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An Alternative to Implementing a Signature Feature

The Anagram King·5/27/2015, 4:08:06 PM·2 votes·4,983 views

TL;DR - Lots of threads are lost in the shuffle; and we are overwhelmed by daily topics and complaints. Let players advertise their threads (or threads they like) in small print at the bottom of their posts; and give us some kind of influence over the future of our creations!

Hello, fellow forum enthusiasts!

So I'm sure a fair number of you by now have accepted the inevitability of a no-signature feature situation. It has, after all, been a solid year (or something near it) since the old boards were closed down and replaced with this... monstrousity (I mean it in a good way?); and - at least in recent months - a quick search would indicate a lack of general interest on the topic.

whip crack sfx

The objective is condensed information. The larger the signature identity, the smaller the identity of the post - at least, that's the theory. Filling up a box with clutter and quotes? Riot doesn't like it - and I'm sure several of you feel the same way, at times. However!

In the using of this model, there is a very specific tradeoff that harms post identity. What IS this tradeoff, I hear you ask with reserved anticipation? Well abate your curiousity and behold the following:

This forum does not respect unpopular opinions.

Not just unpopular opinions, but ignored ones as well. Were a player to create a work of unrivalled linguistic art, but find their thread buried in a mess of highschool Amumu shenanigans and "Ahri's so pretty" topics, the odds of their work seeing mainstream popularity falls dramatically. Should they bump the thread relentlessly, in the hopes someone might appreciate it? Throw forum etiquette out the window for some form of peer recognition?!

There are a whole load of threads that never see responses or upvotes; doomed to the pits of this forum through no fault of the creator. There are posts and there are guides that remain relevant for years; only visible when necroed and brought to the front. And even then, only if you're sorting board threads by Recent.

Giving members (they're players, remember) a way to keep old threads relevant through an alternative method means that one of the more crippling weaknesses of this forum could be eased in some small - but significant - way. Just imagine it: A member could contribute on a thread he finds funny or amusing - informative or interesting - while still allowing the threads that they value to be simultaneously advertised.

#But what about Post Identity?!

Riot doesn't want the content of signatures to dwarf the content of responses. And y'know what? They're right not to.

But there are members that try to weigh the odds in their favour: Who downvote their competitors and withhold input. These forums are an ABYSS of lost identity; and it's hard to recall a time that it wasn't. Would it be so radical to trade one or two lines of minimised text for the potential to double - or even triple - the diversity of topics available to the average forum-goer?

We could implement a system. A system that exclusively provides the option to advertise a couple of valued threads at the bottom of a post; automatically formatted into the title of the threads they are linked to. There would be minimal clutter; and minimal loss of identity. Envision it:

  • Your beloved Car Salesman Mundo skin - the one you drew months ago - alive in your signature, on display for the whole world to see.

  • The story you wrote from a poor man's perspective; of their arduous life in the slums beneath Zaun - slowly gathering view counts and amassing the heartfelt responses of those brought to tears by its brilliant take on Zaunite life.

You could sharpen your claws, refer funny threads, advertise on-going games... and Riot would be right. You would be impacting the identity of the forums.

But it would be for the better.

7 Comments

Daen5/27/2015, 6:05:52 PM2 votes

Riot's policy with the boards, according to Pendragon a few months ago, has been to value content above the user; this seems to be the direction Riot is taking with this platform. Examples supporting this:

  • Rioters lost their unique avatars
  • Avatars and player names are significantly smaller in general
  • Forum badges require hovering over a user's name

Obviously none of this is particularly significant, but it's still worth noting. I'm not really sure I'd like to see a signature unless it's very much out of the way (or hidden behind a spoiler/mouseover), but I do want to see more ways for us to have some diversity and identity.

Cindikle5/27/2015, 6:49:06 PM2 votes

I'd think they could easily add it to the right side. It's left empty.

Being it's mostly out of the way it shouldn't hinder discussions.

RiotRiot Baconhawk5/29/2015, 6:18:08 PM2 votes

Very well-thought-out post. I'll bring it up to the team.

Goldoak5/27/2015, 6:44:39 PM1 votes

I'm leery of any signature system as well, even one as mild as this, but I definitely think more identifying details for individual posters are vital. Perhaps a system like you're suggesting could be put where we have the rollover for forum badges now? Or implimented on individual profiles, so you can click through to see prominent posts followed by or liked by a poster you liked.

Hyrum Graff5/27/2015, 8:18:14 PM1 votes

I'm honestly pretty dubious of any signature system -- I know how annoying it is when DUNKED, or whatever he's going by now, makes a 1-line comment that takes up way too much screen space because of his huge signature. Even if it's, say, 3 featured threads, I feel it might take away from the discussion at hand.

However, I also like the idea of being able to find content in more ways that only through the home page. What if you could feature just one post, of your choice, with only the title displayed right next to the permalink button?

Thanotos Omega5/29/2015, 6:51:27 PM1 votes

this would be brilliant,