The Song Fight Bulletin Board

fluffy wrote:I don't like mods in general, but if we had people in, say, a 'spam patrol' role that'd be a lot better.

Yah, see, that's the sort of thing I'd volunteer to help out with. Although I couldn't much blame any of y'all for being nervous about a bzl with a DESTROY USER button.

fluffy wrote:Consideration must be paid to side effects.

You sound like a civil engineer.

I'm a software engineer, with an emphasis on engineer. Way too many of my peers just implement whatever quick hacks they feel like and because of that sort of crap my product is about a year behind schedule and extremely fragile.

When a software hack blows up in your face, at best it causes something of an inconvenience, though often it also causes a lot of lost time and pointless aggravation. At worst they can kill. Not that phpBB has that capability, but it sure has had plenty of stupid security holes which have led to some pretty major exploits in the past. It's not a very modular or considered system, and version 3.0 doesn't look like it's going to be any better (if anything it's gotten even MORE monolithic).

Some poeple have suggested more moderators. I am not sure what that would do. There are bots. They sign up. They post. Their posts get deleted. Their accounts get deleted. There are not bot posts currently on the board, that I am aware of. If jb doesn't see them, I delete them. If I don't see them, Glenn deletes them. What is the reason that we need more moderators again? I forget.

what would be a good mod ("modification") would be one that let people flag posts/threads/users as spam/spammers, and then added a page to Admin where we could look at all the flagged stuff and act accordingly.

we don't get so much spam that it's a super huge deal to keep after, but I do think there are some things that software could do to make the human effort a bit easier. i must admit that i'm really tired of being the spam cop, and would love something that made my life easier.

spud wrote:What is the reason that we need more moderators again?

I think we all just wanna help you guys out!

I totally agree with you JB - a good software solution would be nice. I was only questioning the need for more moderators. There are many possible detrimental side-effects to that, as well.

i think we have the moderators we're going to get, for now.

A mod to do what you want shouldn't be too hard to implement, jb. If my wrists weren't currently going to hell I'd totally write it.

If someone else takes a stab at it, I'd suggest they make it only disable the user, rather than deleting it, in case of a false report which gets accidentally used.

I think JB wants a means by which we can identify a spammer, and he gets a notification to make the deleting easier. I don't know PHP or I might help.
-bill

Yes I meant for what happens after the identification happens and when the admin goes through the queue. I'd disable rather than delete.

Our response must involve far more than instant retaliation and isolated strikes. Songfighters should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign, unlike any other we have ever seen. It may include dramatic strikes, visible on TV, and covert operations, secret even in success. We will starve spambots of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place, until there is no refuge or no rest. And we will pursue websites that provide aid or safe haven to spambots. Every website, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the spambots. (Applause.)

From this day forward, any website that continues to harbor or support spambotism will be regarded by Songfight! as a hostile regime.

These measures are essential. But the only way to defeat spambotism as a threat to our way of life is to stop it, eliminate it, and destroy it where it grows. (Applause.)

But we should also be willing to consider the nucular option.

IT IS PERHAPS INCIDENTAL BUT THERE IS NOW A HEURISTIC BOT REGISTRATION DETECTOR.

ALL HERETICS WILL BE ELIMINATED. HEURISTICALLY.

shadowy puppetmaster is so coincidentally timely it's spooky

Wow, this has actually been very educational!

Sorry, guys, I didn't realize we had users "hand registering" spam accounts. What a pain in the arse! I don't have a good mod suggestion other than implementing the word- recognition thingy, (which perhaps you've already done!) But evidently, even that mod wouldn't help things much.

I must confess I bumped this thread in the hopes that someone like fluffy would have a good suggestion for a mod for de-boting the boards, but it seems to be a much more insidious infestation than I'd realized.

My own phpbb knowledge is nil.

Fightmasters, do not worry yourselves unduly -- ultimately the bots are only a minor nuissance.