Please explain why spam can't be deleted.

[Ugly Dougly]

They are likely not coming from the same IP address, but it's likely they are coming from a certain range of IP addresses, and if you ban that range they may go away.

[Bay Bridge Sue]

OK... BACK ON TOPIC. Please. There ya go!

We can whack spam, but we don't have account-killer privileges - that is reserved to only a few, and they are rarely on anymore. I would love to have the ability to lock the spam accounts, but I don't have it. So we have to keep whacking away.

I have been killing this crap as fast as I can, but I also have to deal with a firewall lock-up every so often, which takes me offline. But yeah, that I could whack these moles, not just their trash, I would be thrilled.

Sorry, back to the battlefield.

BB Sue, Moderator, E-Playa
Spamwhacker Division, 333'd Exorcist Batallion, Company X

[jkisha]

I wonder what the response from BMORG would be if the blog site was getting bombarded by spam like eplaya is now? Or if someone hacked the main sight and started posting spam type messages on every page of the website?

When I checked in here this morning there were three pages of new posts--two of those pages were nothing but new spam and that doesn't even count the spam that was posted into relevant threads.

Between the barrage of spam and ticket sale threads, the board is almost unreadable now.

SPAM has a much greater chance of killing this board than snark ever will.

If there were an admin that had even the slightest clue about running a public facing website, this problem would be eliminated post haste. If current volunteers or IT employees do not have the expertise to do the job, it should be subcontracted out to someone that does, or have the site moved over to a commercial hosting company that can take care of the spam.

[FIGJAM]

I'm trying to find some help.

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=HPIC,HPIC:2010-18,HPIC:en&q=how+to+stop+spambots

[Savannah]

If I remember correctly:

1) Clicking the white triangle w/ the red exclamation point (left of the "QUOTE" icon) at the top right of a post is the fastest way to report a spam post for ePlayans, as well as faster for the Mod. (As opposed to posting in the Spam thread).

2) It appears to give the Mod one less step (and greater spam-whacking time) if you do not select that you want a response from the moderator who whacks the post. They're going to whack that post even if they don't have to confirm. (Though I imagine seeking a response is worthwhile when one is reporting a real person for poor behavior, as opposed to spam bot or similar.)

If I'm wrong, someone please correct.

[Bay Bridge Sue]

YES!!!!!

Please, if you see spam, click the ! triangle, so I can find it. I have about 205 to go this AM, and it helps me find these wheezeballs. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it!!!

Have a burnier day,
bb Sue, Moderator, ePlaya

[AntiM]

YES!!!!!

Please, if you see spam, click the ! triangle, so I can find it. I have about 205 to go this AM, and it helps me find these wheezeballs. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it!!!

Have a burnier day,
bb Sue, Moderator, ePlaya

Once a post is reported, the mods see it in spam pink. Makes them easy to spot even if the moderator control panel is not used.

[jkisha]

I'm trying to find some help.

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=HPIC,HPIC:2010-18,HPIC:en&q=how+to+stop+spambots

Here's some more, though I feel like I'm posting these in vain.
http://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=507016
http://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=472754
http://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=375262
google search
Yahoo search

[capjbadger]

There are lots and lots of modifications/applets/gadgets for reducing spam on phpbb bulletin boards.
From requiring bots (computer programs) to answer questions when registering (What color is a banana?)
to
not displaying a post that has admin defined keywords (viagra, prescription, vajayjay)
to
requiring a user to be a member for X days before posting
to
holding a members first post or two for moderator approval.

That Spanky person is the one that has the power to do this stuff.
Maybe when he fixes the css to eliminate the "blue" pages...

EXACTLY! Banning accounts, IPs, or deleting posts is NOT the solution. You stop the bot from registering in the first place.

The tech support board I ran for my last job did it as follows:
Since CAPTCHA was broken around new years 2011, to register you had to answer the question "Please type in the sixth word in this sentence". That stopped ALL but maybe one per month from registering. Those ones that slipped through or where already in the system but hadn't posted yet where caught by the next botcatcher:

All new accounts automatically were a "Purgatory" account type. All their posts would not show up until a mod approved them. At the same time, the mod would see that the new account was a real person and move the account to the "Trusted Users" account type. (also useful for those users that insisted on being shits on the board. I just popped them back into "Purgatory" to cool their heels. )

In the end, this is NOT hard and there is NO excuse for the Admin to be sitting with their thumb in various orifices while the Mods are stuck with deleting hundreds of spambot posts. It is bullshit and completely disrepectful to the hardworking Mods here.

-Badger

[Ugly Dougly]

The tech support board I ran for my last job did it as follows:
Since CAPTCHA was broken around new years 2011, to register you had to answer the question "Please type in the sixth word in this sentence". That stopped ALL but maybe one per month from registering.

That's a system that was once used on this thing called "eplaya", but it was upgraded. Yay.
It stops the bots that are real machines, certainly slows the volume down to where a moderator can catch the rest.

Who are the mods who have the clout to delete these accounts and what are their email addresses?

[weather man]

Who are the mods who have the clout to delete these accounts and what are their email addresses?

To see a couple of them look at the member and sort by "Rank"
It looks like Spanky = "admin"

Again, props to *all* of the hardworking mods, 'specially considering the pay grade.
It's obvious they have OUR support - they need a little more from the gang that gets our ticket money.

[TT120]

There are lots and lots of modifications/applets/gadgets for reducing spam on phpbb bulletin boards.
From requiring bots (computer programs) to answer questions when registering (What color is a banana?)
to
not displaying a post that has admin defined keywords (viagra, prescription, vajayjay)
to
requiring a user to be a member for X days before posting
to
holding a members first post or two for moderator approval.

That Spanky person is the one that has the power to do this stuff.
Maybe when he fixes the css to eliminate the "blue" pages...

EXACTLY! Banning accounts, IPs, or deleting posts is NOT the solution. You stop the bot from registering in the first place.

The tech support board I ran for my last job did it as follows:
Since CAPTCHA was broken around new years 2011, to register you had to answer the question "Please type in the sixth word in this sentence". That stopped ALL but maybe one per month from registering. Those ones that slipped through or where already in the system but hadn't posted yet where caught by the next botcatcher:

All new accounts automatically were a "Purgatory" account type. All their posts would not show up until a mod approved them. At the same time, the mod would see that the new account was a real person and move the account to the "Trusted Users" account type. (also useful for those users that insisted on being shits on the board. I just popped them back into "Purgatory" to cool their heels. )

In the end, this is NOT hard and there is NO excuse for the Admin to be sitting with their thumb in various orifices while the Mods are stuck with deleting hundreds of spambot posts. It is bullshit and completely disrepectful to the hardworking Mods here.

-Badger

This is how I do it on my forum. Also, I dont let you post a link until you have at least 10 posts. With a couple questions and restricted new accounts, I have stopped about 99% of the spam on my board.

A side note: You guys get some seriousley wierd spam on here......

[C.f.M.]

Not a single spam post when I logged in this morning!

[AntiM]

Not a single spam post when I logged in this morning!

That's because I logged in first .....

[Bay Bridge Sue]

Shhhh... don't tell anyone!! --grins--

[AntiM]

Shhhh... don't tell anyone!! --grins--

Oh, right.

LOL, I forget. Move along, nothing to see here.