Selling Forum Signatures?

**bbrian017** · Jul 21st, 2007, 4:37 pm

Do you believe Forum users should generate a profit from selling their signature? Would you (if a forum owner) allow it to happen unless it got out of hand where the users signature is a big red flashing banner?

I strongly believe this would help s forum become more active as users would possibly leave other forums only because they can't generate one single penny from posting there. Could this potentially help produce more posts inside a forum?

Let me know your thoughts it would be greatly appreciated!

**grim** · Jul 21st, 2007, 4:39 pm

It needs to be watched as it also makes people spam, sign up just to sell sigs then make duplicate accounts. It can cause much more harm than good.

You can also 'profit' off a forum by learning and getting help with your actual business, and not worrying about pennies for sig links.

**bbrian017** · Jul 21st, 2007, 4:51 pm

At first yes, but once users see how strict Forum owners and bid auction owners are the real webmaster won't abuse the privilege. In the end that's who were after. We can easily stop the user from having Signatures in the forums and just as easily ban them from the auction/PPC program.

Span in any shape or form isn't tolerated this would be no exception

**dgridley** · Jul 21st, 2007, 11:07 pm

I can see both sides of the argument but when you consider that many who sell their sig make good money because they post "quality" posts as well as "quantity", often it hurts the forum owners to exclude the better posters who may or may not charge for their SIG. I've gotten as much as $125-$150 a month for a single SIG link in the past. That said, I usually prefer to link to my own sites.

Originally Posted by grim

not worrying about pennies for sig links.

**grim** · Jul 22nd, 2007, 8:10 am

Originally Posted by dav3us

I can see both sides of the argument but when you consider that many who sell their sig make good money because they post "quality" posts as well as "quantity", often it hurts the forum owners to exclude the better posters who may or may not charge for their SIG. I've gotten as much as $125-$150 a month for a single SIG link in the past. That said, I usually prefer to link to my own sites.

Yes good long term posters can make decent cash for links, I was talking about the many fly by night posters who post 10 times and try to sell their sig links. At DP I had one kid constantly bugging me to buy his sig link, he had barely any posts yet he wanted as much as someone with thousands.

**bbrian017** · Jul 22nd, 2007, 8:12 am

Yes good long term posters can make decent cash for links

This is true, I don't see users with less than xxx amount of posts even having a chance to auction their signature who will but it?

**iowadawg** · Jul 22nd, 2007, 10:19 am

Originally Posted by grim

Yes good long term posters can make decent cash for links, I was talking about the many fly by night posters who post 10 times and try to sell their sig links. At DP I had one kid constantly bugging me to buy his sig link, he had barely any posts yet he wanted as much as someone with thousands.

On DP, now people do not want to spend big bucks as in the past.
Seems they will spend a dollar here and there with those with a few posts.
Cheapened the sig link market when everyone with any number of posts started to sell their sig links cheap.

I won't take less than $100 a month for a sig link on DP or here, so I am not selling my sig links as so far, no one wants to commit to that kind of money.

**Redemption** · Jul 25th, 2007, 5:37 pm

Personally I believe it's a good idea, but I don't really care for it too much anymore (after what I've seen at DigitalPoint).

**izeel** · Jul 30th, 2007, 4:09 am

You have to maintain post quality, people will post randomly to increase post count to make higher their sig links price.

By allowing sig links selling, it will increase your forum post count!

Personally I don't sell sig links but I don't see any prob with it

**D007** · Jul 30th, 2007, 6:49 am

Umm this is an interesting topic. Is it (sig links selling) allowed here ?

In my view, if you can maintain the quality of your posting, then you can sell your sig links.

**grim** · Jul 30th, 2007, 7:06 am

Originally Posted by designer007

Umm this is an interesting topic. Is it (sig links selling) allowed here ?

Yes it is, with certain restrictions. Please check the rules

**john933** · Sep 11th, 2007, 2:19 pm

1. Great post!

2. Thanks for the tip!

3. I agree with the above.

4. lol

Your probably wondering what I am on about with them comments above, but they are the sort of posts you will get just so that they can increase their post count. Each number represents 1 post. Now you will find that the forum will start offering less useful information. I have found a large webmaster forums that really doesn't have as much useful information as what it first had as more people are selling sigs there and are just replying to posts with off topic replies or posts that contain only a few words. The only advantage to that is the forum owner is using Adsense and has quite a few CPM ads showing so he must be making a good bit from the CPM of all the pageviews.

**Colleen** · Sep 11th, 2007, 2:57 pm

Originally Posted by john933

1. Great post!

2. Thanks for the tip!

3. I agree with the above.

4. lol

Your probably wondering what I am on about with them comments above, but they are the sort of posts you will get just so that they can increase their post count. Each number represents 1 post. Now you will find that the forum will start offering less useful information. I have found a large webmaster forums that really doesn't have as much useful information as what it first had as more people are selling sigs there and are just replying to posts with off topic replies or posts that contain only a few words. The only advantage to that is the forum owner is using Adsense and has quite a few CPM ads showing so he must be making a good bit from the CPM of all the pageviews.

And unlike more webmaster forums, we move the majority of those sorts of posts to the trash, where post count doesn't count and the members post count is lowered. We are on top of this.

**john933** · Sep 11th, 2007, 3:10 pm

Originally Posted by Colleen

And unlike more webmaster forums, we move the majority of those sorts of posts to the trash, where post count doesn't count and the members post count is lowered. We are on top of this.

By the looks of your forum I would think you do. But anyway, I'm saying that with the selling of sig links or turning the forums into a rev share type forum it will only increase bad posts like that, which in turn would only increase the admins / mods workload which is not needed.

**Colleen** · Sep 11th, 2007, 3:11 pm

Most people won't bother spamming to the 500 required posts.

**john933** · Sep 11th, 2007, 3:27 pm

Originally Posted by Colleen

Most people won't bother spamming to the 500 required posts.

I take it you offer something here by saying 500 required posts. Do you accept the selling of sig links or are you a rev share forum? Even if you did do one of them, it's not something that I would take part in, but I guess it's a good way to get your members posting as long as they don't spam, which you take care of anyway if they did, which is all good.

**Colleen** · Sep 11th, 2007, 3:51 pm

We allow members to sell their signature once they reach 500 posts, and 6 months membership.

"You must be a member for a minimum of 6 months and have a minimum post count of 500 to sell you signature/avatar/location, etc, space."

**JuggernautH** · Sep 11th, 2007, 9:13 pm

Well you should be able to sell a link or two, atleast i think so and i like the fact that they have the rule about 6months/500posts here as it will keep the spammers away. Actually i do also agree with Grim's first reply and i haven't had much sales before i joined up in forums as they do give you profit in alot other ways than money.

Actually i see knowledge as a profit, as you can make money with knowledge you already have something very important.

**forumlifting** · Sep 12th, 2007, 12:26 am

I think if you have wquality posts in well known forums then you can sell your signatures.
Signature advertisement is a good source for promotion of a site.

**bbrian017** · Oct 11th, 2007, 12:56 pm

well I'm still trying to get the idea of the ground but I have been held back by popscript.com I went and purchased Auction PHP v2.0 Layout 2 Blue Grey and little did I know it has some serious errors that I have been saving money to fix. But just so you all know the concept is still in play it's just taking longer than I thought!

**bbrian017** · Oct 13th, 2007, 9:31 am

Originally Posted by stickyz

yes i think you should fix it

Should be better now. I mean were still working on the whole thing but it's not easy, haha.

Regarding the topic a little more I have started this thread in many forums and there's only one forum that was ANTI SELLING FORUM SUGNATURES and it was phpBB • Creating Communities Worldwide haha go figure. They really didn't like the idea at all 100% They hates it so much they actually locked and deleted the topic and it had like 15 replies too. Oh well they all won't be into it I guess. But I personally love the idea and hope it take off!

**Big Dan** · Oct 13th, 2007, 9:31 am

Originally Posted by stickyz

yes i think you should fix it

Who should fix what?

**bbrian017** · Oct 13th, 2007, 9:34 am

Who should fix what?

I bought a script to try and make this selling sigs idea fly and I kinda got ripped off

So I'm getting really nice people that have been helping me fix it for free... but it's still time consuming. It's also really hard to test when we currently have no users! All great things take time so I'll wait.

**shakir** · Nov 20th, 2007, 6:21 am

I also noticed it, its good now forums for sharing knowledge. By this many ppls will join forum and also many popular forums will be launched. But if like that popular forums will charged. Nowadays i saw many forums charging for registoring