If you see spam posts on the forum

Cariboocoot

Please do not post a response.
Just report it: at the bottom of the post is a gray line with several symbols & words starting with "Blog this Post" on the left. About the middle is a little gray triangle with an exclamation mark in it. If you point to it it says "Report Post". Click that and follow the simple procedure and one of us will nail the spammer's hide to the wall ASAP.

BB.

Re: If you see spam posts on the forum

I (and probably other moderators) have the Notice sent to my email--So I will get a beep from my computer (and phone) if there is spam--Can make it a lot quicker for us to respond.

-Bill

BB.

Re: If you see spam posts on the forum

Yep, that is the button--Then we get an email like this:

CDN_VT ( mailto: user eamil address ) has reported this post:

If you see spam posts on the forum
http://forum.solar-electric.com/showthread.php?19962&p=157726#post157726

This is part of this thread:
If you see spam posts on the forum
http://forum.solar-electric.com/showthread.php?19962

This is the reason that the user gave:
This one ??

On my forum , I login as regular user , "Trouble maker one" just for seeing the internal bots that only effect users , Mod's & admins they don't show up.

& were running Forum software by XenForo™ ©2012-2013 XenForo Ltd.

second to $$$$

VT

-Bill

ILFE

Re: If you see spam posts on the forum

I have been running online forums for years. I currently, and for the past seven years, have been running IPB forum software. Prior to that, I ran phpBB2 forum software. I don't recall, right off, what I ran prior to then.

All new members' first five (5) posts are moderated, and hidden, to prevent full members from ever seeing the SPAM posted on the site. I pride myself on keeping my forums 100% SPAM free. I know how irritating it can be.

Anyway, perhaps the Administrator could create a new usergroup for new members to be placed in automatically, upon joining the forum? Then, after their first, say five posts have been made, they are automatically moved into the "regular members" user group?

Just some random thoughts.

Oh, by the way - great forum you have here. I look forward to learning from the "old hands".

inetdog

Re: If you see spam posts on the forum

ILFE wrote: »

I have been running online forums for years. I currently, and for the past seven years, have been running IPB forum software. Prior to that, I ran phpBB2 forum software. I don't recall, right off, what I ran prior to then.

All new members' first five (5) posts are moderated, and hidden, to prevent full members from ever seeing the SPAM posted on the site. I pride myself on keeping my forums 100% SPAM free. I know how irritating it can be.

I participate in forums of both types.
The moderated newbie option creates a lot more work for the moderators, but on some forums they choose that over chasing spam.
But it also results in a lot of frustration for new users who have something of time value to contribute. Especially if the cycle takes 8 hours or more, and it is a forum I have been lurking for awhile before actively joining.

There also tends to be a difference in attitude between discussion forums and mutual assistance forums.

niel

Re: If you see spam posts on the forum

we have also seen many spammers posting nonsense just because they assumed we were using the 5 moderated posts initially like what was mentioned. they figured on just placed stuff like, "i wholeheartedly agree and couldn't agree more." we catch them before they get that far anyway even though once in a while one slips by us, but the forum here won't stand for it and report them to us 90% of the time with times when 3 or 4 people report the same incident.

ILFE

Re: If you see spam posts on the forum

Fair enough.

Once in a while we have similar issues with new members, as you have stated. But, as you also stated, it does help keep the SPAM off the forum. So, I guess it is a trade off.

If I am correct, I see that you have six staff members on this site. That is a fair amount work for you fellas.

I will do my best to help - when online, by reporting any SPAM I notice posted.

Thanks again, for a great board.

niel

Re: If you see spam posts on the forum

sure, we appreciate that and although there's 6 listed, it really boils down to 4 of us and one of the 4 isn't as active as far as moderating goes.

BB.

Re: If you see spam posts on the forum

We actually did look at making the first post or so moderated--But it turns out with this forum software that you can only configure the software that way wit the initial install and configuration. And we could not enable that option later.

Anyway, for the most part we have had pretty good luck here. the vast majority of first time posters here are 'real' and just fine. The delay to approve the first posts is probably more work for us and would tend to frustrate first time posters.

It is a balancing act--But I think we have gotten it pretty good (the anti-spam stuff was setup by Windsun from NAWS and we moderators are here to clean up anything that slips through).

-Bill

ILFE

Re: If you see spam posts on the forum

BB. wrote: »

We actually did look at making the first post or so moderated--But it turns out with this forum software that you can only configure the software that way wit the initial install and configuration. And we could not enable that option later.

Anyway, for the most part we have had pretty good luck here. the vast majority of first time posters here are 'real' and just fine. The delay to approve the first posts is probably more work for us and would tend to frustrate first time posters.

It is a balancing act--But I think we have gotten it pretty good (the anti-spam stuff was setup by Windsun from NAWS and we moderators are here to clean up anything that slips through).

-Bill

Thanks for letting me know. That is odd, though, that vBulletin would limit itself that way. That is quite easily done with IPB, at any point - when you initially set up the software, or at any time in the future.

Anyway, I could not agree more, concerning SPAM. We have added any options / hacks / mods to my forums, to help prevent SPAMMERs from joining and even getting to the point where they may post. But, sometimes, "live" SPAMMERs still get through.

Stop Forum Spam is a good option to add to your forum. (I would be surprised if vBulletin is not involved in this as well.) If you are not familiar with it, when someone attempts to join your forum, their email and / or IP address is checked against the SFS database, to see if the member has SPAMMED other forums. The software, in turn, bans the members as they attempt to join. It saves us tons of work, even with over 20 staff members on the site.

If the forum owner isn't using this option already, perhaps they can check into availability of the modification for this forum software?

Cariboocoot

Re: If you see spam posts on the forum

The only reason I started this thread at all is because actual spam appears so rarely in the forum people forget what to do about it!

But lately we had a rash of join-and-spam advertisements and at least one other fake member so a little reminder doesn't hurt.

Most of the time the forum members never see a thing; the spammers are gone before they can say 'Iphone'.