Dealing with spammer accounts

[Dene]

And good riddance, too! (at least this is what I think. We don't need noobs coming in asking the same quesitons over and over, and if they can't be bothered to register we won't have to put up with it!)

 

[pjk]

And good riddance, too! (at least this is what I think. We don't need noobs coming in asking the same quesitons over and over, and if they can't be bothered to register we won't have to put up with it!)

I guess we could put a question and answer in the agreement, and further along in the process doing something like "Question : Answer in Agreement". I'm not sure if human spammers would be willing to go back through and try it.

Other than that, it is nearly impossible to filter a spamming human from a regular human. Asking cubing related questions won't work, as many new cubers won't know an answer.

 

[MistArts]

Or we could put one of the math problems xD!

 

[waffle=ijm]

Or we could put one of the math problems xD!

what about the mathematically challenged like me

 

[MistArts]

Or we could put one of the math problems xD!

what about the mathematically challenged like me

Use a calculator.

 

[CAT13]

You could ask something like: What method do you use to solve a Rubik's cube? Then you see if they really know anything about solving the cube, and let them in. And maybe a couple more questions like: How many stickers are there on a 3x3 cube? (you would be surprised at how many people can't figure this out without counting )

 

[shelley]

You could ask them to provide a short explanation as to why they want to join. Then the applications can be screened by mods, or (preferably) be automatically checked for certain keywords like Rubik's cube or speedcubing or whatever.

 

[waffle=ijm]

You could ask them to provide a short explanation as to why they want to join. Then the applications can be screened by mods, or (preferably) be automatically checked for certain keywords like Rubik's cube or speedcubing or whatever.

if you do this scanning manually, I'll be glad to help

 

[Dene]

Yea... more moderators would certainly be necessary for that. (or else people with just the capability to check applications)

 

[hawkmp4]

I don't pretend to be very regular here- I don't really see all that much spam. Is it that much of a problem that we really need to overhaul the registration process?

 

[Hadley4000]

Here is an example registration page:


To verify your cubing knowledge, please enter the following:
T-Perm: Sucky alg
Sexy move: Amazing alg
Superflip: Mediocre alg

Do I win? (Too shorT)

 

[waffle=ijm]

I don't pretend to be very regular here- I don't really see all that much spam. Is it that much of a problem that we really need to overhaul the registration process?

I'm here always everyday. So when I see spam I report immediately.

 

[hawkmp4]

I don't mean to be rude...but that doesn't really answer the question. how much spam is there?

 

[waffle=ijm]

I don't mean to be rude...but that doesn't really answer the question. how much spam is there?

there's at least 2 spammers every 3 weeks. not a lot. but its best to be reported immediately or better yet just prevent it

 

[shelley]

Spammers don't strike very often and when they do the mods are usually very good at deleting and banning them after they're reported. Still, it's annoying when they do show up. It would be nice to have additional preventative measures against them (e.g. auto-banning them if they enter "1" as a WCA ID).

I suppose having a mod review new registrations only gives the mods more work and doesn't really solve the problem for them. How many new registrations does the forum get per day anyway? Would it be hard to implement something that automatically scans an application for keywords and approves/rejects them accordingly?

 

[pjk]

Although spam is seldom here, it does happen. It is impossible to prevent spam on an open forum like this, but I am all for finding and implementing ways to minimize spam. Doing manually review would work. Requiring an explanation for why you would want to join may help with the manual review. However, simply asking a reasonable question as I mentioned earlier would probably be the easiest, as it is easy to automate, and will at least require someone to think. Of course, a spammer may know how many sides are on a rubik's cube, but typically they are trying to cover as many sites as possible in the shortest amount of time, so they won't spend time with it. We could always try it and see how it works out.

Shelley, here are the registration stats for the last month. Today had like 20 alone, which is a pretty big day, typically caused by the site and/or the cube being featured somewhere.

 

[nitrocan]

Here is an example registration page:


To verify your cubing knowledge, please enter the following:
T-Perm: Sucky alg
Sexy move: Amazing alg
Superflip: Mediocre alg

Do I win? (Too shorT)

Aww, I thought the T-Perm was awesome

 

[Stefan]

Most spammers here aren't computers, they are actual people simply registering and spamming. You have to type in a verification code, and activate your email before posting.

Are you saying it's not computers because of that verification code?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captcha#Computer_character_recognition

And concerning humans:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captcha#Human_solvers

 

[nitrocan]

Most spammers here aren't computers, they are actual people simply registering and spamming. You have to type in a verification code, and activate your email before posting.

Are you saying it's not computers because of that verification code?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captcha#Computer_character_recognition

And concerning humans:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captcha#Human_solvers

Human solvers, and the thing we are trying to block is different I think. Captcha solvers and human solvers are probably designed to fill a website with many users. What we are trying to block is people who have no intention of cubing and want to advertise or sell things.

 

[Stefan]

Um, what? I kinda think you misunderstand.