Serious Problem.. - Massive spam attack!

[Kindred]

quite so...   CAPTCHA is, unfortunately, next to useless these days.
Just look at the number of spam posts that we get on this site, even though CAPTCHA is required for the first 10 posts.

Questions are a much better tool, and the mods which several of us have referenced  make it even better.
While Bperry may have come up with a manual way to deal with it, I, personally, prefer the automated mods which check the stop forum spam database and the project honeypot database and the bad behavior scripts...     that way it leverages all thew accumulated spam knowledge of sites dedicated to stopping the idiots.

[Arantor]

Just to really confuse matters, I run a custom CAPTCHA (that reminds me, did SMF ever sort out the licensing of the fonts for its CAPTCHA?), questions and Bad Behaviour, empty field and timegated registration. No spam posts observed in quite a while.

I should also add, I have a few other interesting defences, like the ability to let users sign up and add a signature but hide it unless they have more than x posts (currently 10) so even signature spammers can't do anything with it.

[Bob Perry of Web Presence Consulting]

quite so...   CAPTCHA is, unfortunately, next to useless these days.
Just look at the number of spam posts that we get on this site, even though CAPTCHA is required for the first 10 posts.

Questions are a much better tool, and the mods which several of us have referenced  make it even better.
While Bperry may have come up with a manual way to deal with it, I, personally, prefer the automated mods which check the stop forum spam database and the project honeypot database and the bad behavior scripts...     that way it leverages all thew accumulated spam knowledge of sites dedicated to stopping the idiots.

Yada yada, I know that I keep being rather abrupt with you dude and I don't mean to do it again as it really doesn't matter that much, but you keep referencing back to things I've posted in a negative tone and I'm going to clarify something this one last time and move on to other things as this thread gives the original poster quite enough to keep him busy for a while... you refer to my strategy as "a manual method"... in my opinion, you are promoting these new folks into the mindset of the "lazy admins" crowd, where the the thought is that if everything is automated, there are no errors in the log, and there are no complaints from users well then everything is rosy with the world and the admin doesn't need to do much of anything but think of a way to monetize it all... what fun is there in that? Too boring... There is not really all that much manual tasking done in my strategy, I could just as easily let them keep their accounts as is...  but yall don't seem to grasp that the legitimate users take notice better and respond better if they can SEE YOU ENGAGE every aspect of your site, including troublemakers... besides, I'm a master mind game player (I was trained by the government & a vicious ex-wife), I kinda dig all the messing with their heads stuff, right or wrong, for me its a therapeutic type of stress reliever, especially if I am able to transform a negative situation into a positive one...

[Arantor]

The reason Kindred's abrupt is that he feels you're giving out what he perceives - rightly or wrongly - as bad advice. Most users, like it or not, don't want to have to jump through hoops (be it to administrate or to participate) and I've found that sites that make me post in a given board before I can post anywhere else etc. just don't end up getting my contributions.

Whether that's a good thing or not is certainly a matter of perspective.

What I do know is that what is boring for you is not boring for others, and most people don't want to spend much time day-in-day-out micromanaging their forum.

[Bob Perry of Web Presence Consulting]

The reason Kindred's abrupt is that he feels you're giving out what he perceives - rightly or wrongly - as bad advice. Most users, like it or not, don't want to have to jump through hoops (be it to administrate or to participate) and I've found that sites that make me post in a given board before I can post anywhere else etc. just don't end up getting my contributions.

Whether that's a good thing or not is certainly a matter of perspective.

What I do know is that what is boring for you is not boring for others, and most people don't want to spend much time day-in-day-out micromanaging their forum.

Well said, well said, point taken... just wish i wasn't so defensive about it, but for some reason I can't put my finger on, the guy pushes my buttons just right...

[Arantor]

Yeah, I can see what you mean. Kindred and I are... quite abrasive people in our own way. We call it as we see it and don't sugar-coat it. The combination comes across perhaps a little more bluntly than might be tactful at times.

[Kindred]

lol...  I don't hold anything against you, bperry.

As Arantor says, I don't waste time with platitudes, etc and I know that I can come across an "untactful" because of my bluntness.
'Course, I can take it as I deal it.

and yes, Arantor points out the main reason that I keep harping on mods versus "manual"   because, face it.... people are lazy... or, in my case, I have 10 sites to deal with and don't have time to handle everything manually on all of them.

[Bob Perry of Web Presence Consulting]

hmm, may be wrong but seems to me that we're changing the definition slightly or forgetting it, what is the purpose of this software? Is it not social networking, relationship building, engaging & helping others globally? And I believe the head honcho of each site should reflect that spirit openly and be the example... granted, time is short, I too have more than one site to run, but manage to keep it all under control easily MOST of the time, but trust me I understand how difficult being diplomatic is, a lot of people just have a lot harder time grasping it, I have a lot of trouble with it, but I NEVER GIVE UP trying, time restraints be damned, I can sleep when I'm dead...

[Kindred]

I am the technical admin of several sites as well as being the head admin of several others and a staff on yet others.... The responsibility of the tech admin are different, etc etc etc...
On the other hand, I would argue that, if the admin can sit back and let the users run the site conversations, then it's even better.

[Arantor]

Is it not social networking, relationship building, engaging & helping others globally?

Sure it is. And making it more difficult for people to do so by creating more and more complex levels of rules impedes that.

but trust me I understand how difficult being diplomatic is, a lot of people just have a lot harder time grasping it

I can be diplomatic when I want to be. I just choose not to be here. The reality is that the people who come to this site are running a site themselves. That means getting hands dirty at times, and that means stepping up to the plate. If you're not prepared to do these things, you shouldn't really be running a site (NB: I'm not saying that everyone needs to learn PHP inside and out and get ZCE or whatever, but being prepared to do something does help!)

See, anti spam questions are by far the single most effective tool, when done properly. But that requires people to actually do something - and people just want a magic bullet. As irritating as it is, the broader base of immunity that Kindred talks about is the nearest to that right now.

[Bob Perry of Web Presence Consulting]

See, anti spam questions are by far the single most effective tool, when done properly. But that requires people to actually do something - and people just want a magic bullet. As irritating as it is, the broader base of immunity that Kindred talks about is the nearest to that right now.

I've not disagreed with anti-spam questions & lots of them, you are right on there... but I disagree that people just want a magic bullet, what they really want is leadership, someone to hold their hand and show them where to go and what to do to get what they want & goes a bit deeper than just SMF business, the world has become a mass of chaotic and unorganized thinking mixed with emotional turmoil & those in control are loving it, but the flip side is that the situation shows signs that it could all backfire in the face of those that would see us as a species crumble & fall...

[Arantor]

but I disagree that people just want a magic bullet,

Yes, they do. They just want the problem to go away. They don't really care how. Looking through the support topics is good evidence of this.

the world has become a mass of chaotic and unorganized thinking mixed with emotional turmoil & those in control are loving it, but the flip side is that the situation shows signs that it could all backfire in the face of those that would see us as a species crumble & fall...

Those in power don't like a populace that can think.