STOP the SPAM!!!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Andy B on May 24, 2012 at 8:17pm

I just got one for car insurance in the bass group.....Stop selling and GO BUILD A GUITAR!

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Permalink Reply by C. B. Gitty (Ben) on May 24, 2012 at 8:40pm

Folks, me and Dan Sleep do our best to prevent spambots from getting through, but occasionally we miss one. It is a constant battle and requires constant vigilance. Please be patient when the occasional spammer does get through. We (mostly Dan!) always catch and delete them fast once they start spamming. This is the internet, shit happens, please be understanding.

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Permalink Reply by George Durbin on May 24, 2012 at 8:48pm

Hey Ben,

Appreciate your trying to keep on top of this nonsense. 

What's really annoying is that once these bozos start throwing that trash at us (and it gets through), we get it in every group we're in.

Is there something can do to the member who thinks this is an appropriate sales list?

Thanks

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Permalink Reply by C. B. Gitty (Ben) on May 24, 2012 at 8:57pm

George, that is because these are not real people, they are computer scripts written specifically to spam groups and forums on sites like Cigar Box Nation, that run on the Ning platform. As soon as we identify a spammer, we suspend the account so they can't do more harm. Unfortunately that is about all we can do.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on May 24, 2012 at 9:04pm

George,

These are spammers. They are not members. Their sole purpose is to send spam messages to members of the community. If you were to Google the names they use, you would often see that they have used the same names and done the same thing on other sites.

We turned on the feature so that every person who wishes to be become a member of CBN has to be approved, and they have to fill out the field that asks where they heard about cigar box nation.

Some of the registrations are obviously spammers by the names, emails, and locations they use. Many of them are automated "robots" that go from site to site, registering and trying to get approved.

I have personally reviewed, approved, or denied over TWO THOUSAND member applications over the past year and a half. Unfortunately some of them appear to be just normal people, wanting to join our community, so I have no reason to deny their membership.

Nothing would make me happier than to be able to take a baseball bat to their knees and fingers. But, spam is a reality and all we can do is try to catch them as quickly as possible.

I log onto the Nation dozens of times a day, trying to make sure that new users get approved in a timely fashion, and that spammers get caught as quickly as possible. I bagged this guy today in less than 10 minutes.

Just be patient, we don't like it any more than you do.

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Permalink Reply by George Durbin on May 24, 2012 at 9:09pm

Okay Dan,

I'll try to control my temper (and the hammer!) whenever these maroons slip through.

Thanks for keeping on top of it!

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Permalink Reply by Waid Jones on May 25, 2012 at 11:15am

I don't know if you guys (Dan and Ben) have thought of this but it could help you immensely (and free up some time) if you got some dedicated members to volunteer their time as Community Moderators.
Obviously it's just a thought.  I've not had any issues with this forum until the most recent spamming event and, let's be honest here... if that's the worst thing we've got then we're sitting pretty!

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on May 25, 2012 at 11:40am

Hi Waid,

On other forum platforms, you can assign a wide variety of permissions to members. Ning does not really do a very good job of this. While it is a good idea, I don't think that we need any additional moderators at this point. I think we have managed to keep things under control.

It may be something Ben may choose to do down the road. We shall see.

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Permalink Reply by Waid Jones on May 25, 2012 at 12:03pm

Right on.  As I said, it was just a thought.  If my experience here is any indication you are correct in believing we don't truly need any at this point.

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Permalink Reply by Crimson Toad on May 24, 2012 at 8:56pm

For sure...Dan was right on top of it ...ZAPPED his arse right away...goood job

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Permalink Reply by C. B. Gitty (Ben) on May 24, 2012 at 9:15pm

I would like to say, because I feel that it isn't said enough, that Dan Sleep does a great job here keeping track of day-to-day administrative stuff like approving members, banning spammers, and the like. If it weren't for him, my life would be a lot more hectic. I have offered him various forms of recompensure for his service, but he has always refused to accept any. He is a good man who does good work. Buy a guitar from him!

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on May 24, 2012 at 9:52pm

Thanks Ben.

And in case anyone is curious, we have caught and banned over 850 spammers.

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