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Too late!No, don't say that!Some advice for flagging:
When you see several spam threads being generated look what username is creating them. Only grab a single thread for each username. Then click on the username and go to their posts (or threads) and then flag there.
That way you do not have to try and open every thread you can simply hammer the offender's posts using "this one simple method they don't want you to know about!"
This... this is a brilliant post on so... many... levels.
Okay.
The internet is done.
Abraham spalding finished it.
Well done, sir. Well done.
Way to go, genius....
EDIT: Oh noes! We haz a defector in General Discussion! pcardinal, spamming about Core games.
Fortunately, that's simply a double triple post issue. :)
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Maybe it's time to block posting by a new account for some time, like a day or three, unless the user buys something/receives a gift from another user? With the explicit restriction that free products don't count to unlock the posting feature?
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I've noticed each user id tends to post once or twice.Almost all are two-hit-wonders at which point the account is abandoned and a new one is created, because they know they'll get banned and their account deleted.
EDIT: Oh, hey, and I'm back.
My thoughts exactly.
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Signing off for about forty-five minutes... need to get to band... I've flagged a bunch, tho'!
My thoughts exactly.I've noticed each user id tends to post once or twice.Almost all are two-hit-wonders at which point the account is abandoned and a new one is created, because they know they'll get banned and their account deleted.
EDIT: Oh, hey, and I'm back.
Sorry, actually, it's been confirmed by the Mods/tech team. They've explained that these are people, not Spam Bots is what I was trying to say.
Maybe it's time to block posting by a new account for some time, like a day or three, unless the user buys something/receives a gift from another user? With the explicit restriction that free products don't count to unlock the posting feature?
That would, I think, be overly restrictive. My own purchasing process is mostly through B&N with some online supplement (though it's slowly been shifting the other way). A good idea, but I think it would turn away too many people, as there are simply too many would-be newcomers.
But that's just me.
How many people actually start posting immediately and how many lurk for some time before posting anyway? It should be easy for the Banwielders Webteam to check before making decision...
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How many people actually start posting immediately
*raises hand*
It's enough to frustrate me just having to go from the forum I just registered back to my email to validate my account before I can start posting. If I had to wait any longer to post, much less a day, much less even an hour, I'd cut my losses and spend my already-limited internet time elsewhere.
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How many people actually start posting immediately*raises hand*
It's enough to frustrate me just having to go from the forum I just registered back to my email to validate my account before I can start posting. If I had to wait an hour to post, much less a day, I'd cut my losses and spend my already-limited internet time elsewhere.
Generally for me, the point of registering is to post. Lurk and read, find something that inspires me to post, make an account and post.
Some boards keep the first post in limbo until it's checked by someone, then the user is cleared to post.
Yeah, another thing that frustrates me. A lot of webcomics I read do that with their comment sections. I understand why - webcomics are easy fodder for spam and trolls - but it still irks me to no end, so I just tend not to post.
Okay, so I've spent 2/3s of my son's school day flagging spam.
So much for "personal time"! But I get to spend it with you guys and listening to music, so that's nice!
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Please don't post/repost translated versions of the spam. Staff has requested such things not be reposted - it gives search engines more spam stuff to latch onto, and they'll delete it as if it was just more of the spam.
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Do not copy parts of the spam messages - they want to replicate specific sequences because it affects various search engine bots. The more the sequence appears anywhere in the respectable (or not so respectable) parts of the net the higher the associated websites end on search engines list.
EDIT: Orthos is an android ninja.
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*pokes head out of foxhole* They gone yet?
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Maybe Paizo needs to bring in some Winger to drive them off :-)
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Maybe Paizo needs to bring in some Winger to drive them off :-)
He has enough trouble herding our study group and repairing the Dean's well-intentioned mismanagement of Greendale; I don't think he has the time to shut down spammers too.
thanks guys! We've got most of them cleared out and some will probably be poking their heads in over the next couple of hours until I can get to work and close some holes. Me and Robot and Sharaya have been kicking them.
You guys own! Thanks!
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Maybe Paizo needs to bring in some Winger to drive them off :-)He has enough trouble herding our study group and repairing the Dean's well-intentioned mismanagement of Greendale; I don't think he has the time to shut down spammers too.
Cool. Cool-cool-cool.
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My thoughts exactly.I've noticed each user id tends to post once or twice.Almost all are two-hit-wonders at which point the account is abandoned and a new one is created, because they know they'll get banned and their account deleted.
EDIT: Oh, hey, and I'm back.
Sorry, actually, it's been confirmed by the Mods/tech team. They've explained that these are people, not Spam Bots is what I was trying to say.
Maybe it's time to block posting by a new account for some time, like a day or three, unless the user buys something/receives a gift from another user? With the explicit restriction that free products don't count to unlock the posting feature?That would, I think, be overly restrictive. My own purchasing process is mostly through B&N with some online supplement (though it's slowly been shifting the other way). A good idea, but I think it would turn away too many people, as there are simply too many would-be newcomers.
But that's just me.
Yeah, I figured they were real people - most spam bots I've encountered tend to dump a whole heck of a lot more than two and at all hours of the day. But people are smart enough to post once or twice then quickly create a new account and do it all over again (or are instructed to do just that. Plus the times that the spamming occurs points to real people.
Now that I think about it you may be right regarding restricting based on purchases. It is a good thought but, as you pointed out it could turn away newcomers or those with infrequent purchases. Shame the solution isn't as simple as what we would like. All we can do is help out Paizo by doing what has already been mentioned - flag them and do not reply to or repost them.
And I still think Lissa and crew need a new icon by their names. I'm in favor of the Paizo Golem wielding a banhammer in each hand.
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And I still think Lissa and crew need a new icon by their names. I'm in favor of the Paizo Golem wielding a banhammer in each hand.
I thought about Paizo Golem firing burst from MG wielded in one hand, Rambo style.
You guys own! Thanks!No, you guys own! Thanks for all your help with flagging, it really helped us get through those guys quick.
Thank you much for the compliment. :)
And all the awesome stuff you do!
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Some advice for flagging:
When you see several spam threads being generated look what username is creating them. Only grab a single thread for each username. Then click on the username and go to their posts (or threads) and then flag there.
That way you do not have to try and open every thread you can simply hammer the offender's posts using "this one simple method they don't want you to know about!"
This... this is a brilliant post on so... many... levels.
Okay.
The internet is done.
Abraham spalding finished it.
Well done, sir. Well done.
Just doing my part to help clean things up.
Though I do worry occasionally that they'll have something encoded in all the jarble they put up.
System Administrator
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Yup. Mark Seifter got him. Thanks. ^_^ Pretty much all of us that pay attention and have mod capabilities are in bed or are going to bed because we have things to fix early in the morning. Thanks for flagging guys. That really does help a lot.
You wouldn't need to make posting capability dependent upon purchases (that might even be counterproductive). Just institute a delay, and only allow 1 account per valid e-mail address (or something like that). Even if they have a bunch of sock puppet e-mails, they'll soon run out and have to slow way down in their spamming.
And now they've appeared here in Website Feedback...
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Anyone tried reversing the polarity of the neutron flow?
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SPAMS, MR RICO! ZILLIONS OF 'EM! I AM A FLAGGING THEM DOWN!
Do not copy parts of the spam messages - they want to replicate specific sequences because it affects various search engine bots. The more the sequence appears anywhere in the respectable (or not so respectable) parts of the net the higher the associated websites end on search engines list.
EDIT: Orthos is an android ninja.
Question. Given the content of some of the more recent spam, couldn't you use that against it?
Eg.... If their objective is to have the same string found as many times as they can here....current flavour seems to be repeated string over and over again.
Shouldn't be too hard to rig up an algorithm to search for posts that contain an exact match on that string (or any string really) more than X (eg 10) times, and are more than 50% that string. Unleash it on the content from this month that hasn't already be cleaned and you might have a pretty useful starting point.
The limitation on the > 50% stops people being flagged for saying "The" a lot, and the > X times means that it has to be a repeated string... it won't (eg) match the whole post to itself.
Course, then it escalates by tacking 3 paragraphs of erotic poetry onto the end of it so it's not a match to 50%, but meyh....
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Yup. Mark Seifter got him. Thanks. ^_^ Pretty much all of us that pay attention and have mod capabilities are in bed or are going to bed because we have things to fix early in the morning. Thanks for flagging guys. That really does help a lot.
Is someone going to be around this weekend to wield the banhammer?
I know having to work on a Saturday isn't pleasant, but I'm not sure that the alternative, coming in on Monday morning to a forum stuffed to the brim with Korean tentacle porn, is that much better.
(Doing my bit to flag this morning....)
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I may be mistaken but I thought I've seen some of the weekend spam in the past getting blasted rather quickly.
I have noticed that some of the spammers aren't just posting once or twice in a particular forum board - they are splitting them between boards so keep your eyes open.
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HAHA! I flagged some! I'm helping...I'm helping!!! Uh don't tell anyone though that could get my troll status revoked.
Second verse...
... same as the first.
It's not original, but it doesn't have to be! Rock on, my fellow warriors!
Cue up the Dave Clark FiveThe Wurzels (Combine Harvester)*Tsk*. Amateurs!
()
()
Lyrics!:A warning to the people,
The good and the evil,
This is war.
To the flagger, the poster,
The sub-thread, the searcher,
This is war.
It's the moment of truth, and the moment to flag,
The moment to live and the moment to frag,
The moment to fight, the moment to fight
To fight, to fight, to fight!
To the right, To the left
We will flag them to death!
To the edge of the posts
It's a brave new forums
From the last to the first
To the right, To the left
We will flag them to death!
To the edge of the posts
It's a brave new forums
It's a brave new forums!
A warning to the flagger,
The spammer, the poster,
This is war.
To the tech team, the spam-bot,
The forumites, the mod team,
This is war.
It's the moment of truth, and the moment to flag,
The moment to live and the moment to frag,
The moment to fight, the moment to fight,
To fight, to fight, to fight!
To the right, To the left
We will flag them to death!
To the edge of the posts
It's a brave new forums
From the last to the first
To the right, To the left
We will flag them to death!
To the edge of the posts
It's a brave new forums
It's a brave new forums
It's a brave new forums!
I do believe in the mods
Raise your hands to the team
The fight is done, the war is won
Lift your hands toward the team
Toward the team
Toward the team
Toward the team
The war is won
To the right, To the left
We will flag them to death!
To the edge of the posts
It's a brave new forums
From the last to the first
To the right, To the left
We will flag them to death!
To the edge of the posts
It's a brave new forums
It's a brave new forums
It's a brave new forums!
A brave new forums
The war is won
The war is won
A brave new forums
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I flagged four just this morning.
We've got to send a strike team to Korea to stop this unending assault on our beloved boards!
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I don't even peruse the boards (as much as I'd like) ;P
But even I couldn't help but trip over them today.
Flagging 'em when I see em!
:)
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Wow. You guys ARE awesome!
(Not that I had any doubts really, but still)
I refreshed the front page after posting here and the one I flagged was already taken out!
BOOM BABY!
And THAT's how you deal with stupid Spammers from Korea.
(How long before these morons realize that they are spamming us in a language we don't read?) ;P
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Morning all.
Missed this! ;)
And good morning to you too! Happy Spam-Zapping! :D
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Ah. OK then.
<Slightly confused look>
Hm. Apparently I am old enough to USE the interwebs, but still don't understand it. As much as I thought. ;)
Oh I get it! It's GOOGLE'S FAULT! ;P
Ah well, Happy Zappy! ;)