bloody spammers

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puzzledpaul
Posts: 414
Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2006 4:15 am
Location: UK
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Post by puzzledpaul »

Ken, just remembered something else that we set up on the site I'm involved with - a Forum for Admin / Mods only, the contents of which cannot be viewed / accessed without (another) password - which only said ppl have.

This allows Admin / Mods to dump questionable posts there, thus removing them from public view - but providing a bit of 'pondering' time / space for A/Ms if this is needed for them to 'chew over' the contents of such posts before taking action.

Doing this sometimes helped us to (more quickly) identify ppl (by building a profile) who'd been banned, but were using multiple user names (and IPs) and still trying to post.

May well be irrelevant for here as much more mature / older members here - and fewer of 'em (2.5k on other place).

Again, just a thought.

pp

twebster
Posts: 442
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2006 8:02 am
Location: Phoenix "Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA

Post by twebster »

puzzledpaul,

We also have an admin/mod forum here. Regular members just cannot see it. We also have a "Queue Forum" where questionable posts are moved and evaluated. We've been very fortunate to not have to move but, maybe, one or two posts there. Yes, we have an outstandingly mature membership! :D

The only time our members actually see spammers is if the spammer has taken the time to actually verify, through email, their membership. Until the spammer verifies their membership the spammer cannot post topics nor will they appear in the "memberlist" to our registered members. Our admins, however, can see the spammers on the memberlist. We check out their qualifications and delete them on the spot. We also put a block on the email server they used so that nobody can register from that email server. This may cost us a few new members but someone who is really a legit, new memeber can email us and we will manually add them to our membership.

Rik,

When we first started with the old site, photomacrography.net, we had some problems with spammers. We did experiment with allowing new members only with approval by the admins. This turned out to be a great PITA$$ but I'll go ahead and try it again when I get landed back in town for a reasonable period of time.

Best regards to all as always. I'm off to the Colorado River! :D
Tom Webster

Phoenix "The Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA

The worst day photographing dragonflies is better than the best day working! :)

Carl_Constantine
Posts: 304
Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:02 am
Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Post by Carl_Constantine »

Yep, spread out moderation works good. But making it harder to register would be better. One site I visit has taken some severe steps to make the registration harder on their phpBB setup and they've removed the website from listings of new members (which are often just links back to their spam anyway). Don't see any spam there.
Carl B. Constantine

Carl_Constantine
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Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:02 am
Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Post by Carl_Constantine »

Blocking the email servers, while it didn't allow me to join with my gmail account initially, is a good idea and probably less hassle for you admins. I'm thankful that I can use my gmail account (to separate business and pleasure) on the new forum though.
Carl B. Constantine

DaveW
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:29 am
Location: Nottingham, UK

Post by DaveW »

Another spammer here:-

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... php?t=1187

But unlike some other sites there is no click box to for members to alert the Administrator or Moderators!!!

With many spammers I would have thought the names they use would have alerted you not to allow them on:- zonealarma (zone alarm!)

Dave W

puzzledpaul
Posts: 414
Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2006 4:15 am
Location: UK
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Post by puzzledpaul »

... but at least the most recent one (that I saw) had the decency to suggest the method of his own punishment in the thread title :)

<< Regular members just cannot see it. >>

OK - the 'make it visible' approach was taken so that members could see that action was being taken, since transferred post count would increment (with related date) ... the 'visible face of policing' rather than the opposite.

The guy that set it up (a wily old specimen of one of your countrymen, btw) thought its presence would lodge in the minds of ppl better if seen - rather than take the hidden option :)

pp

twebster
Posts: 442
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2006 8:02 am
Location: Phoenix "Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA

Post by twebster »

Hi ya',

This version of phpBB does not have a moderator alert feature. I'll see if a mod is available.
Tom Webster

Phoenix "The Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA

The worst day photographing dragonflies is better than the best day working! :)

DaveW
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:29 am
Location: Nottingham, UK

Post by DaveW »

Mods Alert,

Another spammer:-

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... php?t=1221

DaveW

twebster
Posts: 442
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2006 8:02 am
Location: Phoenix "Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA

Post by twebster »

Gone!
Tom Webster

Phoenix "The Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA

The worst day photographing dragonflies is better than the best day working! :)

DaveW
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:29 am
Location: Nottingham, UK

Post by DaveW »

Tom,

It strikes me all you need is a forum like this one say called "Report Spamming or Abuse" or something similar where we can just alert you including a link when we see spam. I presume you get an e-mail from any replies to this forum, so you or the Mods would be e-mailed as soon as somebody posted a spam warning in it. You seemed to get my alert fairly quickly?

Dave Whiteley

twebster
Posts: 442
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2006 8:02 am
Location: Phoenix "Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA

Post by twebster »

Hi ya' Dave,
DaveW wrote:You seemed to get my alert fairly quickly?
I just happened to be at my computer when the email notice struck! I have been hopping in and out of town for the last several weeks. I will seriously consider a "Spammer Forum" to bring faster attention to the other admins. I'm not always in town lately and I rely heavily on our superb admins to catch spammers.

Best regards, :D
Tom Webster

Phoenix "The Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA

The worst day photographing dragonflies is better than the best day working! :)

Moebius
Posts: 284
Joined: Fri Aug 18, 2006 8:53 am
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
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Post by Moebius »


Mike B in OKlahoma
Posts: 1048
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 10:32 pm
Location: Oklahoma City

Post by Mike B in OKlahoma »

twebster wrote:I have been hopping in and out of town for the last several weeks.
Hope the Colorado River was worth it!
Mike Broderick
Oklahoma City, OK, USA

Constructive critiques of my pictures, and reposts in this forum for purposes of critique are welcome

"I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul....My mandate includes weird bugs."
--Calvin

twebster
Posts: 442
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2006 8:02 am
Location: Phoenix "Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA

Post by twebster »

Hi ya' Mike,

I've been all over the state, lately. The Colorado River was but a brief stop. :D I think, maybe, I'll actually have a couple of days at home (after tomorrow morning) and I'll try to catch up with our forums. :D
Tom Webster

Phoenix "The Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA

The worst day photographing dragonflies is better than the best day working! :)

Mike B in OKlahoma
Posts: 1048
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 10:32 pm
Location: Oklahoma City

Post by Mike B in OKlahoma »

I hope it was for photographing and not for "real" work!

I'm going to dip my toe in Arizona next month, as part of a trip mostly in New Mexico and Southwest Colorado (Mesa Verde), I'll spend a day or two in Petrified Forest and maybe Monument Valley.
Mike Broderick
Oklahoma City, OK, USA

Constructive critiques of my pictures, and reposts in this forum for purposes of critique are welcome

"I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul....My mandate includes weird bugs."
--Calvin

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