Spam Filter for Forum

[mariodonick]

As you might have noticed, the forum is currently spammed with viagra ads and such stuff. Spam is not only an annoyance for the regular users, but can also give the false impression to new users that this forum is half-dead or not taken care off.

So, is there a way to prevent spam bots from signing up to the forums?

[getter77]

I think there are currently some measures in place, so I would guess the bots got craftier.

[Slash]

There's already a spam "filter" which blocks about 10 - 20 new spambots per day, but some are a bit smart and can divert our countermeasures

[mariodonick]

but some are a bit smart and can divert our countermeasures

And obviously the smartest one has just filled about _everything_ with spam ...

[mariodonick]

*bump*

[mariodonick]

*bump*

[Slash]

Damn smartbots!! thanks for letting me know... what should we do...

[getter77]

Well, I and others surely do pop around here often usually.  So while I have no idea how it works, perhaps impart to me or Mario or somebody regularish the power to BAN/delete posts/all that a spambot does?

Seems like that'd be the way to go outside of even more anti-spam countermeasures at registration, whatever those would be.

[Perdurabo]

Why don't you just simply set up new users to need approval before posting?

[Slash]

Why don't you just simply set up new users to need approval before posting?

That's how it used to work before, but people complained about it being too cumbersome (you wanted to post and had to wait more than 8 hours some times. )

[mariodonick]

First, thanks for deleting all that spam shit.

Second, either give somebody the power to delete spam postings, or to approve new users when you're away.

[george]

agreed, moderating first posts isn't really that nice for a public forum.

[Fenrir]

I don't think that promoting some moderators would be a problem, but I think Slash has this fairly well handled. It doesn't happen too often, and Slash usually has it cleaned up in a reasonable length of time.

[mariodonick]

agreed, moderating first posts isn't really that nice for a public forum.

It's not about moderating first posts, it's about checking new user registrations before they even can post, as done in not-so-few other forums. While some impatient people perhaps wouldn't like it, other people would get the impression that somebody takes care of the quality of this forum.

[Slash]

I just added a new spam-divert-countermeasure.

Actually, the first countermeasures implemented on the temple were far too naive: they relied on JS validation, easily overrideable by the experienced spambot.

This time, it's different