not quite random curiosity

[ratcreature]

The object of today's curiosity is signatures added to blog and journal posts. In particular the practice I've encountered in some blogs (mostly non-fandom) to include random religious scripture excerpts at the bottom of every post, even if the blog itself has no obvious religious content or otherwise preachy slant or anything like that. I tend to find this vaguely annoying, and usually won't subscribe then, even if I otherwise might have. Case in point, just now I came across one of those "a painting a day" blogs, and the art looked nice enough, but I find signature quotes that are unrelated to the content of the post annoying more often than not in general (especially the picture sigs on some message boards, I'd actually take preachy ones over those), but these seem even more obnoxious to me.

I understand that for some faiths there exists some sort of obligation to spread their words or something like that -- I vaguely remember that from confirmation classes at least -- but does it have to be in your art blog posts? It's not like I'm about to be converted by these. So now I'm curious: Do others like/dislike this kind of thing? Are indifferent? Maybe you overlook them, like with ad-blindness? Thus a poll:

Poll #2288 religious signatures?

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 40

View Respondents

What is your reaction to religious quotes as blog signatures?

View Answers

I like them.
0 (0.0%)

I like them only if they are from my religion.
0 (0.0%)

I don't mind them/just overlook them.
10 (25.0%)

I dislike them.
28 (70.0%)

Your radio buttons are oppressing me.
2 (5.0%)

Comments

[parhelion]

I mildly dislike them since they seem to combine the tiny annoyance of spam with the slight irritation of complete ineffectualness.

Still, I try to put up with them in practice since I had my couple of years of trying religion to solve my ethical quandaries when I was young, and I figure I racked up some tolerance-of-belief debts back then.

[ratcreature]

I would actually mind it less if someone had say a painting blog, and every now and then felt compelled to share how their religion inspired them or is important to them something like that. I don't mind that blogs are not always strictly "on topic" even if I don't care for that content.

What gets to me and prevents me from subscribing to these, even though I might for the "main content" part is that it is this random piece of stuff that does not fit, and with every post. Like spam, as you say. And with some other sigs, like say someone picks funny quotes, that's still jarring because there is the main part and the sig part, but at least that is content that I might read on its own, so two bits mixed together that don't fit, but neither annoys me as such.