Reporting spam in this section

by 16 replies
21
Reporting spam is a simple thing, but not enough people do it. Probably because they don't know how, which is understandable.

If you see a post that looks like spam, click the little red triangle at the lower left corner of that post. When the form comes up, type in what you think is the problem. It can be as simple as "spam," "useless one-liners for post count," "sig spamming," or a more detailed explanation if you think one might be needed. For the stuff that's the big problem in this section, those 3 are usually going to be more than enough. So, it doesn't have to take much time.

Only a small handful of people report spam in this section, which is why it's gotten so bad. We (the mods) cannot read every post in every thread in every section, so we count on you folks to let us know when there's a problem.

I can tell you that we look at every report. I have deleted 6 or more accounts based on a single reported spam when I see the all-too-common chain of SEO posters piggybacking on a thread.

I can understand Yukon's frustration, and that of several others. They report the stuff, but it's asking too much for that small group to do it all themselves.

Help them, and yourselves, out. When you see the garbage, report it.


Paul
#search engine optimization #reporting #section #spam
  • Not a problem.

    One thing though, could you have the report limit thing removed, or lowered to like 10 seconds?

    Thanks
    • [2] replies
    • That would create other problems. I realize it's sometimes inconvenient, but there are good reasons for that one.


      Paul
      • [1] reply
    • What about the test forums?

      I see some people with a HUGE post count going in there and spamming the hell out of them. It makes honest people like myself look like a joke.

      Isn't there some way you can exclude test forums from adding to the post count? I'm admin on a gaming forum that runs off vB so I know it can be done.. Its really insane over there lately.. Its happening so often that it's showing up almost every time I click on "New Posts"

      LOL!! In my opinion, everybody has the ability to edit their own posts. So there really is no need for a test forum.. If they don't like how their "official" thread looks, they can change it..

      It would probably cut down on spam AND make the site a lot more reputable. Don't get me wrong, WF is my all-time favorite. And I've only been here for a couple months. But I have been around the block, so to speak, quite a few times before hearing about this place.

      I just see the Test Forum being abused a lot. People will post their classifieds/WSO wanna-be's in that section, while everyone else has to pay their fair share.

      Just my 2 cents
  • Some good news, folks. One of the mods from another section volunteered to keep an eye on the SEO section. So, we'll all have more help with this stuff.

    That doesn't mean you shouldn't keep reporting spam and other abuses. No-one can see everything.


    Paul
  • Paul, are you looking for any more mods?

    I put in a request to be a moderator for this section.
  • WTG,You may be wrong in that assumption. When something is soft-deleted, or an account is banned in certain ways, those posts go to the test forum. The people there are probably NOT trying to sell, but had threads removed for some reason.

    As far as posts there counting... If they do now, they won't for long. Thanks for bringing that up. That would be a tank-sized loophole.

    Peter,Don't take this the wrong way, since it's also true of more than 99% of the members here, but I don't know you well enough to recommend you as a moderator yet. I haven't seen anything that would make me react negatively if someone else recommended you, either.


    Paul
    • [1] reply
    • Ohh that would explain it then.

      And yeah, I'm pretty sure its been adding to post count. Why else would the "senior" members make thread after thread saying "test test test"? hahaha

      So no problem, I just figured I would bring that up. Thanks!
  • Thanks for the response Paul.

    I can understand your position. I guess you need to have 100% trust in a moderator and unless you know them personally or through business, it would be a hard call to make.

    At least it sounds like both moderators and WF regulars are going to put in more effort to reduce the amount of crap posted in this section.
    • [1] reply
    • Peter,It's not so much trust in the person. There are a lot of people here I trust to be honest and consistent. And a whole lot more who would deserve that trust if I knew them well enough to form a strong opinion one way or the other.

      We have to trust each others' judgment. That's a much tougher thing. There are many people here who I would trust to be honest and have the best intentions, but whose judgment I don't trust at all when it comes to some of the things a mod has to consider.

      You know... Little things like "facts."

      I personally try to avoid people who are too strongly governed by (or too easily ignore) either rules or emotion. And, like offline, I prefer to deal with people who look for the good in others, and who try to see both sides of a situation.

      You don't get to see enough of most people in this kind of environment to know those things. Not until you see them presented with real conflict. We've had people here who made all the right noises, right up until something important didn't go their way. Then they exploded.

      Stress is the ultimate truth serum.

      Sorry. I'm rambling. Probably time for sleep.


      Paul
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • I know I don't report posts that probably should be reported enough but I must admit there are a lot of times when I write the report only to not hit send. I get a bit of doubt in whether it was nothing but a +1 or a 'hi, here is my sig' post or the bloke is just new and trying to break the ice. I know what I think they are but maybe I'm wrong. I don't want to waste a moderators time because of my gut feeling...

    Just today I sat back and had a look at some of the threads and there are blokes with accounts made at the start of the year, inactive accounts but not brand new, and they are all talking amongst themselves but achieving nothing. The subjects are related to SEO but lack knowledge, opinion, and well...they just seem off! They aren't breaking any rules though. I will report the obvious one liners but some of the posts just have a touch more effort in them, obviously to sneak under the radar.

    Paul & Pearson, do you want those type of posts reported, i.e. the ones that seem straight from a forum infamous for stuffing and cookies, the ones that have a touch more nouse than a common spammer but with the same end result in mind; or are you just focused on the obvious rule breakers?
  • One of the problems here is the sheer volume of posts. Impossible to read everything.

    If you report a post, it goes to one of the senior mods, not me. They are very very experienced at dealing with cheats. If you are not sure, pass it to them.

    What is sure is that a lot of people have been told that this is an easy place to get links. We have to disabuse them of that quickly. If in doubt, report it.

    Pearson
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • It's good to hear that someone is looking at the report. Will keep reporting as usual.
  • WTG,

    Just tested it for myself. Posting in that section does not increase your count.


    Paul
  • Hm... thats weird, maybe people are just bored then. lol thanks for checking it out though!
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    Reporting spam in this section

    Reporting spam is a simple thing, but not enough people do it. Probably because they don't know how, which is understandable. If you see a post that looks like spam, click the little red triangle at the lower left corner of that post. When the form comes up, type in what you think is the problem. It can be as simple as "spam," "useless one-liners for post count," "sig spamming," or a more detailed explanation if you think one might be needed. For the stuff that's the big problem in this section, those 3 are usually going to be more than enough. So, it doesn't have to take much time.