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Post by Stevewebb on Jul 18, 2012 10:09:34 GMT
We are getting hit with spam more and more it seems  It has totally wrecked the newest threads screen this morning. I know Barry is stretched trying to mod us all on his own so can I suggest that we have a couple more people with mod access just to zap the spam whenever it arrives?? Whilst I can't commit to being online all the time, I am happy to chip in whenever I can. If we could get someone from USA involved too then we should be able to cover around the clock a bit more too. Any thoughts? I am not trying to take anything away from you Barry, you are doing a great job at the modding but I think we need a plan to counter the spammers. |
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Post by Seri on Jul 18, 2012 10:45:38 GMT
Steve, I totally agree that something must be done to counter the recent upsurge in spam attacks. No one person can be expected to be at the other end of the line 24/7 (not even doctors are  ), so some other solution must be found. Spammers have ways of working out just how long spam stays active on a forum, and will target those that aren't quick to remove them, so the problem will only get worse if a faster way of dealing with spammers that get through the net isn't found. Looking forward to hearing solutions from those who know more than I do about the technicalities. P.S. Have to admit that the lingerie was a great improvement on the jerseys and the furniture. Very nice indeed, in fact ;D |
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Post by chrisc on Jul 18, 2012 11:48:49 GMT
I'm on here quite often, though admittedly there will be more times when I am gone a week at a time so while I would be happy to be of any assistance (I really hate spammers) if we could get one other on this side of the pond to assist those times when I might be gone.
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Post by katynoelle on Jul 18, 2012 13:28:14 GMT
btw, I was just thinking, again, yesterday, how much I appreciate Barry and Steve and all the little technical things they do... along with the big leadership things.... thank you!  |
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Post by clactonian on Jul 18, 2012 13:45:01 GMT
btw, I was just thinking, again, yesterday, how much I appreciate Barry and Steve and all the little technical things they do... along with the big leadership things.... thank you! I quite agree |
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Post by Seri on Jul 18, 2012 13:52:19 GMT
Definitely seconded, Katy |
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Post by jeeperman on Jul 18, 2012 15:06:06 GMT
+2 on Katy and Steve's posts. You guys do a great job.
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Post by The Wirefox on Jul 18, 2012 19:00:56 GMT
It is inevitable that we will be targeted by spammers given the healthy number of total posts. Recently we have had more spammers joining than new members  Both Barry and I try to get on here as much as possible in between our other commitments. Additional moderators is one solution certainly but we have so few active members it may be overkill. One option available to us is to approve each application for membership. This means potential members cannot post until we checked out their IP address and other details. We can also get new members to return an e-mail from one of the admins. It is not foolproof but it should stop casual spammers I am open to both suggestions - additional mods and/or tighter access controls. Ultimately though Barry is the admin for this site and I rely on his previous experience as a mod on a far larger forum than this one. If we go for more mods I think it has to be two. One from US or southern hemisphere time zones and one from north to give maximum coverage. We already have two volunteer candidates that fit that bill if we choose to go down that route. Lets see some discussion to give Barry a feel for how members feel |
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Post by The Wirefox on Jul 18, 2012 19:03:11 GMT
Oh forget to say that any additional moderators will be distinct from the Admin in terms of permissions
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Post by Stevewebb on Jul 18, 2012 20:15:37 GMT
Totally agree Steve.
We just need to be a bit smarter to beat the spammers without making it too difficult for new members to sign up and post legitimately.
I'm an admin for another very small pro-boards forum that I use at work and I've always wanted to press the "delete this user and all their posts button" ;D ;D ;D
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Post by Barry on Jul 18, 2012 20:45:27 GMT
I have now banned this user and removed all of his posts. Not too sure at the moment which way to go, but agree with Steve Webb that we do not want to make it too difficult to recruit new members, but on the other hand we are only a small group of people enjoying our hobby/business, and being small we do seem to get to know each other well, giving the whole forum a family feel. But on the other hand we do not want to get bombarded with spammers, so need to nip these out as quick as possible.
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Post by chrisc on Jul 18, 2012 21:04:37 GMT
I've never been bothered with having to be "approved," as I thought it was a good way to avoid spam and to legitimise your membership base. I'd go that route.
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Post by chrisc on Jul 18, 2012 21:07:27 GMT
You missed a few of douly's posts near the bottom of the page.
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Post by clactonian on Jul 18, 2012 21:09:24 GMT
I have to agree that their is nothing more annoying than spammers and I applaud the measures being taken to reduce their effectiveness. I do recognise the difficulty in introducing more controls without putting off prospective new members.
I'll be pleased to help in any way should you need me.
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Post by mariehass on Jul 19, 2012 0:02:27 GMT
What about having a separate thread for new user posts? That way, the spam might be contained? New users can only post on that thread. Guests would not be able to post in other threads until their application has been approved?
I am not familiar with containing methods for containing spam.
'Rie
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