I fully endorse signature campaigns, for the reasons already given:
1) Promotion of the bitcoin economy
2) Getting some bitcoins into the hands of semi-newbies
And I like to add:
3) Greed is an integral part of how Bitcoin works, so let's do not suppress it.
While I agree that "spam" has increased in the last months, I still like to point out that "quality" is a very subjective criterion. What some people consider crap others will find interesting or entertaining.
I think one of the most significant aspects of Bitcoin is that it frees money and empowers people. Personally I have been drawn in this community by the spirit of freedom and the diversity of opinions that are voiced straightforwardly. In the spirit of Bitcoin, this forum should reflect that.
Therefore I'm much more tolerant when it comes to "quality". Some users post lengthy on serious topics, others post very short and jokingly. Both kinds of posts make up the whole community feeling that I enjoy. Nonetheless to reduce the amount of "spam" tentatively attributable to some types of signature advertising I have the following suggestions:
a) disallow advertising that pays solely per post
b) disallow advertising that demands more than a reasonable number of posts for a given time period to pay out (I think 30-60 posts per month is not excessive)
c) all users starting from junior member level should have the same formatting / content rights for signatures (which could be the level of a full member today), thereby discouraging posts to grow member level to attain advertising opportunities while at the same time opening up advertising opportunities for newer members
d) reintroduce the newbie prison, to avoid spammers spilling over directly into the main forum
e) opening of a "serious discussion" subsection, which everyone can read but only invited members can post to satisfy the needs of the "quality only"-fraction
I'm confident that implementing these measures can have a significant positive effect on quality while at the same time preserving the community spirit.
some people are just really complaining about everything...
Just noticed your sig - no wonder you are posting this crap.
I have reported you and your sponsor owes me 0.001 BTC now.
CIYAM, I seriously doubt that all of your posts live up to the standard you try to forcefully impose on others.