Forum policies, etc.

[paradox6996]

These forums suck nvm, having to wait for a mod to post my stuff is so stupid and inefficient, but thanx anyway!

[krishna.murphy]

These forums suck nvm, having to wait for a mod to post my stuff is so stupid and inefficient, but thanx anyway!

I'm sorry you're disappointed. I had to moderate OUT a large number of SPAM posts when I found this one, just a few hours after you posted it. I'd be very interested in knowing of a better way to have a civil discussion forum, without a salaried staff to keep it that way (or even with one!)

Cheers anyway!
Krishna

[kl522]

I'd be very interested in knowing of a better way to have a civil discussion forum, without a salaried staff to keep it that way (or even with one!)

Isn't it obvious the better way of doing this ?

As you have mentioned in the other post where you only "promote" a poster after "a number of posts". I think it is obviously unnecessary. One will mostly know if a poster is going to post spam or not after his first post. After his first post, if it is a non-spam post, he should be (manually) promoted to a level where his posts will appear immediately. Do you have to wait until "a number of posts" to "promote" him ?

[krishna.murphy]

Isn't it obvious the better way of doing this ?

As you have mentioned in the other post where you only "promote" a poster after "a number of posts". I think it is obviously unnecessary. One will mostly know if a poster is going to post spam or not after his first post. After his first post, if it is a non-spam post, he should be (manually) promoted to a level where his posts will appear immediately. Do you have to wait until "a number of posts" to "promote" him ?

I guess I'll have to leave the question to others. I'm pretty new at this stuff, and have little of the experience needed to really get into it. I do know that the past has shown that MANY other mechanisms were inadequate, and as I mentioned, there are still spammers trying hard to muck up the waters. I'm pretty sure a "one post" rule would not deter spammers at all, though.

Ciao!
Krishna

[kl522]

Do you also purge or delete the account if an account is used to spam ?

[Harry Kuhman]

.... I think it is obviously unnecessary. One will mostly know if a poster is going to post spam or not after his first post. ...

I fought spam here under the old forum software (and wiki software) for years. You dangerously underestimate the lengths that spammers go to. I've seem a vast range of spam, ranging from blatant porn posts including graphic porn images in the first post to completely innocent looking posts that the spammer made only to come back months later and edit to include their porn links. I have seen many cases of this. A spammer is hardly beyond making a dummy post if he learns that is all that is required for his account to be able to freely post their advertisements and malware attacks. It is a small imposition to ask that new user posts be verified long enough to conform that the user is a valid community member, and the reduction in spam attacks more than justifies it. Moderators should also be keeping an eye out for posters making non-informative noise posts (one isn't all that unusual, but when a new user's first dozen or so posts all read like "that's interesting" or "thanks for posting that" it should raise suspicion. Maybe too many posts complaining about anti-spam policies might even draw attention.

[krishna.murphy]

Thanks for your intent focus and energy! Your contributions show that you are a sincere person, and having them make this forum great.

The question posed here, I think, goes "above my pay grade," so I leave that to others to reply. I have split this thread, moving these posts over to a new one in "The Lounge" - the topic really has no relation to HDD installation.

Ciao!
Krishna

[kl522]

Moderators should also be keeping an eye out for posters making non-informative noise posts (one isn't all that unusual, but when a new user's first dozen or so posts all read like "that's interesting" or "thanks for posting that" it should raise suspicion. Maybe too many posts complaining about anti-spam policies might even draw attention.

That's definitely true.

But I am not asking the moderators to quickly promote a user just because he posted some innocent looking "noise-posts". In fact, such "noise-posts" should rather be treated as "spam" or intent-to-spam. We need not insult our moderators' intelligence, I think they are smart enough to pick up such "indications" from the posts. And these posters should be banned, or better, to have the account removed.

But I still have my views that I doubt anyone who posted such thing which includes words like "raid", "knoppix", "gentoo" and so on will subsequently turn into a spam. In the unfortunate event if if it turned out to be the case later, no matter how long you "quarantine" the account it will be the same.

[evenso]

I HATE spam.

I have a spam filter on my ISP's mail server and spam filters on my computers and I still have to sort through it sometimes.

I have never seen a forum without spam. The form where I last participated regularly had spam-itis. They recruited over a dozen volunteers to delete the spam that got through and they still couldn't keep up. The forum was getting miserable and everyone started arguing.

Do whatever you have to in the most cost efficient way. If I can help by waiting a bit for my first posts to show, I am honored to contribute so effortlessly to the effort.

I can't help but notice the paradox, this thread on spam has completely filled the new posts box, obfuscating new post much as spam might.

[kl522]

Do whatever you have to in the most cost efficient way. If I can help by waiting a bit for my first posts to show, I am honored to contribute so effortlessly to the effort.

That's because right now you don't have any burning issues. Neither do I at this moment. But you have to appreciate that when people have burning issues, they want their burning issues to be read and replied immediately.

I can't help but notice the paradox, this thread on spam has completely filled the new posts box, obfuscating new post much as spam might.

Wow, how many posts are there in this forum in a day and you call these as "obfuscating new posts much as spam might. Then I seriously wonder if the forum designed to handle posts at all.