Do you sign your name on discussion posts/blogs?

[Dan_Wroblewski]

I see some people sign their name on discussion posts. I don't want to be rude, but it seems the etiquette is not to sign your name. No one signs their names on Facebook or Twitter posts, and discussions here resemble those channels. On the other hand, I like the idea of opening a post by referring to the previous poster by name, and to sign the post, which is a way of showing you stand by the post and are not just quickly typing a response without thinking.

What do you think?

Daniel

P.S.: If we decide not to sign posts, I will go back and delete the signature.

[UweFetzer_se38]

Hi Daniel,

I always sign my posts and I hope others do also. Simple explanation: often it's hard to guess the first name because the involved persons are from other cultural areas.

2nd: you cannot compare #scn with facebook. This is (should be) a professional community where other etiquettes (should) apply IMO.

Best regards

[SebastianSchuck]

Also there are a few service accounts. And having ppl sign the posts is the only way to know who's aczually talking 😄

[former_member1090062]

It is generally considered good practice to sign your name on discussion posts and blogs. Doing so helps to create a sense of accountability and professionalism, which can help build trust with readers. Additionally, signing your name gives readers an easy way to find more information about you or contact you if they have any questions or comments.

[former_member26693]

Hi,

1. I'm suprised that SAP does not have an offical policy on to use them or not.

2. I use mine; why? I'm a Support Engineer and the Forums are an offical and promoted support channel for some customer types. If I put myself in a customers shoes and see that a reply is from a dedicated Support Engineer it reenforces the message that SAP have people dedicated to monitoring and providing timely answers through the Forum.

If I'm posting in an internal forum only I don't think I use my full signature.  

This is my signature:

Regards,

Patrick Dinneen
Support Engineer

SAP Cloud Support

[Jelena_Perfiljeva]

My user ID is my real name, so I just don't feel a need to sign the forum, err, discussion posts. It's not an email and is not a letter.

Sometimes I do address the OP by the name, especially in the long discussions. But I don't devote the whole line to 'Dear <so and so>', I just start sentence with the name.

No disrespect, but quite honestly, these "dear gurus" and "best regards" irritate me a bit. It is just a "negative value information". On the new web site the discussions already have too much "white space" in them. Just look at this one - roughly 20% is just "hi" and "thanks". Gee... The web site is already on a slow side, so when a discussion spreads over multiple pages due to all the extra niceties, I'm not sure it's a positive effect.

Just my 0.02 USD...

P.S. On a second thought, if my name was something like "Diane von Trachtenberg de Sauvigny los Villalobos", I'd probably be signing it everywhere too because it's awesome. You guys just love your names soooo much, admit it!

[audreystevenson]

OK, where do I go to award points for excellent humor that has me ROFL? I Like'd your reply, , but that's the best I can do. I am simply in awe of that fantastic name!

With the sincerest, best, utmost humble regards,

Audrey

[Lukas_Weigelt]

I always sign my posts out of a habit and I don't really like the comparison with "them who shall not be spoken of" . I feared of SDN/SCN being compared to social networks after the migration and seeing this happen makes me a bit

Ah, well...

I shall remain, Yours faithfully , Lukas

[Former Member]

My habit is to not bother signing my name. After all, it is up there just above, for all to see. But then occasionally I break that rule and do sign my name. I've no idea why!

I'm not sure we need a rule about this. Sign or don't sign is fine by me.

Steve

[esjewett]

Hi Daniel,

On discussion responses, I often do. And I usually begin with a salutation. Crazy, I know. Except sometimes I don't do either. Hmmm

On blogs I never sign them.

What I have always worried about is whether signing off with "Cheers" is culturally insensitive to those who don't drink. Thoughts? Maybe I should start another discussion on the topic

Cheers,

Ethan

[Former Member]

I used to sign emails with "cheers" but I never associated it with drinking. Over here it is an informal way of saying "thank you". You'll often here people say "cheers for that".

I've now switched to signed emails with just my name, or with "Thanks" if requesting something, but I don't know why. There was no conscious decision that I recall!

[waldo]

Yes I do.

This is not Facebook or Twitter.

It is a forum.

Regards,

Oswald.

[Dan_Wroblewski]

Oswald,

Do you mean that SDN is a serious community, where people would never have avatars in the shape of an alien or an unrecognizable silhouette against a sky background?

Daniel

P.S.: Your post actually proved someone else's point, because without your signature, I wouldn't have known your first name.

[JasonLax]

SCN...we're SCN, not SDN...

Jason

[waldo]

Excuse me Daniel, do you read or participate at another forum than this?

If you participate in other communities, you will realize that what you are criticizing from my profile does not make any sense.

Large boards (and serious too) do not need real pictures to identify participants, the important thing is to engage and share knowledge (and good moods). You chose to put your real pics here, was your choice, congratz!

There will always be differences of opinion, but as well said and Former Member, there are matters of etiquette to be observed.

Perhaps in response to comments of up to five lines, signing the comment is not necessary, e.g. in those very brief comments. But every time one participates, quotes someone, put links, and explains a topic, in the end it's good to make clear who is signing.

On Facebook, twitter, or any other social network, the comments are so brief that it is pointless to sign. I can not imagine a tweet of 170 characters with my name at the end.

However, if you are content manager of a social network (other than Twitter, as it is micro-blogging) notice that the publications that certain pages (Facebook, Google +, etc.) are signed by the administrator, or as a reminder of the website that published the article.

Regards,

Oswald.

[Dan_Wroblewski]

Hi Oswald,

I was trying to be funny but it did not work. I apologize. I was wrong.

I agree with you about signing your posts (mostly, because it emphasizes that someone is ready to put their name behind what they say), and appreciate your comments about how other forums work and what we can learn from them.

Thanks.

Daniel

[JasonLax]

I was also just wondering about this the other day.

I almost always sign my posts but only occasionally open by referring to whom I responding too. It does seem redundant to bother at all since this information is clearly shown on the thread (who posted what in response to whom).

I suppose there's a good case not to sign because this will stop the threads from getting longer than needed...but what about etiquette? Maybe I feel the need to sign (and sometime open with to who) only because I still remember what it's like to write, by hand, a letter and don't want to seem rude.

Hm....maybe it's time to stop.