New members & spammers -- PLEASE READ!

Latest information for Gromet's Plaza, GaggedUtopia's Archive. Off-Topic discussion, suggestions and comments are always welcome.
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stephanie_cd
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New members & spammers -- PLEASE READ!

Unread post by stephanie_cd »

When the Bound Forum moved to a different forum software in 2013, we received many new forum "tools" as part of the package.

The one that concerns new members (and spammers) is the default (?) setting that keeps every new member's first few posts from actually showing up in the "public" part of the forum until they're manually approved by a moderator!

The good news is that this keeps the forum from being flooded with ads for fake Viagra and counterfeit clothing, handbags, and everything else under the sun -- the bad news is that legitimate new users often write an Introduction thread and click "Submit," then wonder what happened when they don't see their new post anywhere and then re-write it and re-submit it a second or third time -- with the same non-result. (I can only imagine how many people have done just that, muttered "what a crappy forum!" and then never returned, which is why I'm writing this now. :( Of course, since a LOT of new members rarely read the Forum Rules, "important announcements" or "stickied" threads when they join a forum, this may only reach a small percentage of new members, but at least I can say that I tried!)

New member's posts can take as long as 24 hours to be approved, and THEN they seem to magically appear in the proper place. Please just be patient -- everything is working as intended and it is NOT some sort of software glitch!

More good news: after a certain "posting threshold" is reached, the now not-so-new member's posts will show up immediately, as with most forums. I'M not even sure what the mysterious magic number is (and I'm one of the people approving these posts) but I suspect that there's some sort of algorithm that involves both the number and frequency of the posts, and it's usually between five and ten "manual approvals."

Spammers: please note that I said "manual approvals" and not "posts," so if you copy and paste 20 ads here, you won't hit the threshold and ten of them aren't going to break through the barrier for the entire world to see! The only audience that will ever see your ads are the moderators, who will just roll their eyes, "bulk disapprove" with a few mouse-clicks, and then perma-ban your account. Creating a new account is more work than banning one, and attempting to spam here is a LOT of work to only reach five or six readers who have absolutely ZERO interest in buying the crap you're attempting to advertise. :P

In conclusion: new members -- welcome to the forum, please be patient while we establish that you're not a spammer or spam-bot, and we sincerely hope that you have lots of kink-filled fun here! :D Spammers -- you'd be better off finding another forum that's not such a "hard target" against your stupid ads. :P

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Closed_doors
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Re: New members & spammers -- PLEASE READ!

Unread post by Closed_doors »

Here Here!! Well said Steph.

Its also good to get a 'behind the curtain' look at the moderators world.

I'll take this opportunity to thank the Mods for all the extra work I know is involved to keep this place running smooth and spam free. I for one very much appreciate it.
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DarkLizerd
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Re: New members & spammers -- PLEASE READ!

Unread post by DarkLizerd »

A question / idea...

If the forum "sees" that a new/unapproved user wants to post something,
could the user be re-directed to a different posting form that informs them that their post must receive a
moderators approval before it is seen by every one else???

Or, for the new user, a warning that their post will not be visible until mod approval...

OK, Ver #3:
After the new user hits "Submit", on the next screen where it says:
"Information
This message has been posted successfully.
..."
Replace "This message has been posted successfully."
with "Thank you, your post is awaiting moderator approval."

That way, they will know it posted correctly, even if they do not see their post...
All advice is checked, re-checked and verified to be questionable...
Don't ask, we both wont understand the answer...
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stephanie_cd
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Re: New members & spammers -- PLEASE READ!

Unread post by stephanie_cd »

DarkLizerd wrote:A question / idea...
Those are all fine ideas, except they would have to be implemented by gaggedutopia. The moderators only have access to a relatively small number of tools designed to solve specific problems, but even things like "account renaming" are out of our reach.

I don't know if your ideas are something that could be easily implemented via "admin settings" or some sort of "forum dashboard" or if they'd require a lot more work involving "phpbb customization" or modifications -- but either way it would be more work for gu and he's been aware of the situation for some time.

A fourth option that I'd love to see would be a DETAILED authorization e-mail when people first sign up:

Dear username,

Welcome to the Bound Forum! While we realize that may have been lurking here for months or years before finally signing up, and that you're now excited to be a member with posting privileges, PLEASE take the time to read these [number] hyperlinks about the forum rules, posting guidelines, and so on.

[links]

Also, be sure to check out the "stickied" threads and "announcement" posts -- they're mostly "frequently asked questions" that got asked SO frequently that we decided to write the answers down and put them where they could easily be found!

One last thing -- as a new member, your first few posts won't show up for everyone to see until they're approved by an actual person in order to make sure that you're not a spam-bot or trying to place spammy ads for fake Viagra or whatnot!



Of course, it's the internet, where very few people bother to read rules or "stickies" in the first place (OR authorization e-mails, for that matter), which made me wonder why I was writing this thread's first post in the first place. I doubt that even 10% of new members will bother to read it before they start posting, but at least I can say that I tried! :D

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DarkLizerd
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Re: New members & spammers -- PLEASE READ!

Unread post by DarkLizerd »

Actually, I think the e-mail may be the best option and simplest to change or implement...
On some sites, when you first sign-up, they will e-mail you with an authenticating e-mail that requires
you to respond from that e-mail, that way, it verifies that your address is correct and that you are "human".
And when you click on the embedded link, that verifies you, then you are allow to post...
That e-mail could provide the new user with a few "rules of the road", too long and the person will just look
for the link and click...

It has been awhile since I signed up, but, is there a warning on the sign-up page that your first few posts
will be verified before they will be visible???

Would you have access to edit that???
All advice is checked, re-checked and verified to be questionable...
Don't ask, we both wont understand the answer...
http://www.mediafire.com/download/09dtr ... e_V2_2.exe Not just for nubies any more...

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stephanie_cd
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Re: New members & spammers -- PLEASE READ!

Unread post by stephanie_cd »

DarkLizerd wrote:It has been awhile since I signed up, but, is there a warning on the sign-up page that your first few posts
will be verified before they will be visible???
No, there's not -- please don't go all the way through the process to make another account, but you can see that sign-up page by not logging in and then clicking "Register" at the top of the page. :D
DarkLizerd wrote:Would you have access to edit that???
No, and that's one of the big differences between "site administrator" and "moderator" tools and the different access levels -- moderators can't edit or change anything with the way the site itself works. It's sort of like the difference between (the old versions of) giving the parking valet the "valet key" instead of your entire keyring with your trunk key, house keys, and all the rest, or the difference between a store owner having ALL the keys and the employees having just one cash register key. (Okay, maybe those aren't the best analogies because "employee theft" isn't an issue, but it IS an issue of "less responsibility and fewer people to blame if something goes wrong." :P )

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DarkLizerd
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Re: New members & spammers -- PLEASE READ!

Unread post by DarkLizerd »

I think that covers it...
Thanks...
Your analogies did point out the differences for what you have control over...
All advice is checked, re-checked and verified to be questionable...
Don't ask, we both wont understand the answer...
http://www.mediafire.com/download/09dtr ... e_V2_2.exe Not just for nubies any more...

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stephanie_cd
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Re: New members & spammers -- PLEASE READ!

Unread post by stephanie_cd »

DarkLizerd wrote:A question / idea...

OK, Ver #3:
After the new user hits "Submit", on the next screen where it says:
"Information
This message has been posted successfully.
..."
Replace "This message has been posted successfully."
with "Thank you, your post is awaiting moderator approval."

That way, they will know it posted correctly, even if they do not see their post...
We're not quite sure exactly WHEN this idea got implemented, but it's there now! :D

"This message has been submitted successfully, but it will need to be approved by a moderator before it is publicly viewable. You will be notified when your post has been approved."

forum disclaimer.jpg

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restricted
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Re: New members & spammers -- PLEASE READ!

Unread post by restricted »

Beware. I haven't answered it.

Return to Inbox
Please read this (urgent).
Sent: Wed Jan 20, 2021 8:57 pm
From: Roberttache
To: restricted

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Note: You are ONLY receiving this because they submitted your email address.
Please only click the link if you are interested making your first $1M with 90 days using our proprietary money system.
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I used to be weird and kinky. But then I joined Bound Forum and became normal.

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Petrajane
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Re: New members & spammers -- PLEASE READ!

Unread post by Petrajane »

restricted wrote:Beware. I haven't answered it.

This is an automatically generated message notifying you that you have received a special VIP invitation from one of your colleagues or friends.
Note: You are ONLY receiving this because they submitted your email address.
Please only click the link if you are interested making your first $1M with 90 days using our proprietary money system.
It's FREE to use and you can receive your first commission payment within 24 hours.
--> Activate here <--
Roberttache
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Already dealt with. http://www.boundforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=108148

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