Within the Q&A forum, is it spam to include a website in our signature?

[GastonRiera]

Hello Mozzers!

I've seen several contributors that end their questions and responses with a website. Just for the sake of the argument, this is an example:

-- Some text about the response/question --- Hope I've helped. Gaston Riera www.domain-Gaston-company.com

To clarify more, the URL does never have a link. I've always considered that this is a place to share and help other by ours/others expertise not to self promote implicitly our company.
So, my question is related to the rules and best practices in the forum:

• Is it spam to include a website in the signature of a message?
• Does Moz's community staff take some action about those?

Thanks!
GR.

[RobertFisher]

Gaston, 
This is a good discussion question and EGOL has given much of what I think. I think the overarching idea with Moz has always been it was high quality advice and no one was doing anything overt to make it about marketing themselves or their companies. Having been on Moz a long time I can tell you that the comments to someone purposefully trying to market themselves generally tend to quell repeat offenders. 
So, the soft sell is the approach most use in Q&A if they are doing anything beyond truly helping, discussing and learning.

Good question though,

Robert

[EGOL]

I don't mind the domain below their signature.  I do that in all of my business email messages.  Sometimes I have two domains in my email signatures.   To me, a forum post is not unlike a public email and an unliked domain is not offensive to me in any way.

Is it marketing?  Yes, probably.

At the same time, it can be credibility.  I have gone to the websites of people who add an unlinked domain in their signature and have been impressed with what I find there.  These have all been SEO websites.  If they would have been fish oil supplement websites, or payday loan websites, I would likely have a very different opinion.  So, the industry of the domain produces an aroma or an odor.

[GastonRiera]

Of course that manking a link is a little disgusting.

On the other hand, don't you think that, despite there's no link, leaving their's bussiness domain is an act of self promotion?
To me it's like they are contributing just to promote theirself, not for the community. The correct place (in my opinion) to show off your company is in the profile description, so there will be no need to add it in the signature.

Am I too blind? Is it that I hate with my guts SPAM?

[EGOL]

Here is how these hit my mind....

Linked money keyword... not here to contribute, instead, here to mooch links, I don't like it, don't trust the post if I don't know the person.

Linked domain...  less annoying than the above and I don't like it.

Unlinked domain...  I don't mind this and don't find it annoying - if it is attached to a post that genuinely tries to help someone.  I might actually visit the websites of some strong contributors, just to see what they hold out as their expertise.

The deliberate act of making the link completely changes what I think of these additions to the bottom of a post.