Still feel the same way?
Reply to this commentWow!
Reply to this commentYou’re tough with me.
Of course, I can’t take the challenge.
Did you visit my blog? :o)
Did I start this comment signature craze? oops
I think it doesn’t hurt either way. I actually like seeing other people’s signatures but if you decide to ban them then no one will think less of you and I bet you will still get the same number of
uselesscomments–
Reply to this commentJerry
Road to Mega Millions
I think its not needed but it is useful. For bloggers, their name is linked so thats why its not necessary. On that note…
- Enkay Blog
Reply to this commenthttp://nkhan.jwmediabox.com/blog
Why is it useful? For example, this comment has two links to the same site for you. How is that useful at all? If I want to go to your website I’ll click on your name. Your signature just takes up more space and adds no value.
Reply to this commentI agree, I’m sure it provides a little bit more traffic for the commenter, but in return it irritates me. It’s a waste of otherwise valuable space.
Reply to this commentCan you please suck a fat one?
Reply to this commentMaybe you could teach him how.
Reply to this commentI never tried it but your mom knows how to do it
Reply to this commentWhats wrong with you today Tyler?
Reply to this commentI don’t even need to visit your site. Based on your comments I can guess what I’ll find there.
Reply to this commentYou should become a comedian
Reply to this commentTake it easy guys.. i never put a signature on my comments. (you can see my other comments as proof). I did it in relation to the topic, thats why in the earlier comment I said “On that note…”
Reply to this commentThere is no reason to defend yourself! I will never understand how people get their panties in a bunch over little issues like this. If you like to post a signature that isn’t total crap/spam, go for it. If you don’t, then say what you want to say, and move on. I doubt that there is any correlation between comment quality and whether a signature is present or not.
DevDad
Reply to this commentIt’s up to that commentator i think, because as we know human got different taste
But it’s not important to do, so better not to put signature 
Reply to this commentI just don’t see a reason for it. Our name (or keywords) are listed along with a direct link to our site already. The comment signature just takes up more space and can be spammy. I say Nay!
Reply to this commentSomething that’s more spammy is the last thing this site needs, especially in the comments section. There are already a BUNCH of people just posting one liners that hardly make sense to drive their comment count up.
I agree, I vote Nay!
Reply to this commentDam turn your computer I saw your post 20 times saying Nay
Reply to this commentYA i agree with Erik……
Reply to this commentI vote nay. The only link they need is the one attached to their name.
Reply to this commentI vote nay, same reason.
Reply to this commentWell, dropping a link to a post or something to make your point is totally different. I wouldn’t say that only the name link should be allowed. I just think the signature and link at the end should be outlawed.
Reply to this commentI say no sig in comment link. It’s already linked in their name, and that’s nice enough.
Reply to this commentThere’s no real reason for it, other than to spam a link. If the viewer wants to follow a link, the name is all they need.
Reply to this commentI don’t think it’s spam. I don’t do it all of the time, but I am willing to when I feel a blog’s audience is very well targeted. For example, I don’t do it on here, as my blog doesn’t yet have any SEO/making money stuff.
DevDad
Reply to this commentI hate it! Please don’t do it.
Reply to this commentPatient my fren hehe
So far majority say Nay!!! So i vote Nay too!!
and i confirm Nay will win!!
Reply to this commentI think they are terrible things, and should be banned.
Rhys - The Gospel According To Rhys
http://www.gospelrhys.co.uk
(irony definitely intended)
Reply to this comment(By the way, as not everybody has a dry cool British wit like myself, I vote no)
Reply to this commentI don’t think it matters, commentators aren’t gaining anything from it since URLs are nofollow anyway.
On another note, when’s the draw for the LCD monitor? It’s August 1st!
Reply to this commentFirst of all, not all search engines obey the no follow tag.
Second of all, there’s definitely a traffic benefit to having the link. If you’re the only one putting a signature and an extra link it could draw attention to your site. However, it won’t take long before everyone’s doing it to the extreme and that’s what becomes obnoxious.
Reply to this commentThe best answer it is!!!!
Reply to this commentYea John where my LCD
Reply to this commentyah i think it doesn’t matter whether they should leave a signature or not. up to them since it brings no harm… Probably don’t make your signature so long… It will look like a spam!
Reply to this commentI hate them. The link in the name should be sufficient enough, if a second link needs to be dropped then it should be relevant to the post topic. Personally I hate them on the forums too but that’s just me.
Reply to this commentOn forums I don’t mind them if they are kept small and under control. It’s a pain in the butt to have to click around to find someone’s website on a forum (have to go through their profile page etc) but on blogs you don’t have that issue.
Reply to this commentI VOTE YAY
-Nathan Maxson
Reply to this commentexperiencetheweb.info
Nay, no need for them in my opinion.
Reply to this commentYes! And it’s simple… “Because I can”!
Reply to this commentLos Ziegler…
Not for long, hopefully
Reply to this commentNay nay, it will look like a cheap forum, not a blog comment.
Reply to this commentWhy did you said so?? Cheap forum?? I think popular forum always allow signature
Reply to this commentAgreed. The fact of the matter is, comments are beneficial to the person who author’s the site itself, so who cares what people do to promote their blog in comments, provided they don’t completely spam, and are contributing to the discussion. The following does piss me off:
Great Post!
John Doe, the Affiliate Ho
http://www.lamedomain.com
Agloco Yet? http://www.agloco.com/34839dskjhdskds
Make Money With Text-Link-Ads! http://www.tla.com/ref=?83lsk
That shit needs to be stopped, but normal, here’s my name, here’s my URL stuff is fine, IMO.
DevDad
Reply to this commentNay. A like on your name or keyworded names, is plenty.
Reply to this commentYAY, the Wolf approves.
Reply to this commentIt annoy’s me, and it makes me want to visit the link less.
NAY.
Reply to this commentI have the same feeling. Links in comment sigs generally won’t get a click from me.
Reply to this commentHmmm you’re right. usually i felt like dat so, but sometimes i felt like wanna click too, so maybe dat time the commentator is so lucky
Reply to this commentNO Comment Signatures, please.
Reply to this commentWell…it’s a good thing my opinion is the only one that matters in this case (other than John’s, of course), because y’all are completely wrong.
And actually the fault lies in the design of Wordpress. First, they put in the link tied to the name…and then they turn off the link love.
I would love to see Wordpress offer bloggers more choice in this matter. Turn them on, turn them off, allow the link AND A SITE TITLE or not, etc. Then it would truly be up to the blogger’s discretion. But here’s why just saying “I don’t like it” doesn’t cut the mustard, people…
Because the whole point of these damn things is supposed to be COMMUNITY…and you’re missing the entire point when people who are struggling to be notice have to call themselves Cheap Viagra, Casino Info…or, BLOGGING EXPERIMENT. You don’t get a vote, my friend.
Let’s make this about community…and let’s be honest about the reason that most people contribute to blogs…yes, they enjoy the content of the posts and have something to throw in…but they’re also trying to get their stuff noticed online.
Hopefully, someone will build a plugin that does away with the linked name and gives us a linked title instead (separate from the name). And then the blogger can choose for him/herself whether it should be allowed on their blog at all.
shoots, scores, nuthin’ but net, heads for the locker room…
Reply to this commentThanks for the bedtime story
Reply to this commentYeah, who would want to read a well thought out response when they could read your useless drivel?
Reply to this commentBe a man and say that on my blog
Reply to this commentOh lord
Here’s a free tip for ya, don’t require registration to comment.
Reply to this commentSelfMadeMinds has done this… I reckon John should as Al for the code.
Reply to this commentChuck, I don’t know about you but most of the time in real life I go by a nickname. Blogging Experiment isn’t some keyword I’m targeting, it’s the name of my site. Plus, it’s something memorable rather than my name (Ben Cook) which is fairly unremarkable and a name I share with who knows how many other people. I guess I don’t really see that in the same light as someone trying to get a juicy keyword in their nofollowed anchor text (either in their name or their signature or both).
Reply to this commentIf i’ve got the URL in the name, no sig is needed. One or the other will suffice. I think both would be overkill.
Reply to this commentI don’t like signatures on blogs.
Reply to this commentI automatically discount comments that have signatures, plus they clutter a site up.
Just comment and be done.
Reply to this commentWhy is this? This is similar to when Digg-Nazis bury a story because a blogger writes up a killer entry to accomodate a big news story, because it’s ‘blogspam’. If it were up to me, go ahead and ban the idiots that contribute nothing, and let the guys who drive discussions do what they want, within reason, of course.
DevDad
Reply to this commentIn a case where we are linked in our name anyways, I dont see why they are needed. Links in comments should only be posted if they’re relevent. I can see a site disabling them if it becomes a problem, but I dont think its a problem for this site John, you shouldnt have to disable them unless people are spamming you with it and really not providing any quality with their comments.
Reply to this commentIt detracts from scrolling through comments. If I’m a familiar webizen I know that I can just click your name to get to your website.
Reply to this commentBut what if you’re not? I would guess that ~30-40% of the visitors to this blog have no idea that you can click a name to go to someone’s website. If a link after a good comment gets them to my site, there’s no reason to not do it, IMO.
DevDad
Reply to this commentI agree that signatures look more like forums than blog comments.
I signature with a funny tagline I think it’s OK, but text only, no links: the URI is enough (a link that belongs to the comment itself should be OK, though).
I wouldn’t use it anyway: there’s no way to remember the signature and you have to copy and paste in on every blog comment.
Reply to this commentnay!
Reply to this commentNay is what a horse would say… how does a cow say no? noooooooooo!
Reply to this commentMnoooo
Reply to this commentThat’s an UDDERLY short response. Any mootivation for your nay?
Reply to this commentI vote nay. Self-promotion is nice, but the purpose of the comments is different…
Reply to this commentLike not advertising. There’s a point where a guerrilla marketing tactic just gets lame.
Reply to this commentit doesnt me too much but I certainly dont think theres any need for it as the link is already there
Reply to this commentI agree superman
Reply to this commentWho wants to put signature?? Just spam at my blog
Reply to this commentOne order of spam coming up
Reply to this commentGawd you’re irritating…does your mother even claim you anymore?
Reply to this commentBehold, the reason I asked John for the ability to ignore certain users and their comments… Unfortunately I haven’t found any plugin that makes it happen.
Reply to this commentNo need for signatures. It gets very repetitive when you make multiple comments.
Reply to this commentYes there would be too many links. Long download of this page for example.
Reply to this commentSometimes I will change my name to the project that I am working on, For example EveryDayFiction.com
and add a sig so people know who I am, but I never link my sig.
- Steven Smethurst
Reply to this commentI don’t care for signatures in comments for two reasons:
1. It looks too promotional, like you’re trying extra hard to get people to go to your site… and if your comment isn’t much longer than your signature, it looks like that’s the only reason you’re leaving your mark to begin with.
2. I expect comments to be directly related to the post at hand. Signatures in comments is not the norm, and it trips me up when I see them. I’m expecting to read more about the commenter’s thoughts, and then feel gypped because it turns out to be just a signature.
Reply to this commentNo Signatures Please! The comments are what is important.
Reply to this commentComments are most important, so why not give readers an added incentive to make quality comments, and do so frequently?
DevDad
Reply to this commentI say nay, there is no useful advantage to the other readers of the post or to the post it self. What would go in sig besides the person’s name, again, the url again, but maybe have the full url for people to see and not just the link.
For people that are putting their name as a blog for the link and seo of that, might include their name in a sig area, but there is nothing to stop them from doing something like this
- Sean
At the end to sign it with their name.
The only other use would be add useless “buy my __seo type product__ product at my website now, only $xxx.95 until the end of the week” or something unrelated to the post it self.
Thats my 2 cents.
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