So what's the difference? Just curious. Flame away...

In general, I'd say if the only purpose you posted was to display your link(s), and your post itself isn't of any value to the topic at hand, it's a good candidate for spam. The distinction would be up to the mods, which is why they pull down the big bucks.

Solicited help concerning a CC product justifies unsolicited shameless links as well?

The motive is not always clear. Being helpful just might be a means to an end, don't you think?

Tom,
Until today, I had a link to my personal website with my signature. I will probably put it back on. (I did update my signature, and add a link to my website, so it's back even in this post)
Is there anything on my website to help promote me as a web developer? Darn straight there is! Is it spam to be proud of what I can do and show it off in a link on my posts in CoffeeCup forums? NO! YES! Why should it matter?
(you did say "flame away")

This is my view:
If the person who posted has a link to a website that they created/helped create and they are proud of it enough to show it off, then I say YEAH!

If the person who posted has a link to other software, in hopes of driving traffic to a site that they might proffit from JUST TO DRIVE TRAFFIC THERE, then I say NAY!

Can I or anyone else always tell the difference? Probably not.

It is and has always been acceptable to post links to your site in your signature on CoffeeCup forums, at least as long as I have been around here. I support the ability to post links to your site. I'm a web developer and it would be wrong to say I can't have a link to my own site in a forum for web development.

Final thought:
Without links, the world wide web would not exist, period.

I personally think it depends on how your signature is designed. Simple is key.

Simple:

Scott Swedorski
CoffeeCup Software
http://www.coffeecup.com

Kinda Spammy:

Scott Swedorski
CoffeeCup Software
======================================================
Act now and download the most ubber cool html editor on the block at http://www.coffeecup.com BUT WAIT, if you buy within the next 30 minutes I will send my children over to your house and wash you car. Sign up at http://www.coffeecup.com

I actually added my iFreelance link, not in the hopes someone here would go there and then hire me, because folks here generally are the sort to be hired for artistic work, not do the hiring, if you know what I mean. I put it there because I thought there's a good chance a lot of folks here are either already freelancing or have the potential to go that route to some degree, and they might be interested in a venue I'd discovered in my searching. Does it link to my profile rather than to the generic main address? Damned straight. It shows my portfolio there, and that's my work and I'm proud of it.

If it's crossing the line, wherever that line is, I'll gladly remove it.

As to my web site, I didn't link it until well after I'd re-built it using CC software, 'Nuff said.

Spinny, keep the links. No moderator that I know of here would remove them or ask you do remove them. You are not crossing any lines.
I have temporarily removed my signature because it no longer held true. I just haven't found the right thing to add, but when I do I will be adding the link to my site once again.

Amen!

Fair enough. I actually fought an inner battle before I put any links in my sig at all, but after a while I just up and decided I'd earned the right, and to see where the chips fell.

I spend hours rumaging through these CC forums a) to gain knowledge of the progs and b) to look at the posted links to websites. I just wish people would write beneath the link whether it has been designed using CC and if so what CC prog was used. I do this to convince myself that if they can do it so can I. Somehow! Yes, the learning curve is steep for me, I'm afraid!

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