Email Signatures… really??

[erastes]

On one of my groups on yahoo there was a recent “We’ll critique your signature” event by a publisher. Nice of them to do, specially for nothing – but I found myself wondering a lot about email signatures.

Does anyone here actually pay them any attention?  I know I don’t – in fact I find anything over 3 lines as intrusive and irritating. Specially if there’s a (god forbid) banner or worse an ANIMATED banner on the end. I’m not going to read your signature at all, really, especially if it says “author of dark elf fantasy novel with a link” followed by a line for every one of your books together with links.

Surely to goodness, in this instance, less is more?

my email signature is this:

Erastes
www.erastes
Gay Historical Fiction

 

Does exactly what it says on the tin.

But seriously – do you take notice of signatures? Do you often click through and do you find them useful? Do tell, I’d really like to know.