[Update] Deal with Spammers

[Rotasu]

Update from Owner: Here

Is there a way to block people from posting the same message on different topics?

This "Lisie" person is asf.

Or have the option to go to their profile and ban them from posting on our topics? I know adding them as a foe stops you from seeing their post but still. There should be a way for active members to report users and once they are reported enough, they aren't allowed to post until a mob unblocks them.

Edit: changed title just because xP

[iguanamon]

There is a way. It's called the "Report" button and it looks like an exclamation mark. Remember, our forum is not a business. Our moderators do this for no money, strictly voluntarily. If a spammer hits the forum and none of the mods are around, they will be successful, for a short time, then it will all be deleted. I reported it in my log with the report button. Give it a little time until the mods can see what's going on. It will be gone soon. Imagine all the spam that we don't see because the mods get rid of it before we have a chance to see it..

[Rotasu]

There is a way. It's called the "Report" button and it looks like an exclamation mark. Remember, our forum is not a business. Our moderators do this for no money, strictly voluntarily. If a spammer hits the forum and none of the mods are around, they will be successful, for a short time, then it will all be deleted. I reported it in my log with the report button. Give it a little time until the mods can see what's going on. It will be gone soon. Imagine all the spam that we don't see because the mods get rid of it before we have a chance to see it..

I know about the report button but it doesn't delete the post from the topic until a mod does it.

[Nandemonai]

It'll be deleted soon enough. It's not the first time a spam bot made it through, but pretty much every time it was deleted within 30-60 minutes. They're a real pain to deal with all the time. The mods have been doing a pretty good job so far. Reporting them and trying to ignore them would be the most effective course of action.

[Iversen]

The moderators and administrators can't be logged in all the time and we can't read everything in each and every thread, so please do use the report button if you find something unacceptable, like spamming or publishing political/religious messages which are likely to raise a storm.

In most cases we agree that there is something wrong, and then one of us will remove the offending message and maybe even block the author, but there are also cases where we just choose to send a warning, and then it may seem that we haven't reacted at all. With multiple posts the logical alternative is of course to remove one of the copies, but that can be difficult if others already have published comments.

[tomgosse]

In most cases we agree that there is something wrong, and then one of us will remove the offending message and maybe even block the author, but there are also cases where we just choose to send a warning, and then it may seem that we haven't reacted at all. With multiple posts the logical alternative is of course to remove one of the copies, but that can be difficult if others already have published comments.

That is good to know. So, we should not comment on posts that may be spam? By the way, I think the moderators are doing an admirable job of running the forum.

If the spam annoys me, I go to facebook and look at pictures of kittens for a while.

[Iversen]

You should not comment on things which obviously are spam - that would just leave your message hanging in the air when the spam message is removed.

[Brun Ugle]

I've noticed that there's been quite a bit of spam the last couple of days. It's all been quickly removed, but I've never seen so much as in the past week or so. On the bright side, that probably means that the forum is getting noticed and is attracting more people.

[Rotasu]

Again, I'm asking if there is a way for the members to block these spammers, besides just reporting their post?

[Iversen]

No, you can mark them as foes, but that only means that you don't see them - everybody else still can, and without a report the moderators and administrators may never discover that something is wrong. It is much better to report the offending messages so that we can take action.

And to keep Tomgosse happy and relaxed: below you see a kitten named "Humle" ('Hop') having fun with one of my mother's indoor plants:

Humle_M0509b02.JPG