Ok so i noticed the announcment about reportinbg threads, and i was wondering what exactly qualifies as a spam thread? for instance i just posted a music thread in the lounge, is that considered a spam thread? i really don't want to accidently post somehithing i shouldn't so i was looking for a little clarification on this. thanks
Spam threads usually come from new members and they post links to get you to go to another website. I've seen at least 2 in the past month and reported them. Our mod team is the best and they are usually dealt with very quickly.
If you even suspect it may be spam, use the report icon. The mods will only take action if the reported post is indeed a problem, and unless we see frivoloues or malicious reporting (we haven't yet), we will never take any punitive action toward anyone for reporting a post.
Cog is right. And I wouldn't worry about posting something in the wrong section. I haven't been here long enough to know exactly what they would do, but if you do post something in the wrong section by mistake, you wouldn't get in trouble. The mods could move it, or lock it and let you know where he topic belongs.
Is linking to Wikipedia considered spamming? I've done that a few times here and, since I am fairly new to these Writing Forums, I was wondering. I haven't received any warnings about it though...
nope....as long as you don't just start a thread(or post) asking others to just go there, you need to post at least some stuff to show what you're referring to...anything constructive isn't spam...it's just places where people start threads asking people to buy something or stuff related to that.
Posting links relevant to a discussion is not spamming. Still, such links may be removed if the link does not add value, or if the link is commercial in nature. For example, if someonbe is discussing a book and provides an Amazon link, it will likely be removed, even though there may be a ssynopsis or review on the page. A link to the author's web site (without a purchace button) would probably be left alone. Youtube links are not spam, but they are not usually permitted because they rarely add value relative to the unchecked page content. But it is not spam. Spam falls into two general categories: the typical ad posts which usually contain hyperlinks to commercial sites, viral sites, or oter prohibited content; and prank posting for the sole purpose of causing mischief. Spammers generally create throwaway accounts because they know they will be banned upon detection, and most (but not all) don't bother to try to send "legitimizing" posts to forestall banning. Spammers may send a flood of posts, or only a single post, but it is still spamming. All spam is prohibited, but not all unacceptablle posts are spam. I hope that clarifies somewhat, but spam CAN be slippery to define. Some spammers go to great lengths to diusguise the nature of their attack.
