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Spam in the article comments

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 8:42 pm
by bthylafh
It's becoming more of a problem lately; I see two spams here: http://techreport.com/discussions.x/22831#metal. Are there any correct procedures for reporting this to mods, and/or one or two particular mods to notify?

Please add a "report this post" button to the next revision of Metal.

Re: Spam in the article comments

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 9:06 pm
by SomeOtherGeek
Yes, that one particular spammer keeps showing up and I'm getting sick of it. I like your idea about a report button so that the mods can be more quickly aware of it.

Re: Spam in the article comments

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 9:20 pm
by bthylafh
I see that those two offending posts were deleted, but their accounts were not.

Re: Spam in the article comments

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 9:23 pm
by Captain Ned
bthylafh wrote:
I see that those two offending posts were deleted, but their accounts were not.

Front page accounts and forum accounts are in the same database. Banning them using the forum mod tools (which I did) bans them from the front page as well. I think the only one who could actually remove the deleted posts in toto is morphine.

Re: Spam in the article comments

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 9:42 pm
by bthylafh
Hmm, guess I'm used to other sites where the user's account just doesn't show up when they're banned. Never mind. :oops:

So, any suggestions for the Right Way to report front-page spam?

Re: Spam in the article comments

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 9:47 pm
by Captain Ned
bthylafh wrote:
Hmm, guess I'm used to other sites where the user's account just doesn't show up when they're banned. Never mind. :oops:

So, any suggestions for the Right Way to report front-page spam?

Until morphine codes a report button, a post here in the 'Porch is probably the best way to get our attention.

Re: Spam in the article comments

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 11:44 pm
by ludi
I would suggest that the "report" feature, at least on the front page, include a flagging threshold similar to Disqus, where each unique user can "flag" the post even if someone else already did, and if enough people flag it, it automatically gets removed pending moderator review. Set the threshold high enough (say, at least 30-40) without revealing what it actually is, and the potential for abuse is minimized, while genuine crap gets removed very quickly.

Re: Spam in the article comments

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 4:28 pm
by morphine
Ok guys, we've put new spam-blocking measures tied into our registration form. It's an automatic check against a database of known spammer accounts. This should ease both the forum and the frontpage comment spamming, since they're tied together.

Re: Spam in the article comments

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:41 pm
by bthylafh
Many thanks for your efforts to keep the place working well.

Re: Spam in the article comments

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 9:12 pm
by moresmarterthanspock
Make the "report as spam" button look like a can of Spam. Or maybe a button that looks like a viking. :)

Re: Spam in the article comments

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 9:32 pm
by UberGerbil
Thanks for winning that round in this endless freaking war.
moresmarterthanspock wrote:
Make the "report as spam" button look like a can of Spam. Or maybe a button that looks like a viking. :)
If you can do that in 16x16 pixels, please link.

Re: Spam in the article comments

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 9:55 pm
by JustAnEngineer

Re: Spam in the article comments

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 4:12 pm
by bthylafh

Re: Spam in the article comments

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 4:17 pm
by morphine
Nuked and reported, thanks.

Re: Spam in the article comments

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 1:37 pm
by bthylafh

Re: Spam in the article comments

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 7:53 pm
by bthylafh

Re: Spam in the article comments

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 8:10 pm
by Captain Ned
Fixed