Keeping Out the Barbarians

A new tactic - or at least it's new to me - they're posting in existing threads.

 

We have two basically identical threads here, could they be merged?

this and the spam-eraser one.

 

Viruses cannot be propagated within posts, although if you click on a link, you do so at extreme risk. That is one reason we are as strict as we are about offsite links.

Attachments are also risky. Images are not, but they can conceal an offsite link.

 

Well, this is sentence is for more comical reasons, we can always take the subconscious suggestion my brain gave me when reading the title of this thread. "Creeping out the Spammers" all we got to do is be creepers.

On a more serious note, I know of one site that does an application process. I know I am not yet a member of even a month or even a year. And I know this was suggested before. I am a member of said application process upon new members meeting.

And wanted to say that its a really good idea. And that I wanted to put another vote towards it. Even if I have been a member for only a few days, I just wanted to say application processes are good.

 

since this site has consistently been the best on the net since it's inception, i say we should leave things as is, let our admin decide how best to handle admission of new members and the current problem...

 

That is much of an opinion google rates this 2nd.

 

I dont think he meant as in a grand scale of things


Some of the best souces online wont make it in the top 2000


Rank 1 dose not mean best when it comes to google

 

exactly, wolfi!... so a google 'second' doesn't mean there's any better writing site than this...

what site's 'first' in that ranking, color?

 

^I got us first when I googled it...

 

I think it mater what you Google,If I say writing forums then its in the name so its likely to be first, but if I put writing bordeds maybe its defreint

 

Hi,

Relatively new to the forum but already familiar with half the spam. Also a member of several other forums that don't seem to suffer at all.

So, my suggestion(s):

First, more mods and better software would obviously be one of the best solutions but are impractical to a degree for reasons already stated by others.

Would it be at all possible to divide your resources? By that I mean create mirror sites for each forum / sub-forum that act as some kind of quarantine. Whilst allowing new members to read any forum they could be restricted to the quarantine division until they've amassed a minimum number of posts (say, 5) that are totally benign in every way.

If an "acting mod" was on-line and noticed a problem in the quarantine area, he could close it with no interference in the main arena that contains all the respectable users. If this is at all technically possible of course!

Anyway, I hope it all gets sorted sooner or later and I think until then - with the problem as it is and no workable solution yet decided upon - it's going to have to be a case of putting up with it and hoping younger / more impressionable members don't suffer too many nightmares.

Incidentally, and considering the paragraph directly above, could the site be in any danger of being closed / suspended by the authorities should a kid's parents make a big official complaint following their child being introduced to spam of the most unsavoury kind?

Personally, I'd expect it could and therefore something needs to be done and QUICK.

Hopefully, that something will be done (sooner rather than later) and the site will continue to go from strength to strength.

 

I am surprised to see there's no "report spam" button here. How can we help mods without this feature? I ask because of a spam message I just saw for An antivirus program. I almost accidentally posted it to my blog while searching for the report button. Why is there none?

 

Look to the left of this post and you'll see a button marked "Report Post"
That, I am assuming, is how you report spam. (At least I hope so, seeing as that's how I do it...)

 

Oh. My bad.