Signature

[Haruspex]

I have been wondering for a while now. Why the hell do people feel the need to include their name in their message, separate from their signature. Is the purpose of having a separate 'signature' option to include the bloody signature in question there? I mean, I'm quite puzzled, because I have always thought that since the thing is called 'signature' in every forum engine I have ever seen, it should be pretty damn obvious that you put your name there if you indeed want to include it as a signature.

 

[RavenRockstar]

I have no clue
ive wondered the same thing

 

[Tsuyoiko]

I think it's because some people feel the need to personally sign their messages, as you would with a letter. I don't have an e-mail signature at work as I make a point of not conforming to the corporate image. Most people do, but they usually still sign with their first name, above the signature. To be honest, it looks a bit strange if they don't. I'm not sure why the opposite convention is more usual on forums, but I agree that it looks a bit awkward when people sign all their messages.

Actually, I wonder whether it's more usual to sign e-mails as in that case you are usually in personal contact with an individual, whereas posting on a forum is a kind of public statement and as such, doesn't really require the personal touch of an individual signature.

I'm sure there are sociologists and psychologists somewhere who are studying what we can learn about a person from their posting style