Suggestion for site feedback threads

[KLB]

I've noticed a mess of site feedback requests from one post wonders over the past few days, which leads me to believe they are just spam. I'd like to suggest not allowing "new members" with less than 'x' post count (maybe 10) to start new threads in the Reviews forum. This would stop spammers from being able to use review solicitations as a guise to simply get more links and in the process waste our time doing a review that nobody cares about.

[Chris]

what if that just inspired them to post 10 useless posts?

[KLB]

Most of the time they are just drive by poster's and only the very occasional new member will be persistent enough to post ten useless posts just to get a link from your forum. I personally also set a time frame requirement (like two weeks), which greatly helps.

[FPU]

Website review forums are always a target for spammers, they should be limited to members in good standing if they are being abused.

You have to look at each case independently and make judgment calls, as far as changing the way the forum is set up that may not be needed if it is obvious spam just ban the member and delete the thread.

A long standing member can abuse these forums just as well as a new member, so again it is a judgment call by management.

If someone never contributes to the forum and all they do is post their sites for review it is plain he or she is using you.

I have one member that only posts in the domain name forum on names he has for sale, that is the only place he ever posts, we let it stand because it is a domain name forum.

He is a good member in my book and has not broke any rules, so there is no reason to ban him, again, a judgment call.

One way to weed these guys out is by looking at their IP, if they are posting from a known blacklisted open proxy it is common sense to delete their thread and ban them.

[polspoel]

Also no signatures until x posts.

[KLB]

FPU, you make many good points. My feeling is that as long as someone is trying to give back to a forum and aren't simply dumping link spam they are a good member. Really, 99.x% of what we would all agree to be spammers rarely stick around for more than a few days. If you implement a waiting period for sigs, review threads, etc. One will weed out the most annoying offenders.

Like Google, I like automated methods that don't require a lot of work to combat spam. Looking up IP addresses, etc. takes work. Once implemented, a waiting period requires no effort.

We may not like other aspects of DP, but I do think they have a pretty logical system and set of rules for new members in regards to sigs, posting links, etc.

[MaxS]

Wow, you read my mind. The only reason I clicked this forum (as I usually don't read it) was to present the same case.

I completely agree with you. Although, I would prefer to see some sort of reputation system implemented -- and then the review forum would work off that. It's a much more efficient system, in my opinion.

[rpanella]

I think a time delay as well as perhaps a minimum post count would work well and should be easy to set up. Most spammers would have the patience to make 10 posts and wait 2 weeks and would move on to other targets.
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