Attack of the Spam Bots!
- Thread starter ryodoan
- Start date
- Nov 2, 2007
- 409
- 117
shovel/spade/trenching tool = bad question
this tooIf it was a mapping related question.... I would probably fail it...
Or perhaps a compulsary introduction post in the.. introduction area; to confirm ones humanity? So a mod can see and allow them access to the rest of the forums and says hi to said user?
I'm not sure how much work that would be, introductions normally get handled by one mod and a few members.
I'm not sure how much work that would be, introductions normally get handled by one mod and a few members.
I think asking the admins to thoroughly vet all new users is a bit much, but maybe there's a way to trim down the number of new users that need to be checked. Set something up so that a user's first post must be a new thread in the introductory forum. If this first post meets certain criteria -- it's short, or it has a web address -- the user is flagged and an alert email is sent to the admins.
Flagged users have the same privileges as regular users; the flag just tells admins that they had a suspicious initial post. After the admin has checked the user, they can unflag them. Nothing would change for users, but the admins would be able to focus their efforts on more likely spammers.
- Nov 2, 2007
- 409
- 117
Well, it seems that the flood of spammers has decreased drastically since this thread was created.
I have been rather lax in reading new threads on the forums lately (to many personal projects) but I am only getting 1-2 "Reported Post" emails a week in my inbox now, compared to the 5+ a day when this all started.
I dont know if DrPepper changed any anti-spam settings, if the spammers have given up, the posts are not being reported, moderators are finding / deleting more before they are reported, or what, but it would seem to me that the flood has diminished to a trickle.
I have been rather lax in reading new threads on the forums lately (to many personal projects) but I am only getting 1-2 "Reported Post" emails a week in my inbox now, compared to the 5+ a day when this all started.
I dont know if DrPepper changed any anti-spam settings, if the spammers have given up, the posts are not being reported, moderators are finding / deleting more before they are reported, or what, but it would seem to me that the flood has diminished to a trickle.
- Nov 2, 2007
- 409
- 117
*open mouth* *Insert foot*
14 reported spam messages today alone... :crying:
Keep up the good work people, we could not keep this forum clean without you guys.
Invictus said:
Well currently we're getting approximately one new active user a week, if that, with the predictable boost on any national holidays; so i really don't see the problem. As i said, each introductary post by any user usually gets a welcome from atleast one mod anyway. So it's not like they're having to thoroughly seive through posts purposefully 'veting' people. If they're gonna take the time to point out helpful links, forward them to particular threads and the steam chatroom, checking a flag that allows them to post in the extended forum (everything other than the introduction area) is something i doubt would bother them all that much.
It may just be awkward if all mods end up preoccupied for any lengthy period of time.
Theres plenty of anti-bot software for vBulletin is there not? Certainly more than enough for phpBB anyway.
- Nov 2, 2007
- 409
- 117
Well, the spam has greatly diminished since this was originally posted. I would say at most we get 1-2 spam posts a week, whereas when this was posted we were getting 5-10 a day.
Then again, I am taking these statistics out of the number of "Reported Posts" I get in my inbox, so if other moderators are just deleting / banning the spammers before anyone else reports it, then my numbers may be a bit off.
However, I think that either DrPepper changed something with the registration process, or the spammers have mostly given up.
Then again, I am taking these statistics out of the number of "Reported Posts" I get in my inbox, so if other moderators are just deleting / banning the spammers before anyone else reports it, then my numbers may be a bit off.
However, I think that either DrPepper changed something with the registration process, or the spammers have mostly given up.