OK. So you participate frequently in a forum (this one, or one related to your website, or whatever.) Is the purpose of the link development for direct click throughs from the forum posts being read? Or is the link development the supposed "do follow" attribute which should come from the link in the signature?
Regardless of what people use it for, I would say it has more value as part of a link building campaign than for direct traffic.
Both. For me, there aren't many wine forums out there so I spend some time on DP and WF to learn more about SEO and gain some link juice at the same time. Sig's are great for SEO(they are easy to get) but over time they can become really valuable.
yes, I agree Mark, sigs are fab, so look for forums in google that are of a similar niche and do follow, then post away.
It's also a great way to build connections in that space. If you participate on a related forums you can network in the space, develop readers and get backlinks.