Don't know if this has been said but, Most forum sites i register to (to sell my guitar) They have all had to type in one of those abstract picture codes. I don;t know what to really call them, but wouldn't that crack down on those fucking spam bots?

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that sounds pretty interesting!

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I think the subjects of captchas has been discussed already.

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Yeah, CAPTCHA codes are easily bypassed by the more sophisticated bots. There's already a CAPTCHA requirement when a new user registers, so clearly the bots that are tormenting this forum are in the "more sophisticated" category. There are alternatives, such as questions which require human answers (like, "What's 1 + 7 - 3 = ?") but even these aren't 100% secure. Technologies like these need to be updated regularly if they are to be effective for more than a few weeks.

Maybe combining several of these technologies would help. For instance, any user with under 10 posts has to enter two or three different codes (of a different nature) for each post they wish to make; after their tenth post the requirement is lifted. Or if you're really desperate, just set it so that any user with less than 5 or 10 posts has to have their posts verified by a mod prior to being published. That way only the mods will be bothered ha!

FUCKING spam.

Cant the span and such be easily deleted though? Somehow it up for a long while. Pretty good idea though.

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You guys don't see half the stuff we delete. Plus we are limited too, I can ban the spammer but only delete threads in the forums I mod. There is no mass-prune thingy or something. It's been a real pain in the ass.

Apperently the system we have now is not working.

I wonder if our BB program can allow us to select a user and delete all the posts by them. It wouldn't have much applicability in normal modding, but it'd be helpful as hell when it came to getting rid of spammers who hit every forum, not just the handful any given mod can deal with.

why is this forum so overrun when SMN has hundreds of new posts/users and theres almost never spam there? i dont think they have someone deleting spam around the clock either, becuase some world of warcraft stuff slips through sometimes.

isnt there some kind of software for this? wordpress has akismet

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Would it be helpful if users were to use the "Report Bad Post" button for spam threads? Or would that just increase the workload for mods?

Yes.



No.

The spam quantity has decreased dramatically the past few days, and it can only help matters to have spam threads deleted ASAP. The more we tighten the noose, the better.

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This has probably already been discussed down in the gurgling, dank, wretched depths of the mods' inner sanctum, but I've noticed that the forum is using version 3.0.3 of vBulletin software. The current version is 3.8.3, and an upgrade to this version may well put a major dent in the relentless onslaught of spam we've been seeing lately. The new version supports TypePad Anti-Spam, and the updated code of the forum itself will no doubt render it more secure in general. Upgrade instructions can be found here if an upgrade is worth considering.

I've seen mention of Akismet for vBulletin which is an anti-spam service with free and commercial options which works by catching posts before they make it onto the forum and scanning them, either letting them be posted or be filed for moderation depending on the results. The free service is probably sufficient.

I've been reporting spam threads like an autistic chimp with a massive itchy clicking finger, but reporting 200-300 posts in one sitting is a bit much, even for me and the incredibly narrow, limited scope of my aimless life. Besides, I can't imagine that reporting this sheer volume of threads is actually helpful! Is it possible to delete all threads/posts created by any given user in one fell swoop? If so, would it make more sense to just report one spam thread and let the mod dealing with it remove the rest from that user via this function? If it's not possible, is reporting hundreds of threads at once counter-productive or is it possible to have this function made available via some sort of add-on?

Yours in sincerest faithfulness,
Paddick.

Haha! Well I don't recieve the metaltabs mails, I really don't want reported threads in my mailbox. But eh, there is no mass-prune button or something.
We need to delete every thread seperately which is a bitch...

The spam is reallllly getting out of hand lately.

Yes and I thank you for that, I see all of them in my inbox and take care of all of them

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Nice one

I think an upgrade to the latest vBulletin software might give you guys a prune capability. I was searching through the vBulletin forums and it appears that this option (i.e. the option to delete all posts by a particular user) has been available for several years now. This thread is from 2003:

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77874

Or have I missed something? Is the MT forum software modded to not include this option or the like?

Cheers dudes!

Well, that is interesting Paddy.

Maybe our software isn't up to speed. I'll notify Nomad.