What is the rule regarding website links in signature please?

I notice that some people have links to websites in their signatures, yet when I tried to add one to mine it was not possible - the words appear, but not as a direct link.  Can somebody clarify the situation please?

To deter spammers only users that have made over 200 posts may include an active link in their signatures.

Justin

Hi Justin

Whilst I FULLY appreciate the reason behind your judgement I think 200 posts is unfair especially when one member (leswill) has constantly helped thousands with their 210 forms without constantly pushing her business. If someone has bothered to post over 50 posts of help to others I consider they should be rewarded with a weblink.

After all we are constantly flooded with adverts from brand new members who seem to only have joined to sell their car! I think that's a ruddy cheek myself!

More

With you 100%

Leswill  helped us recently and she did everything "that it said on the tin''

I've always said this site should have a classifiedd section and for 5 euros you can sell what you want

It might even pay Justin's tax bill !!!!!!!

Anyway in public, Lesley thanks for your help

David W

It's usually more than obivious which posters are abusing the site with their advertising, I believe like Morerosado each and everyone should be taken on ones own merit.

I agree that it could be on merit, but that would make it very difficult for Justin - you can't set parameters in software for good merit and he can't be expected to go through every member profile to consider a 'pass'!   He could possibly reduce the number of posts to, say, 100, or maybe personal applications with another member supporting could be a route, but, again, how many would Justin have to trawl through.

At the end of the day, if someone is interested, they will paste the url into their browser without the need for a link.  I have done so myself and I'm sure many others have.

Edited to say: and I agree with David W, maybe charge 5 euros for the classified section and let loose!!

I think it could just be maybe 50 not 200 posts, surely that would not inconvenience Justin. I think if anyone has spent time on our forum writing 50 posts they should have qualified.

Jan, I know you & I can copy & paste the URL into our browser but I wasn't always as savvy as I am today & I think many wouldn't know to do that. After all I've pasted many links on the forum only to have to explain to those I posted the help for that they needed to click on the coloured link so often now you will notice I write 'click the coloured text, it's a direct link' hoping that will suffice.

Anyway I think leswill should be allowed a direct link. I think she has earned it through her advice which she could've kept to herself. It IS her business after all.

Yes, More, I agree, maybe 50 posts is acceptable.

It just must be difficult to find that right balance for all on such a platform, with thousands of members.  It's alot of work to run a site like EOS and there are terms that have to be respected.  You know, as well as other members, how many spam posts are submitted on here - on multiple threads.  I must admit, I wouldn't like to be responsible for going through them all!!  Not only those, also the posts reported for abuse and the like.

Very time consuming - and not an enviable task!  So, generally, parameters are set to patterns that suit the service provided by the site.

Of course Justin could take the stance that no one has a signature  as happened after clashes in a large local forum for me which is this one. The site owner has removed every signature plus, for a time, our avatars too.

Just wanted to say thank you for the comments of support given on this thread.  I have always been happy to give advice on here in relation to payment of non resident taxes, however I do run a business and would be glad to be able to publicise this in the appropriate threads.  The website address is included in my signature for anybody who may be interested, just a shame I cannot provide a direct link. 

I agree 50 posts makes sense. There is a commercial poster who appears on the Corvera site who has posted over 1000 times yet has said nothing worth seeing that I can recall. He doesn't own a property, openly admits he wouldn't buy there but gets the benefit of free advertising and a higher search engine rating for his business site because of the featured link on a busy site like this. The current policy encourages this kind of self-motivated posting. Change it please Justin.

It could encourage people to make postings just to reach the 200 mark.  If I were to comment on every thread on the go at the moment I could soon reach 200 (about 130 to go!).  My comments would be meaningless and not of any help, so from this point of view maybe the current rule is not so good.  Don't worry I am not going to do it!!

Interesting discussion here.

With over 15,000 active users in any given month, I cannot possibly do this by hand!

I am happy to change this to 50 posts instead of 200.

Shall I make this change then?

Justin

Justin, I think that is fairer. If we have spammers or members blatantly flouting your rules there will always be one of us alerting you to that via your  spam alert facility.  

Justin

I think 50 is a more reasonable number and then if we spot anyone using replies to dazzle us with their contact details becuase they have read some web optimisation report on making use of forums and blogs to improve their own google rankings but not giving good quality replies to questions posed then blacklist them.

Another idea might be to ask anyone wanting to add their web links to at the same time create a reciprical link back to EOS?

Why not charge for web links?

Nothing would stop me from linking directly to Holiday rentals, House sales etc etc

Great google engine ratings and all for free!!

50 or 200 postings,  as said you can post any old stuff to get your count up

We get plenty for free here already

Didnt notice, just had to get to 100 posts

See, another post towards free advertising!!!

Thanks for the feedback.  I have now changed this to 50 posts.

If you click on "My profile" at the top right, if you've made at least 50 posts you will be able to include a hyperlink in your signature.

Justin

Thanks again for support given to me on this.  I have now updated my signature to include the weblink!  When I get time I think I need to make it a bit more jazzy, but at least it is a start.

I like this, Leswill