Junk Posts or Members with SPAM links

[Angoid]

Yeah, it'll continue OK. They're like door-to-door salemen: the word "no" has been expunged from their dictionaries, and they actively try to circumvent any measures that say "Clear off - we don't want you here because you waste time, bandwidth and money."

[Luned]

No idea what to think of this, but it seems that there are some new members posting something that is not exactly off topic, but is not on topic, either...

Also, the new (double) post in Strayed Away Question thread is a copy-and-paste from what Roibeard Óg posted in another thread.

[Grania]

Looks like all of this is probably spam - thanks for the info about the last one, in the strayed away thread though Luned, I didn't realise that it was a copy-paste! Wouldn't have spotted it otherwise!

[Luned]

Actually, it was the only one that sounded on topic but I had this feeling that I must have read it already somewhere...

[Angoid]

*SIGH*

Just dealt with the latest Phantastic Phive:

dustinmoskovitz
erum
Clark_Kent
Shae4556
marlo

I wish we could get some genuine new blood around here. All we get these days is spammers

Thanks for the heads-up, all!

[Dab051176]

Here we go again! MsMillie55 the latest culprit!

[Angoid]

Dealt with it.
Thanks Dave

[Dab051176]

Likewise Young7952, please, Angus!

[Angoid]

Thanks Dave, I just deleted that one and the junk post.

*SIGH*

I might alter the board settings for Admin approval of new accounts rather than user. This means that I (and not the user) will receive the registration approval email, so spammers can be deleted easier (just check where they come from - as soon as I see .PK in the whois report, I know it'll be spam.

Didn't want to take that step, but it's looking like that may be the only way to keep the board clean.

I'll think on it. If you (or any others) have any thoughts on this, then I'm all ears!

[Dab051176]

I'll leave that one up to you, mate. We're clearly going to have to do something, though, as we're getting loads. . I don't mind helping alert you, especially now I know where to find the StopForumSpam database.

That said, will the forum software allow you to delegate your proposed solution down to Mod level? My twisted logic is that it seems a lot of extra work for you to do on your own, and, as I speak to G on a regular basis, if she had the ability to dispose of them as well (assuming she and the other mods are happy to do so) it'll get rid of spammers quicker, and also free your time up a bit.

Just a thought....

[Angoid]

The forum can be set to activate new user accounts in three ways:

1) None at all - account is immediately active. This is a bad idea, as using that option will essentially turn the forum into a spammers' playground overnight.
2) User activation. This is what we currently use. The user creating the account is sent an activation mail that contains a link they need to follow to activate it.
3) Admin activation. As user activation, but the admin is sent the email instead of the user.

Unfortunately, I don't think there's a way to specify more than one email address there so it would be the specified user only that gets the emails. If it's possible to set a group, such as Moderators, then that would be good.

I notice that the board software is now out-of-date, so I'll check to see what's in the update and see about doing it at some stage in the near future (will necessitate some board downtime).

We don't get that many registrations, but it's a pain if, for example I go away or hit a busy patch and cannot attend to it - that's where it comes in useful to have you (and G) on board.

In onse sense, it's not tat I mind dealing with spammers per se, it's just that ALL the new registrations we get these days are spam, and it's just got so very boring. When we do get a new member that looks legit, they don't bother to post (or they post once to ask a question and never bother to return to say thanks to someone who has researched an answer for them and gone to the trouble of posting it).

[cantilena91]

I really don't mind any downtime for upgrading, it's much better to get this forum more spam-resistant than what it is now. It's so sad to see this forum so quiet these days, and it is very likely that the spammers are to blame for this as they seem to scare off people.

Suvi

[Angoid]

Hi Suvi, unfortunately one of the facts about the Internet is that there will always be spam and there will always be spammers.
The Internet is increasingly becoming more and more hostile, but it still remains a great resource.

If you want an up-to-date example, just google Cryptolocker - that one is truly evil - unless you really want something to encrypt all your personal files and then demand a ransom to get them back (I kid you not).

So I don't think the spammers are scaring people off ... we get very few here really and when we do, they are dealt with swiftly. I just think the forum has quietened down partly because of the lack of new albums (although the new Clannad album has generated some discussion both here and at Unity) and the fact that people use other forms of social networking such as Facebook and Twitter.

[cantilena91]

Adding ashar12 to the black list of spambots, please act accordingly!

Yeah, it's beyond reality to have 100% spam-proof websites/forums, but the problem still needs to be tackled as well as possible... The downside only being that it causes more work for admins and other users who must stay alert all the time...

And yes, it is very likely that now that Clannad has both Twitter and Facebook accounts, the communication is still more lively there. Which I think is a bit of a shame because not all people want to use FB/Twitter...

Suvi

[Angoid]

Three more are now toast:

Reva41
ashar12
sidneysonnino

Because the junk has not disrupted the flow of the discussions, I've just deleted them along with their junk posts.

It does create work for Admins, but the real problem is that it's just downright boring. It just gets tiresome coming here to find that all the new registrations are junk.
The Admin approval option is actually quite quick and easy: you know when you join many forums, you get a confirmation email containing a link you must click on to complete your registration?
Well, that would go to the Admin instead. The Admin can then look to see if it looks spammy and deny the registration, thereby not allowing them to post at all. I don't think the board would allow elevated permissions to other users to do this on an Admin's behalf, but I'll continue checking.