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| Shout Box Spam 05/06/2012 at 13:23 #32777 | |
Stephen Fulcher
2028 posts 
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It seems like people are managing to spam the shout box a lot more than normal recently. Howard (I think) removed a spam post from there a couple of days ago, and another one has appeared in there now. Just a thought, but is the presence of the shout box on the front page of the site the trigger that encourages these posts? If so, would it be beneficial to have the shout box on every page bar the front one? Log in to reply |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 05/06/2012 at 14:19 #32787 | |
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Hpotter
205 posts |
As you say, have been keeping an eye on it, and another one bites the dust! :woohoo:
Log in to reply The following users said thank you: guidomcc, Stephen Fulcher, ipswich |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 05/06/2012 at 14:59 #32794 | |
Peter Bennet
5362 posts
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Howard (and other MODS) of you are not already can you also delete the offender from the user list. Peter I identify as half man half biscuit - crumbs! Log in to reply |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 05/06/2012 at 15:46 #32804 | |
GeoffM
6287 posts |
" said:It seems like people are managing to spam the shout box a lot more than normal recently.Possibly, but it's also the first place most genuine people see the shout box so it would be a shame to disadvantage the many for the sake of a few. " said: Howard (and other MODS) of you are not already can you also delete the offender from the user list.Debatable but personally I think it's better to block them so they can't simply re-register. SimSig Boss Log in to reply |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 06/06/2012 at 03:59 #32834 | |
alvinhochun
249 posts |
I am most puzzled how those spammers could add a link to their display names. BTW there aren't even a simple CAPTCHA or spam-prevention questions when registering? _ _ _ _，_ _ _ _！ (censored by the Hong Kong national security law) Last edited: 06/06/2012 at 03:59 by alvinhochun Reason: completing a missing sentance Log in to reply |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 06/06/2012 at 15:14 #32855 | |
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GeoffM
6287 posts |
" said:I am most puzzled how those spammers could add a link to their display names.New users have to respond to an email before their account is activated. Their email address is automatically checked against an email blacklist. I removed the Captcha because they are discriminatory and - at least as far as this site is concerned - haven't increased or decreased the number of attempted registrations. Sometimes the registrations look genuine enough so it's not until they actually post do we see that they're not genuine. SimSig Boss Log in to reply |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 07/06/2012 at 12:00 #32865 | |
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Stephen Fulcher
2028 posts
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To be honest about CAPCHAs, I tend to find that all they do is annoy people who are genuine. There is technology out there now that can read them, so the hard line spammers will get round them anyway, as will the small nuisance players who will just register using the CAPCHA, so I am not convinced that they achieve their desired aim. Log in to reply |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 07/06/2012 at 12:05 #32867 | |
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Peter Bennet
5362 posts
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Half the time I struggle to work out what the actual letters are that I'm supposed to type in. Peter I identify as half man half biscuit - crumbs! Log in to reply |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 07/06/2012 at 12:16 #32869 | |
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alvinhochun
249 posts |
If I am the one who design a system, I will not use images. I will use text instead: Example 1: Quote: Please enter characters that are not capitalized: AbcDEfgh Example 2: Quote: How many small letter 'i's are there? iiiIIIiiiIIIiiiI personally think that these are much more effective than images on defeating robot spammers. These are easier for human to answer yet difficult for robots. Unless those robots implement AI... For human spammers we can never defeat them. _ _ _ _，_ _ _ _！ (censored by the Hong Kong national security law) Last edited: 07/06/2012 at 12:16 by alvinhochun Log in to reply |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 07/06/2012 at 12:30 #32871 | |
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AndyG
1835 posts |
" said:Half the time I struggle to work out what the actual letters are that I'm supposed to type in.more like 90% for me :S I can only help one person a day. Today's not your day. Tomorrow doesn't look too good either. Log in to reply |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 07/06/2012 at 13:36 #32872 | |
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Stephen Fulcher
2028 posts
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Me too, I tend to get a couple of tries wrong before it will let me in, which in a way only proves that they are relatively ineffective for their original purpose. As they were made more complex to defeat the bots, they now tend to defeat the very people they were designed to protect, which to me suggests that a totally new approach is required. The one suggested above by Alvin, certainly the first example seems to be a good idea, but not sure how easy it would be to implement. The second would pose me trouble with my eyesight being poor. Log in to reply |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 07/06/2012 at 14:20 #32877 | |
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guidomcc
246 posts |
Also it really ruins your day when you fail one. I mean, goddammit, a computer can read this so why can't I?!
Log in to reply |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 07/06/2012 at 15:10 #32879 | |
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Peter Bennet
5362 posts
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I signed up to a site a while back and it asked me what class of loco a "shed" was - slightly after my time but I got it in the end! Peter I identify as half man half biscuit - crumbs! Log in to reply |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 07/06/2012 at 16:57 #32885 | |
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GeoffM
6287 posts |
" said:If I am the one who design a system, I will not use images. I will use text instead:That sort of thing is okay though one has to be careful that people with limited English skills aren't discriminated against. " said: Example 2:No! Too hard for people with vision difficulties. Possibly for dyslexics too. SimSig Boss Log in to reply |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 08/06/2012 at 14:42 #32925 | |
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Backup
89 posts |
 (From the excellent, if occasionally impenetrable, XKCD webcomic) Last edited: 08/06/2012 at 14:43 by Backup Reason: Adding source citation Log in to reply The following user said thank you: guidomcc |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 08/06/2012 at 22:06 #32940 | |
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guidomcc
246 posts |
another one's tried his luck
Log in to reply |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 26/06/2012 at 14:58 #33400 | |
MrSuttonmann
265 posts |
I personally despise Captcha, and I refuse to use any form of it on my websites. I used to use hidden inputs instead - these should be empty upon form submission, but if they are not empty, the software refuses the data. It stops most robots, but more increasingly now, robots can detect hidden forms and leave them alone. There is no real solution to spam, the best thing to do is block IP addresses or even IP ranges, but even that's not fool proof what with proxy services such as HideMyAss and dynamic IPs. (Formerly known as manadude2) Log in to reply |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 26/06/2012 at 15:08 #33402 | |
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Josie
310 posts |
Saw this this morning; haven't yet decided how to feel about it. http://areyouahuman.com/ Log in to reply |
| Re: Shout Box Spam 26/06/2012 at 15:19 #33406 | |
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MrSuttonmann
265 posts |
" said:Saw this this morning; haven't yet decided how to feel about it.Hmm, interesting, but I can spot some issues - is it Flash dependant? If so, people who don't/can't/won't install Flash can't pass the verification. It could be mistaken for an advert, it looks very similar to certain adverts I have seen before, so people may be wary of using it. It also still could be discriminatory to those with mobility or visual impairment. What about those who speak a different language too, does the widget support this? As I said before, there isn't really a solution for it that works for everyone. Edit: After looking deeper into the site, I see that have catered for non-Flash support and visually impared users. (Formerly known as manadude2) Last edited: 26/06/2012 at 15:21 by MrSuttonmann Log in to reply |