Forum Avatar and Signature Etiquette

[Chocola]

So, you guys must all realize that we don't really have a rules page, and we don't want to firmly set down rules either. Instead, here is some etiquette that you should observe ... or else:

1. No nudity/gore in avatars and signatures.
2. Do not be condescending towards characters or other members in this forum.
3. Do not steal other people's works without permission.
4. Avatars must be 128 x 128 and cannot exceed 250 KiB. (This is phpBB enforced.)
5. The height of all images in signatures combined should not exceed 300 pixels.
6. The total width of a signature should not exceed 800 820 pixels.
7. Avoid using animated signatures that are extremely large, such as over 400 KB.
8. If you have images in your signature, then please do not exceed 2 lines of text (3 lines if you use a smaller font like size=90) or one spoiler tag.
9. Use just one spoiler tag to hide additional text or images if you must have them. The max size for images inside the tag is the same for outside, but you may use up the remaining character limit (9000) for text and quotes inside the spoiler tag.
10. If you have no images in your signature, you may use more than 1 spoiler tag provided that the total height of the stacked tags plus other text does not exceed 200 pixels.

There are few Free Random Avatar and Signature Hosts in the internet like Rotating Signature Host and SignAvatar. With those you can have many images using the space of only one. When someone loads you signature (load a thread with a post from you) only one of the images will appear (randomly).

These values aren't very strict. If your signature is bigger than it should be, a moderator will contact you. We will always try to point to you changes that can be made in order to make your signature acceptable.

Here are some examples of acceptable signatures sizes:

SpoilerShow

This is a
Signature

[chaosprophet]

This post has been updated. Please check if your signature complies with the updated guidelines. If you have questions or want advice regarding your signature, please use this thread.

[Chocola]

Here's where you can also use the [image][/image] tags.

This is a 400 x 150 image:

Code: Select all

[img]http://i.imgur.com/yKv8pMY.jpg[/img]

This is resized to 375 x 141:

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[image=375x141]http://i.imgur.com/yKv8pMY.jpg[/image]

This is useful if you have a picture that you want to shrink. Let's say you have, for some reason, a 550 x 210 signature. Here are the steps you can follow:

1) Divide 550 by 210 to get 2.62
2) Multiple 2.62 by your desired height, let's say you want to shrink it to 150 tall
3) 150 x 2.62 = 393
4) So now you have your new dimensions:

5) If you wanted a desired width, then divide that by 2.62
6) Let's say you want it to be 400 wide, then 400 / 2.62 = 153
7)

[Chocola]

It has come to my attention that some of you are not following the signature rules at all. So as a result, I will put forth a compromise, which consists of 1) a threat and 2) an increase in signature limit. The threat is that if people still consistently break the rules after this post, then we will be harder with signature rules, and you don't want that. The compromise is that the 800 px width limit is now increase to 820 px. The height limit is still the same, 200 px.

Some of use are using spoiler tags in your signatures, which is permissible. However, note in the first post that the same rule applies inside and outside of spoilers, and you are only allowed one spoiler tag. This means stacking 3 space opera signatures in your spoiler is not a good idea, since that exceeds 200 px inside of the spoiler. If you do have a spoiler, then you should also limit lines of text in the signature.

Now let's talk about the below signature:



This is how it looks in 1024 x 768 resolution: http://piclair.com/data/6xgff.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (link is broken, will fix later)

Matteas needs not worry, because this is a perfect example of a "recommended" signature. One 350 px support sig and twelve 26 px slivers are just enough to not wrap for 1024 resolution, which is the most popular screen resolution for those who visit ISML. If you want to be nice and not make your signature wrap to two lines for these people, then you should really consider cutting down to 1 support sig and 12 slivers. Matteas gets brownie points for being considerate of others.

Under the new 820 px rule, there would be two popular "templates" possible.

• 1 support sig (350 px) + 18 slivers (26 px each)
• 2 space opera sigs (500 px) + 12 slivers (26 px each)

If you follow the above format, then you cannot break the rules. So stick with what is legal and you won't have to worry about getting mean PMs from chaosprophet.

Now let's talk about a certain problem that we have. This is bad:





The above signature consists of 2 space opera sigs and some slivers, but it they definitely wrap for most displays. Note that the signature has a total height of 280 px, exceeding the 200 px limit. There is a way we can use tables to make it better:
Now we have them on "one line" that is under 200 px. But if your computer's resolution is 1440 px width or less, then you will see that the signature wraps. That's because it doesn't conform to our 820 px width rule. For that, we would have to cut down to 12 slivers:
Then the signature would not wrap for 1280 px width resolution or higher, which we consider to be the current western standard. Here is the code (using tables) to make the above signature:

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[center][table][tr][td][img]spaceopera1.png[/img] 
[img]spaceopera2.png[/img][/td][td][img]sliver1.png[/img][img]sliver2.png[/img][img]sliver3.png[/img][img]sliver4.png[/img][img]sliver5.png[/img][img]sliver6.png[/img][img]sliver7.png[/img][img]sliver8.png[/img][img]sliver9.png[/img][img]sliver10.png[/img][img]sliver11.png[/img][img]sliver12.png[/img][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

Replace spaceopera1.png and spaceopera2.png with your links to those signatures, and replace sliver1-12.png with the links to those slivers. This satisfies the 2 space opera sig + 12 slivers template. The center tags are, of course, optional.

I hope this post helps for those who don't want the Internet forum police to bother them constantly. If you have questions or comments about this post, please post them in this thread.

~KS

[Crisu]

I have clarified guideline #9 and added guideline #10 as additional clarification:

9. Use just one spoiler tag to hide additional text or images if you must have them. The max size for images inside the tag is the same for outside, but you may use up the remaining character limit (9000) for text and quotes inside the spoiler tag.
10. If you have no images in your signature, you may use more than 1 spoiler tag provided that the total height of the stacked tags plus other text does not exceed 200 pixels.

This month we are doing a board-wide review of users' signatures and sending PMs to those who need to make adjustments. In case you haven't seen this thread in a while, please review the policies and check your signature for compliance. This ensures smooth browsing for all users with minimal lag. Thanks for cooperating!

[Hikari-chan]

Updated all broken image links except for one link which is a 1024x768 resolution screencap, but I won't really worry about that. If someone really has a concern about it, I'd be happy to look at your signature to see if it conforms to the guidelines, just let me know!