Dealing with Spam Trolls and Attacks

[Diogenes]

Hummmmm...I think I remember saying a while ago...several times...before the first added mod last year...that to combat spam and trolling you need to organize your mods into time zones.

That way you have a mod on at all times. Having a mod on prevents spam and trolling, as most spammers and trolls do their damage when there's a window of opportunity when no mods are online.

At the time my opinion was disregarded...

now there's spam all over the forum...and you know why there's spam all over this forum...because there isn't any mods on at the proper times to deal with it or act as prevention of it.

Errr...I told you so...( that this would eventually happen ) comes to mind.

There are many ways to combat bot spam...you can fairly easy reduce bot spam simply by adding security features to a site's registration process that bots can't deal with...

human spam is different, no security measure today will stop a human from spamming a forum...the ' only ' way to prevent human spam is human intervention.

Simply having a mod online can reduce the possibility of being spammed to negligible percentages. Trolls and spammers almost always do their dirty work when there isn't anyone online to stop them.

This is why a site should organize their moderation by time zones to ensure that at all times of the day or night there is a high possibility of a mod being online.

Also having a mod online at all times allows for the quick elimination of those spam posts and hard-core spammers who don't even care that a mod is on duty.

Generally though spammers want their spam to stay as long as it can...so the best opportunity is when no mods are online to prevent it, delete it, or ban the spammer. They hope by the time a mod does finally come online that some of the spam is already buried in threads and will be ignored.

To prevent human spam you need human intervention...simply by restructuring your mods to time zones can reduce human spam to almost no spam.

[Jack]

...restructuring your mods ...

I dunno, that sounds painful.

Seriously though, to have mods in varying time zones should we:
a) enlist members as mods whether they are willing or not just to satisfy our needs?
b) enlist members as mods based on their geography while disregarding their qualifications for the position?

At present the best thing members can do is report spam. We appreciate every member who takes a moment to do that.

[Maryjane]

The spammers do seem to be getting out of hand as of late. (the past two weeks or so) Do bots fill out profiles or bother downloading avatars?

[Diogenes]

The spammers do seem to be getting out of hand as of late. (the past two weeks or so) Do bots fill out profiles or bother downloading avatars?

Bot spam isn't a problem...even the most sophisticated spam bots can be dealt with fairly easily. The main problem is human spammers, there's nothing to deal with them but human moderation.

[Diogenes]

Seriously though, to have mods in varying time zones should we:
a) enlist members as mods whether they are willing or not just to satisfy our needs?
b) enlist members as mods based on their geography while disregarding their qualifications for the position?

I think there's more than enough members here to satisfy both the requirement of reasonable competence and time zones.

At present the best thing members can do is report spam. We appreciate every member who takes a moment to do that.

Yes and no. At ' present ' that's the only option. But time zone moderation is the more efficient way to deal with the problem before it gets out of hand.

Spammers ( most of them ) will not spam a forum that is well moderated. Because it's a waste of their time to post and then have their posts deleted within minutes. They look for sites that have little or no moderation...or sites like this that have huge gaps where no moderator is online.

Go look at sites that have no moderation, they're full of porn and Viagra spam.

[Jack]

I think there's more than enough members here to satisfy both the requirement of reasonable competence and time zones.

There's also the factor of willingness, and seldom do the factors all come together in an individual. The most willing are often not qualified and the most qualified are often not willing. Meanwhile, the majority of our members are in the U.S.

[Diogenes]

There's also the factor of willingness

Well...like I said before, on my forum I didn't give anyone that choice, I made people mods , but never got any complaints about it.

So yes, willingness could be a problem. That hasn't been my experience though...so I don't know how to answer that question. I'm not sure how I would approach a membership that's reluctant to be mods. I've never had anyone say ' no ' or ' I don't want to '.

[Nono]

Well they've been pestering me for years to be a mod here (lol) and I've always turned them down, to their ongoing chagrin.

[Cruella]

What Jack said. This topic has been done to death and always boils down to the same answer. Those that are willing aren't qualified and those who are qualified aren't willing. The mods here don't exist in a vacuum, we're well aware of the problems.

Threads like this don't help. If you want to help us then HELP us. Offer to become a mod. Or, if you aren't willing to be a mod (there are no perks, no payments, no rewards and often only abuse, how the hell could you resist?) then REPORT the bloody spam! Don't sit there taking the piss out of the spambots, and then complain that we don't see it.

It's the least you can do to help out the poor bastards who give up their free time to make this place what it is. We work hard. We're sorry we haven't picked all the spam the very bloody second it lands, give us a break, we're human, and (check this out) we have lives. We're not here 24/7. What you're asking for is 24/7 moderation (time zones make no difference) and we can't afford that. Nor, frankly, do we need it. We span enough time zones as it is. Really, we do.

Your moderators DO get all the spam, eventually. And they do it for the love of the place. Not the thanks (which is a damn good thing, as we rarely get any) you don't see 99.9% of what we do, and that is precisely how it should be, but, I've said it before, and I'll say it again:

Help us.

We'll love you for it.

[Diogenes]

Threads like this don't help.

Yes they do...you just don't like an open debate or criticism on the subject. Which is ironic seeing as virtually this entire place is based upon it.

then REPORT the bloody spam!

Check your records I did just yesterday.

piss out of the spambots

They're not bots...they're humans ( I'm assuming that you have the required security upon registration to block the bots )

We work hard.

We all do.

we can't afford that

You just said you don't get paid, that it's a volunteer position...what can't you afford?

Nor, frankly, do we need it.

Apparently you do.

you don't see 99.9% of what we do

You forget I administrate my own forum, I am well aware of how much ' work ' or ' lack of it ' is involved in moderation. I have several moderators, global moderators, and admins on my forum and know ' exactly ' what they do.

We'll love you for it.

Then you should love me...because I am helping...even though you might not think so.

[Cruella]

Yes they do...you just don't like an open debate or criticism on the subject. Which is ironic seeing as virtually this entire place is based upon it.

No. This thread was started for no better reason than for one of our members to say - yet again - I TOLD YOU SO.

Well done. You did. Congratulations. Have a pat on the back. It's more than we get. So congratulations for that too.

However, why have you never volunteered to do anything constructive other than to constantly start threads on how YOU'D run the place? This is not help. This is criticism. If you were emailing us, it'd be different. But you don't. You start threads saying:

You don't wanna do it like this, you wanna do it like that.

I told you how to do it.

My way is different.

We GET it.

And this is - again - NOT HELP. It's a cry for attention. And it is ... less constructive than you think it is.

Reporting the spam IS help, and it IS appreciated, every single report we get is acted upon. From everyone.

You want to help run the place, volunteer to help run the place.

Buy it off Jason, maybe.

Become a moderator, possibly.

Even, email us directly with suggestions, so they can be discussed without it becoming a public pissing contest about how you do things better on your own websites.

Incidentally - I run my own websites differently too. I just don't go around rubbing people's noses in it, mmkay?

But, please, I beg of you, STOP spamming the damn forum with the same thread over and over again telling us how much you hate how we work. It may not be your intent, but that's what it looks (and feels) like you're doing.

You're right, I hate discussing this. It makes me hate you (a little), every time you do it, and it makes me think of quitting every single time, too. I am always on the verge of quitting because of rubbish like this, it seems.

From a personal point of view, no one likes being told how shit the job they're doing is. ESPECIALLY in public - so next time you think we're shit, be polite, and tell us privately. You might be surprised, we may even agree with you.

You guys have a say in how we run this place, but please, be nice. We're human, and we get nothing for doing this, and it breaks my heart every time someone thinks it's okay to slag us off for doing it in the faces of everyone else.

Thank you.

[Diogenes]

This thread was started for no better reason than for one of our members to say - yet again - I TOLD YOU SO.

Sorry, but wrong. That was just an added benefit. The purpose of the thread was to offer advice as to how to control the spam effectively...and ' limit ' the amount of time spent dealing with it ' after the fact '.

It's much easier and more effective to ' prevent ' the spam than deal it with after-the-fact.

Why have you never volunteered to do anything constructive other than to constantly nitpick something you think you'd do differently?

Well, maybe because I am a single father, gainfully employed with a registered charity of which a portion ( sometimes a rather large portion ) is volunteered. I also have 72 websites and blogs, and a forum.

Would you care to do ' just ' my ' backups ' for one day?

May I ask you ( as someone who has worked in the charity sector for more than 35 years as a volunteer and as a paid employee ) aside from this gig have you " volunteered to do anything constructive ".

Believe it or not...sometimes bringing things to the forefront does accomplish things...I seem to remember nagging Jason, on two occasions, about the need of an on-site administrator...and now we have one...and it's the same person I suggested both times.
Maybe that was just coincidence, maybe it would have happened anyways...but I do think I sped it along faster by doing exactly what I'm doing now.