If You Find Spam In The Forums

[jeffrey]

Keeping spam out of the forums is always a constant battle, but we do our best to keep the forums as clean as possible. If you see a spam post, please do the following:

1. At the top right of each thread, there is a red triangle - click on that and it will send us a notice that there is a spam post. This makes it much easier for us to get rid of the spam posts quickly and is the best way to notify us.

2. Do not comment with "spam" or "spam post" This actually makes it harder for us to get rid of the spam as it hides it behind user names that we trust. It also means we have more to delete because we have to delete your "this is spam" posts as well to clean up the thread.

If you have any questions ot comments, please feel free to leave them here.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by jeffrey

Keeping spam out of the forums is always a constant battle, but we do our best to keep the forums as clean as possible. If you see a spam post, please do the following:

1. At the top right of each thread, there is a red triangle - click on that and it will send us a notice that there is a spam post. This makes it much easier for us to get rid of the spam posts quickly and is the best way to notify us.

2. Do not comment with "spam" or "spam post" This actually makes it harder for us to get rid of the spam as it hides it behind user names that we trust. It also means we have more to delete because we have to delete your "this is spam" posts as well to clean up the thread.

If you have any questions ot comments, please feel free to leave them here.

When we click the triangle (which you know I click regularly), there is then a text window where I type "spam". Is that not necessary? Should I just click the triangle and hit send?

[jeffrey]

hmmm, well it looks like there are some issues with the email notifications getting through to me as I just tested it to see if you needed to place anything in it. I don't believe that you do if you don't want to, but it certainly will make it stand out a bit more. Now to get hold of Nate to see why my tests weren't working...

[JustDave]

Most spammers post spam in multiple threads -- do you prefer that we flag each thread, or is one enough? I don't want to inundate your inbox unnecessarily.

[Broken Arrow]

So, just to be clear, YES on clicking the triangle, NO on responding to spam threads?

[jeffrey]

@JustDave You only need to flag one (once I see the spam and their name, I will delete all their posts).

@Broken Arrow - correct

[jeffrey]

OK, we are set. All moderators and I will receive any posts that you click on the red triangle. You can place spam in the space provided and that will make it a little easier for us to know why you are flagging it, but if you don't, I'm sure we'll figure it out Thanks for the help on this. Much appreciated and helpful to keep the forums as clean as possible.

[NightStar]

I have a question, can we add links in our signatures? I notice others have signatures but I didn't see that option in control panel. And do you require that if we add signatures that we use tag words instead of addresses?

Thanks, Pammila

[jeffrey]

Basic Forum Rules Links & Signatures

[Radiance]

Can you make it so that if once someone clicks the triangle, the post no longer shows unless a moderator revives it?
I doubt you will get many false positives for spam.

[Radiance]

Another idea: Don't allow links on posts until you have 15 posts (and nobody has reported you as spam)
I have seen this on other forums where I was not able to includes links on the signature or even the body until I was 15 posts old in the forum.

[jeffrey]

Originally Posted by Radiance

Can you make it so that if once someone clicks the triangle, the post no longer shows unless a moderator revives it?
I doubt you will get many false positives for spam.

The problem is that it would only take a single person to run havoc across the forum if they decided to. I know the spam doesn't get taken down instantaneously, but it does get removed fairly quickly in most cases.

[jeffrey]

Originally Posted by Radiance

Another idea: Don't allow links on posts until you have 15 posts (and nobody has reported you as spam)
I have seen this on other forums where I was not able to includes links on the signature or even the body until I was 15 posts old in the forum.

These measures ar already in place

[creditcardfree]

Jeffery and Nate, it seems we are getting lots of spam type postings in the blogs. These are blogs that seem to have been started for the purpose of advertising. Are you deleting these? Do we need to notify you in any way?

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by creditcardfree

Jeffery and Nate, it seems we are getting lots of spam type postings in the blogs. These are blogs that seem to have been started for the purpose of advertising. Are you deleting these? Do we need to notify you in any way?

I think what needs to happen is that when spam is reported or deleted from the forums, the blogs need to be checked to see if that same user started a blog.

[jeffrey]

Totally my fault - having some browser issues that wouldn't allow me to delete them and they kind of got away -- should be cleaned up now. Feel free to post here if you see others that I have not taken down that need to come down.

Jeffrey

[creditcardfree]

Thanks Jeffrey! It looks much better.

[FrugalDad123]

I probably shouldn't ask for this... but can someone provide examples of what the SA family has considered spam? How subjective is it? Have people written stuff with good intentions and ended up being called spammers?

[jeffrey]

@FrugalDad123

It all comes down to why you are here. If the main reason you are here is to try and get people to go to your site, then there is a good chance it is going to come across as spam whether those are your intentions or not. If the reason you are here is to share information, learn from conversations and get ideas, then there shouldn't be an issue. If you have a website, place it in your signature and forget about it. If you contribute interesting and meaningfully to the forums, then the readers will want to go to your website to learn more about you and it.

[FrugalDad123]

Honestly, I do have a site. It is not the main reason I am here. The reason I have a site is because I am struggling financially and want to help others that are in the same boat.

The main reason I am here is because I am barely scraping by as I try to keep my family of four afloat.

How do I to set up my signature?