Knights of Spamalot, draw your swords!!!!

[Steven]

Giblet, I preview to have something like an email to the mods when someone reports a post as spam. A mod then needs to check the post out and close the report (which would make the post visible again) or delete the post (which would close the report as well).

Obviously, as is in the forum regulations, if there are "report spammers, they will get a warning or a ban.

Also note that this system will work for topics too, but then you should just report the post as spam and NOT reply to it, because otherwise the replies will still be visible.

[modbaraban]

With the suggestion here, I was thinking maybe reporting a post would hide the post from everybody until the report has been handled by one of the mods (or me).

Does that sound ok?

Yes, please.


Contra spam spero!

[Richard]

Auto hiding of posts or topics when the spam button has been hit 3 times is a good idea.

Then you could say 3 posts reported as spam hides the account and all the associated posts?

Built in delays siach as only start one topic per hour may help, but the bots will learn.

The other tactic is to use those text recognition images, trouble is that I regularly fail them!

Overall, I prefer the mass participation moderation to the big brother delays and text recognition checks.

[Steven]

Auto hiding of posts or topics when the spam button has been hit 3 times is a good idea.

Then you could say 3 posts reported as spam hides the account and all the associated posts?

Built in delays siach as only start one topic per hour may help, but the bots will learn.

The other tactic is to use those text recognition images, trouble is that I regularly fail them!

Overall, I prefer the mass participation moderation to the big brother delays and text recognition checks.

There actually is a CAPTCHA test upon registration, but these are hacked after a while as well. The one here is a particular one which lets through much less than the default one of phpbb, but still not perfect, none ever will be.

Requiring CAPTCHA for each post would be too obtrusive, as well as post delays or mod validation. I think this should first of all be a good place to talk and learn, the good guys shouldn't be annoyed with functionality that was only implemented to fight spam.

[Ciro Pabón]

Well, yes, Richard, I agree. I stopped short this morning from posting something along the lines of "Wiki moderation" for spammers and, in the evening, when I get back to the thread, I see the same basic idea.

I'd guess that there is no need to moderate "spam-erasing": the chance of a person, who has posted, I don't know, 50 or 100 times already, erasing intentionally a post that is NOT spam is very small, I would say.

Perhaps is more than enough to have two reports, or even only one report, in the case of "old timers". There should be enough to include some penalty in the board rules for people that abuses the spam erasing function, just in case.

[Richard]

the good guys shouldn't be annoyed with functionality that was only implemented to fight spam.

Agreed

[modbaraban]

Tomba, is it possible to ad a 'password' question for registration? Like a simple question to be answered in one word in order to move on registring.

[xpensive]

I wonder if it would be possible to arrange a fire-wall, screening posts with words like "Nike", "sale", "Ciro"...Ooops!

[Richard]

Tomba, is it possible to ad a 'password' question for registration? Like a simple question to be answered in one word in order to move on registring.

I came across that on a site, it seemed too simple to be true. It asked "How many legs does a cat have". I guess you could think of 10 questions to ask with numeric answers to avoid spelling issues. Not sure if the bots are programmed to deal with that sort of approach?

[xpensive]

Good thinking there Richard, how about having the password related to F1, such as,
"Who won the last GP of 2008?"

[Conceptual]

I still think the addition of a new icon next to the /!\ icon like /S\ would auto report to the mods like report button does, but require no other explaination like the normal report button does.

And if it is pressed by 3 unique users, the post gets hidden until the mods have the chance to review it.

Also, I would hide the entire thread (if the spam is the original post), replies and all. I doubt there is ever a time that it takes more than 24 hours for a mod to address reported posts, so even if someone tried to abuse the system, there would be a quick and easy way to track it.

I currently have a website under construction that includes a forum (non-F1 related), and I think that I will use this system there.

[Giblet]

Today is a little harsh.

I'm all for full frontal nudity, but penis in ass is not what I come to this site for.

[Ciro Pabón]

More than my sword I would like to use an armor. Fourteen threads opened after the race by hpaltinic are my exhibit, including the one Giblet complains about (the one with "rear nudity" instead of the frontal kind).

BTW, I imagine that spammers will start to report posts as soon as we put that measure of "report-then-hide-automatically" in place, just to teach us who thinks faster. These must be bots, so we have to think like one...

[Giblet]

We know Tomba is going to lay the smack down soon with a great, elegant solution. He is infinitely more on it than I

The guy constantly amazes me with how good he is. Considering the humble roots that this web page had in the beginning.

[xpensive]

Perhaps you guys should get a room?