Something I just encountered today on another forum site, where I had just that minute signed up in order to answer someone's question, is the idea of preventing any posts containing links until the poster reaches some nominal posting count (5 in that case). Almost universally these spambots include links in their posts, without which there's not much point - and most never make more than a few posts even when successful.
While it was a little exasperating not to be able to answer that question immediately, it did seem like a principle with some promise. Perhaps such posts could go into a moderation queue - or perhaps *any* new users posts could (probably the link test is to reduce the mods' load on high-traffic sites).
What do people think of the idea - would it stifle newcomers?
(incidentally, I did get my response posted an hour or so later, after I mailed a query to a mod - they just artificially bumped my post count to 10.)
-jmb
Post count as an anti-spam measure
Moderators: Peak Moderation, Site Administrators
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Eh? So in order to post as a new user, I have to send 10 "dummy" posts? VERY friendly.clv101 wrote:I like the link ban idea. Could be very effective.
Not allowing any posting at all from new users until they had a post count of around 10 might be even more effective though.
"We're just waiting, looking skyward as the days go down / Someone promised there'd be answers if we stayed around."
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emordnilap
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clv101 wrote:Not allowing any posting at all from new users until they had a post count of around 10 might be even more effective though.
I experience pleasure and pains, and pursue goals in service of them, so I cannot reasonably deny the right of other sentient agents to do the same - Steven Pinker
Yet the most annoying ones make multiple posts.... perhaps combine this with the no links thing?jmb wrote:I think the point is to stop even the first post from getting through - a lot of spammers only ever make a single post to a forum.Keela wrote:Or what about max 1 post per day (or hour?)
I joined another forum where I had to have the first 5 posts moderated before they were put up. If this had been explained somewhere I would have minded less, but it wasn't and I almost didn't stick it out there.....
So whatever you do try to make sure that genuine newbies can understand what is going on .
