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Topic: Rational suggestions on spammers (Read 4080 times) previous topic - next topic

Rational suggestions on spammers

Note I made sure to include "RATIONAL" in the title of this. While we might all like to see the spammers strung up by their nuts and dipped into a pool full of starving alligators, it's not very rational to expect this as a valid solution to the problem.

The problem here is how to deal with the spammers without putting in draconian posting measures that risk alienating legitimate new users or existing users. This is not meant as a my-suggestion-is-the-only-way type of post, but more of a work in progress. One person suggests something, another person revises it, etc. My only request is that you try to consider the drawbacks to your suggestions as well as the benefits.

Of course one option is to continue the way things are now. Amusing for awhile, when we all jump in to mock the spammers.. but it's already getting boring.. and the spam is getting worse.

My initial thoughts are that maybe we could use some kind of Welcome to the Forum section (perhaps a rework of User Rides?) that new users can only post to for X number of posts. (we'll say 5 for now, just to have a number attached to it) All other forums would be read-only to that user until then. If spammers try to invade, they're restricted to that forum until hopefully someone can come along and ban them. If legitimate new users come along and post questions that are easily addressed by existing topics, they can be directed to those threads and their posts can remain in the new user section. If they post a thread that might merit saving, it could be moved over to the proper forum at the end of their trial period.

The drawbacks to this are more moderation, (both increased load on the existing admins and probably a demand for more mods) which can have its own set of problems. Also, I'm reasonably certain many users would quickly tire of going into the newbie section because it would turn into spam hell. Of course, the spammers can just spam in X number of messages to get around it.. but hopefully most of the time they would be caught and restricted before this happened.

Well I never said it was a perfect idea.. but hopefully the rest of you can build on it. My hope is that this problem can be mostly dealt with without the board turning into one of those highly xenophobic places where new users have to be approved and things like that.

Rational suggestions on spammers

Reply #1 –
Rather than limit new users to a single forum, how about setting it up that a new user has to complete X amount of posts before having full access to free posting.
Each of their posts up to the magical X number can be sent to one of the admins to be approved or discarded.

I'm not familiar with the specifics of the workings of these message forums and what limitations we may have. I'm just going on the way it is on a few other boards I've been on.

Rational suggestions on spammers

Reply #2 –
That is also possible, (pre-approving newbie posts) but that's even more workload on the admins and any mods they might appoint. (if they did)

Rational suggestions on spammers

Reply #3 –
One of the forums I used to go to had a 60 word (or something like that) minimum for every post.  Maybe combine that with the X amount of posts idea; that way they could use all the forums too.  Once they pass the trial, the limit will be gone.

Rational suggestions on spammers

Reply #4 –
Quote from: Bird351
That is also possible, (pre-approving newbie posts) but that's even more workload on the admins and any mods they might appoint. (if they did)

Yeah, I thought about that as well. :(

Rational suggestions on spammers

Reply #5 –
im not to keen on the 60 word limit on posts, but i do like fred's idea about pre approving posts for the first few. they might need to get another admin just to handel the flood tho...

Rational suggestions on spammers

Reply #6 –
Quote from: Nate
im not to keen on the 60 word limit on posts, but i do like fred's idea about pre approving posts for the first few. they might need to get another admin just to handel the flood tho...

Keep in mind that it's a minimum limit, though.  It worked pretty well at the forum, although it was permanent, which sucked sometimes.  I think that 15 or so posts would be fine.

Rational suggestions on spammers

Reply #7 –
I thought Carm had mentioned setting the board up so you had to respond to an email message before you could join or post.  I wonder if he has done that yet.
-Jim
1987 Cougar LS 5.0

Rational suggestions on spammers

Reply #8 –
If you can't already tell from my posts, I'm generally anti-moderation when it comes to forums. (although I don't dislike the current admins here.. even though we've had our moments) It would not be my suggestion to appoint more admins.. but maybe a couple lower-level moderators who just have domain over spammers could be added. Perhaps instead of mods having the power to ban someone outright, they could be given the ability to suspend someone's posting access for 8-12 hours until one of the admins can come in and have a look and give the nod to a ban.

Rational suggestions on spammers

Reply #9 –
Quote from: jkirchman
I thought Carm had mentioned setting the board up so you had to respond to an email message before you could join or post.  I wonder if he has done that yet.


That would probably help somewhat since it would seem most of the BS accounts lately have fake/throwaway email addresses. But then again, it doesn't address someone tossing up a Hotmail account just to spam. Then you have to go to the next level of it, which is to ban certain web mail addresses from the verification process (Hotmail, Gmail, Lycos, etc.) plus the addresses of spammers who have already been banned, if the system does not already do so. But even that can be cirspoogevented to some extent.

Rational suggestions on spammers

Reply #10 –
Or we can continue to expose their e-mails and ISP's.

As a website owner, I have a VERY deep hate and resentment towards spammer sspooge.

Rational suggestions on spammers

Reply #11 –
Quote from: Aerobird Motorsports
Or we can continue to expose their e-mails and ISP's.


Assuming the information is valid.. not faked/spoofed/etc..

Rational suggestions on spammers

Reply #12 –
Quote from: Aerobird Motorsports
As a website owner, I have a VERY deep hate and resentment towards spammer sspooge.


:rollin:  we can't tell...
Quote from: Aerobird Motorsports
I want to reach the computer screen and pimp slap him!
I'll gouge his eyeballs out with a rusty fender spacer!
Must resist urge to gouge his eyeballs out with a spork....
Fvck you dude! If I knew where you lived, I'd go beat you down with a T-Bird shock.

Rational suggestions on spammers

Reply #13 –
Quote from: Bird351
But then again, it doesn't address someone tossing up a Hotmail account just to spam.

I guess not, but I don't think that represents the majority of spammers.  They will find a path of least resistance to get as many messages out as quickly as possible, which in this case would mean posting on a forum that does not require a registration email to be sent.
-Jim
1987 Cougar LS 5.0

Rational suggestions on spammers

Reply #14 –
Of course, we could always go the route of sending all kinds of porn and gay porn to their e-mails! :rollin: LMAO!!!
:cougarsmily:~Karen~