Author Topic: Help Us Fight Spam  (Read 50043 times)

Offline Pam

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Help Us Fight Spam
« on: June 30, 2010, 03:08:18 AM »
Hi everyone!

I want to announce some changes in the way new members are registered.

  • Everyone registering for the forum will now be directed to the Forum Rules and will be required to accept them in order to complete registration.
  • Email addresses are now hidden on profiles except for Moderators to view.  This is to protect the privacy of our members and help prevent spamming of email addresses.
  • Web addresses are no longer allowed on profiles.  We've been having a wave of new registrations that are simply spam with commercial websites shown on the profile.  Again, this is to protect the forum and our members from spam.

Our forum is growing at the pace of a galloping llama!  We currently have moderators on staff who watch over the boards, but if anyone ever sees a questionable, inappropriate, or spam post, please report it right away.  There's a link to "Report to Moderator" on the bottom right of every post.  Don't hesitate to use it if you see something that needs the attention of one of the staff. 

As I write this, we are only 3,000 short of hitting half a million pageviews for the month of June and I'm positive we will hit the mark with no problem.  You folks just blow me away and I can't thank everyone enough for bringing our modest little forum to such a stunning place on the Internet.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!   :-*

Read and heed the Forum Rules, please!

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Offline Swede1992

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Re: Help Us Fight Spam
« Reply #1 on: June 30, 2010, 07:48:43 AM »
Good changes Pam. This is inevitable as our forum grows.
I'd also like to thank everybody here on this forum; you're all doing a great job! :D

Spam must be fought somehow, I think everybody here agree. (This sketch was actually the origin of the word "spam" as unwanted message and not some meat thing!)
Manbearpig simply wants to get you. I'm super cereal. - Al Gore :)
There is no absolute truth, but the Forum Rules still come pretty close. Pay them a visit.



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Offline Esther1981

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Re: Help Us Fight Spam
« Reply #2 on: June 30, 2010, 12:40:46 PM »
Llama Pam? Lol that reminds me of when my sims imply peoples mom's are Llama's! I agree I hate spam (not the meat) and will do my best to fight it! This forum and the sims are the best things in my life!

Leto85

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Re: Help Us Fight Spam
« Reply #3 on: June 30, 2010, 02:55:20 PM »
Hang out the flag: NO SPAM FOR PAM!!!

I've always wanted to say that once. Glad I've got the chance now! :D




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Offline The Illuminator

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Re: Help Us Fight Spam
« Reply #4 on: July 01, 2010, 05:26:14 AM »
Leto's last post was also sponsored by the musical Spamalot. We thank you for watching and we hope to see you again.
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The word "impossible" is not French

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Offline Asleep

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Re: Help Us Fight Spam
« Reply #5 on: July 01, 2010, 10:44:01 AM »
Hang out the flag: NO SPAM FOR PAM!!!

I've always wanted to say that once. Glad I've got the chance now! :D




(This post is sponsored by Leto85Inc)

Leto's last post was also sponsored my the musical Spamalot. We thank you for watching and we hope to see you again.
...?
Formerly Simstar3

Offline Pam

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Re: Help Us Fight Spam
« Reply #6 on: July 01, 2010, 08:42:37 PM »
Simstar,

That's really not enough to justify a post.  Sorry, but we can't necessarily interpret what you're trying to say with just some periods and a question mark.  And again, if there's something referenced that you don't understand, Google or Wikipedia are an excellent way to learn about it, if you're interested.  Discussing those sorts of things just pulls the thread too far off topic.  :)
Read and heed the Forum Rules, please!

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Offline Saltypaws

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Re: Help Us Fight Spam
« Reply #7 on: July 01, 2010, 09:33:56 PM »
So far I have not run across anything, but, I would imagine, the bigger the site gets, the more spam and bots are going to be seen on here.  From what I have seen, this site is on its way to being a very popular site.  What am I saying, it is a popular site. :)
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Offline Pam

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Re: Help Us Fight Spam
« Reply #8 on: July 01, 2010, 09:38:00 PM »
Very true.  We're going to get swarmed with spam and bots.  I look at the profile of every new member and if it's spam or a bot, I ban it and delete the account.  I get a few of those every day and it will only get worse.
Read and heed the Forum Rules, please!

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Offline Esther1981

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Re: Help Us Fight Spam
« Reply #9 on: July 01, 2010, 10:09:41 PM »
What is the meaning of bots? It really makes me mad on yahoo. They send you the same stupid thing even when you try to tell it/them you're not interested! They are not human so what would it even be doing on this site? This site is for The Sims and nothing but the Sims. Do the bots now play computer games??  ;D

Offline Saltypaws

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Re: Help Us Fight Spam
« Reply #10 on: July 01, 2010, 10:14:46 PM »
Bots are basically computer generated, robots, so to speak.  Of course a real person makes it and then generates a paragraph of either, selling something, trying to direct someone to another site where you can get a virus and there are adult ones that come through yahoo IM that irritate the heck out of me.  Alot of the are links and it gets very annoying.
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Offline Pam

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Re: Help Us Fight Spam
« Reply #11 on: July 01, 2010, 10:43:14 PM »
Right, bots is a term short for robots, meaning it's not really a live person you can interact with.  When a site becomes popular, bots and spammers start showing up in droves simply because so many people view the pages of this forum.  They are hoping someone will click on their website, which can be something being sold, adult content, viruses, or any number of bad stuff.  If a forum isn't monitored, like YouTube, things really get out of control.  Bots all over the place and everyone fighting.  But because our forum is closely monitored, we won't have that happen.  Nobody can even register without me knowing about it and checking the profile.  But even that comes too late sometimes and a post is made.  That's when our team of moderators has to step in and remove the post and ban the poster.  And even further, if a member sees a spam post, please report it like I said in the first post on this thread.  We have safeguards in place, but there will be times when something slips through and makes it to a forum thread.  Thankfully, it's rare so far.
Read and heed the Forum Rules, please!

Support the site when you purchase online!
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"Half of my posts are correcting people. The other 49% is moving threads."

Offline Esther1981

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Re: Help Us Fight Spam
« Reply #12 on: July 01, 2010, 10:47:02 PM »
there are adult ones that come through yahoo IM that irritate the heck out of me.  Alot of the are links and it gets very annoying.
Those are the ones I was talking about. Extremely annoying! You would think if someone was going to take the time to make a robot, at least make it do something interesting or productive! When I create simbots, I make them do things that are useful, not annoying!

Leto85

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Re: Help Us Fight Spam
« Reply #13 on: July 02, 2010, 07:05:35 AM »
Those are the ones I was talking about. Extremely annoying! You would think if someone was going to take the time to make a robot, at least make it do something interesting or productive! When I create simbots, I make them do things that are useful, not annoying!

Haha, nice one Esther. ;) I was just thinking the same way. I got a lot of that sort of bots on my msn-account. Really anoying. But I recognize them immediatly because they are mostly the only one who speak to me in English starting with the line: 'Hi honey, are you single?' The next thing I only have to do is asking them a phylosophic question that can't be answered by only 'yes' or 'no' and than I'm on my way straight away to the magnificant block button.

So people, how do we recognize the bots around here? What do they say usually? If I will recognize one I will report them, but I need to be sure before I will offend something that is actually alive here.

Offline malteser60

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Re: Help Us Fight Spam
« Reply #14 on: July 02, 2010, 08:10:02 AM »
I must say the first thing that impressed me about this forum is the lack of spam messages. That has been one of the main things that has always put me off joining a forum. And in all honesty, with the number of members and views each day all I can say is wow, Pam and all the moderators, you are all doing an excellent job and should pat yourselves on the back.

I love this forum, I check it at least 5 times a day, I think everybody here is so friendly, and it's so nice to read all the posts. I shall do my best to help out in any way to fight the spam! (Which I detest with a passion like everybody else.)