Forum problems?

[Dame]

Over at the sffnet forums, Brad Torgerson and K D Wentworth say they are unable to log in to these forums. I think some people may be finding it hard to log in or to tell anyone they are having problems.

[wswingley]

Here's a link for any of you guys having trouble. Go over to the SFF.net forum and post your problems.

http://webnews.sff.net/read?cmd=xover&group=sff.writing.writersofthefuture

[MJNL]

Hope this is the appropriate place for this...

Brad, you are being summoned over at KD's forum: http://webnews.sff.net/read?cmd=xover&g ... fthefuture

I think a user is having trouble logging in here. Just thought I'd pass the info along.

[Brad R. Torgersen]

Thank you for alerting me, I am now on it!

[MJNL]

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=686
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=685

Help, we've been spammed! I'm sure there are more spam topics, those are the two I came across just now.

[soulmirror]

Great oogly-moogly! Now the "Forum Problems" thread is being spammed BY the forum problem itself!

Perhaps there's a discount medicine that would alleviate the probl ... no, wait ... It got to me! I've been brainwashed!

[Brad R. Torgersen]

izanobu clued me in. I have zapped the spambot.

[MJNL]

Yay! There was a second one, did you tackle it too?

Edit: Ah-ha, think you did. Thanks for zapping those!

[Grayson Morris]

Well, the spambot situation seems to be worsening...I thought I'd cast my vote for going back to new-member approval. However, I bow (happily and with appreciation for all the work involved) to Brad's ultimate decision.

[katsincommand]

Or Brad could appoint more moderators who could clean things up when he's not around. I'm a mod on a writing community, and several people have the ability to clean up spam posts so no one ever even knew they were there. It's very normal, just need invisible handling to make it seem like there is no sam.

[Brad R. Torgersen]

The spambot problem seems to come in surges.

I avoid going back to mod approval for new logins for one very important reason: active user retention.

Most new users who sign up, are signing up to post in the moment. If they have to sit around and wait for a half day or even a full day or more to get approved, they lose the mojo. Maybe even forget where they'd signed up, or why. And thus it's another dormant user account.

This forum is only as good as its active members. I'm trying to attract and keep as many active members as I am able.

And apologies, as always, for the spam. Once I see it, I can nuke it quick. Like a car wreck, try to just drive by it and not look. I'll get it cleaned up.

[Grayson Morris]

Understood, Brad. Dawn's suggestion sounds like a great one on two fronts: quick spam cleanup, and a wee bit less work on your plate. (I'm not volunteering, but I could be drafted without too much kicking and screaming, if there are no "me! me! me!" hands going up.)

[AMcCarter]

I imagine it will have to be cleared through Joni first and most likely be someone who has already won or disqualified themselves so that no one can claim unfair advantage. Why anyone would say that is beyond me, but there it is.

[MJNL]

You've got to admit, guys, finding the spam posts and hitting that alert button is at least a little fun. Kinda like whack-a-mole.

Plus, we're such a small community it's not hard to spot the spam before it gets too out of control.

[kyle]

You've got to admit, guys, finding the spam posts and hitting that alert button is at least a little fun. Kinda like whack-a-mole.

Ooh, since the system keeps track of which posts have already been reported and which ones haven't, I wonder if it could also keep score...

[soulmirror]

So ... there's alot of шальной русский рекламируя showing up, da?

Not that that's a bad thing ...

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

I avoid going back to mod approval for new logins for one very important reason: active user retention.

Unfortunately, the spam may soon make at least one user inactive: me.

Because of how the forum is organized, it's very difficult to identify fresh posts. I'm sorry, that's just a fact. I have to look at the front page for the top-level topics that have changed recently. Since they're not sorted by date, I have to read the update dates with my old tired eyes.

So then I find a top-level topic with a change. I click on it. Within are a large number of specific topics. Although the fresher ones seem to usually be near the top, they're not sorted. So I really have to read all the update dates with my old tired eyes.

And then I click on a topic. And did I mention my internet speed is only a little better than dial-up? That's one of the costs of life in the quiet countryside.

So then I get to the topic... and it's spam. Four times tonight, even.

And I don't decide not to visit here; but I find that I visit less, because there's a good chance I'm wasting my time.

I don't know if new user approval is the answer; but I wanted to point out that spam also affects active user retention.

[Juliana]

Martin, this is the link I have bookmarked for this page:

search.php?search_id=newposts

It might solve some of your problems to bookmark that instead of the main forum page.

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Thanks, Juliana! That will save me a lot of time and frustrating page refreshes. I bow to your superior forum skills!

[Grayson Morris]

Martin, are you by any chance colorblind? I ask, because I see the leftmost icon in red, instead of blue, for topics with new posts. (Then I click on the little icon to the right of the "last post by" name to go to the most recent post in that thread.)

It would drive me crazy, too, if I had to scan the "last post by" dates to find new posts since my last visit.

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Nope, not colorblind. I haven't figured out the icons yet, but they seem unreliable. The thread "My e-mails for help probably got eaten." was showing (on my machine, at least) with a red icon, even though it hasn't had a new post since April 8, and even though I've read every post in the thread. I've kinda given up understanding the icons.

[Juliana]

Thanks, Juliana! That will save me a lot of time and frustrating page refreshes. I bow to your superior forum skills!

Glad to help. It's nice to know there is some benefit to those years of wasted Internet surfing.