- Restrict access to forums for 2 months after signing up, perhaps with the exception of the Code It forum (so genuine noobs can ask questions). This would mean most spamming would be concentrated in one forum and therefore easier to moderate, or spammers would have to wait 2 months before they could spam. Since spamming is often just due to boredom, this should make a dent in the amount of spam.
- As per the above, also preventing the new user publishing articles for that same 2 months.
Fake accounts- Immediately deleted. Or that's how it should be
Restricting access to forums for 2 months is a good idea, although looking at the mentalities of spammers like the ones around recently, they'd probably take their crap to the games/projects sections.
Ive always thought good banning system would be a progressive build up type, so a person would be banned for a day, if they're banned again, a week, a 3rd time- a month and so on.
We do have a "Silence" feature, that we can set to run for a period of time if needs be That would restrict access to the forums - but not for making general comments. If necessary we could use that.
How about a simple one account per e-mail. It wont stop fake accounts completely, but it will make it undesirable over time, and can discourage people from going through the "work" of making a new free e-mail account, just so that they can make a few pointless posts.
Unless of course something like this is to complex for our site admins who "have a life to attend to" (I hate that excuse.)
you guys would not by any chance be talking about me would YOU! just because i say frickin that and frickin this you all want me banned. Plus on top of that you all think i am frickin spammer. I AM NOT! whoops i just broke my keyboard......how can i still be typing these words.....spooky!
Originally Posted by DeadmanDines Some suggestions to resolve this?
Mine are:
- Restrict access to forums for 2 months after signing up, perhaps with the exception of the Code It forum (so genuine noobs can ask questions). This would mean most spamming would be concentrated in one forum and therefore easier to moderate, or spammers would have to wait 2 months before they could spam. Since spamming is often just due to boredom, this should make a dent in the amount of spam.
- As per the above, also preventing the new user publishing articles for that same 2 months.
Why not disable new accounts altogether? Most people probably won't care about a site that makes them wait 2 months after signing up to post.
Edit: How about giving everyone an "Ignore" list? Then people can just put users they find annoying on that list.
Edited by the Author.
- Ok, you must admit that was the most creative cussing this site have ever seen -
As far as I am aware, you can only register one account per email address (at least, I couldn't register a new account with my email). Now when a spammer comes along or something - say someone who spams porn or something - the account is deleted by admins. But the problem then is that their email address is no longer in the database, therefore they can use that email address again to register a new account.
I've always disagreed with being able to delete accounts (on any website, not just this one) but that option is there for some reason.
As Chris said above, we've just introduced a new silence system which silences a user for a set period of time. The problem with the bans system is that all bans are permanent. I've been meaning to get around to making bans with a time period but I haven't had the time lately. I completely agree with Adam's idea too.
I don't like the 2 months thing though - I mean most people generally aren't spammers and would like to be able to communicate with the rest of the community straight away. I don't think all new users should have to pay the price just because an odd one or two people decide to spam a lot.
Originally Posted by DaVince [Ectoprods] That would just become confusing. "Huh? Who are you replying to?"
Adding people to your Ignore list would be an active action. Perhaps when an ignored user posts in a thread the user would see a small notice at that place of the thread and perhaps a link to view that particular (otherwise hidden) post.
Originally Posted by Flava As far as I am aware, you can only register one account per email address (at least, I couldn't register a new account with my email).
Do people really think there is a problem with new users spamming though?
I mean I've seen a few people do it (heck even a lot of 'oldies' do it). Yet whenever we edit/delete posts everyone complains that we're trying to censor you or something
How do you guys think spam posts should be dealt with?
Should we delete them permanently, should we edit the post telling the user to cease, or should we do something else? I don't think the issue is only with newly registered users, personally.
Originally Posted by Flava Do people really think there is a problem with new users spamming though?
I mean I've seen a few people do it (heck even a lot of 'oldies' do it). Yet whenever we edit/delete posts everyone complains that we're trying to censor you or something
How do you guys think spam posts should be dealt with?
Should we delete them permanently, should we edit the post telling the user to cease, or should we do something else? I don't think the issue is only with newly registered users, personally.
I think some people (you know who you are) are just overreacting. An "Ignore list" would lessen (cease?) the amount of "Ban _____" posts from those people. Those posts are just as annoying as the spam posts in my eyes.
The best way to handle spam is to ignore it. If someone makes a spam topic, DON'T reply to it. Report it to the admins if you feel like, but DON'T reply.
- Ok, you must admit that was the most creative cussing this site have ever seen -
Flava: From what I've seen, it's usually the same narrow set of individuals that complain when mods intervene, and they're often people who've been on the wrong side of the mods before. It's not actually a reliable indicator of how the community feels, just how one or two very vocal people feel.
Or maybe introduce an option that allows individual users to "warn" another user...if that user receives something like 10 warns in a day, then they're banned for the day, and perhaps it becomes progressively longer if they keep doing it (like Adam's idea, except users would have the control instead of whining to the admins). I think AIM had something like this way back when, and it still might---I haven't been on it for about five years, so I'm not sure.
It's always possible that it could fall into the wrong hands though, for example, someone could create multiple accounts and bully someone they don't like and get them banned...
Right, but I get the sense that it would be rare for ten people here (since there are really only a handfull of "permanent" members) to gang up on someone without provication. All the regulars here seem pretty reasonable, so I don't forsee people ganging up on someone for no reason. But I do wonder about someone making multiple accounts and misusing the warn feature...perhaps warning would not be anonymous...that way, if people were clearly ganging up everyone would know and they'd be reprimanded.
If being an admin isn't a job, then they have no reason why they shouldn't leave if it's worth complaining about. People at jobs can't just quit, admins can. Fact of the matter is, if something is voluntary, don't complain about how it interferes with your life. Quite simple really.
I'd say that people should shut up and not start complaining when an admin deletes something so they could continue their good work. That would fix many problems
Also, I think ignorance system would be TERRIBLE idea. When looking to what it does for example in IRC, it would just create more chaos. Like mr.X ignoring mr.Y when mr.Y tries to apologise something he/she has done to mr.X.
I agree with andy uk, theres nothing frickin wrong with some funny frickin posts! Every one wants to frickin talk like frickin stiffs, why cant they just frickin relax!
Originally Posted by J.R.P I agree with andy uk, theres nothing frickin wrong with some funny frickin posts! Every one wants to frickin talk like frickin stiffs, why cant they just frickin relax!
That's frickin' enough
- Ok, you must admit that was the most creative cussing this site have ever seen -