Illiterate sig spammers

[hilariousandco]

Interesting that we didnt get a single input from a staff member. They might have given up on this one :S

As others have mentioned these sorts of threads pop up every week or so and it gets tiring responding to the same question over and over. We're currently discussing ways to combat spam but can't really make any big changes without admin input but most of us agree those sort of shit threads mentioned in the op should be locked and probably will be.

[Your Point Is Invalid]

Interesting that we didnt get a single input from a staff member. They might have given up on this one :S

As others have mentioned these sorts of threads pop up every week or so and it gets tiring responding to the same question over and over. We're currently discussing ways to combat spam but can't really make any big changes without admin input but most of us agree those sort of shit threads mentioned in the op should be locked and probably will be.

Yet still, when i report such threads, nothing gets done

[hilariousandco]

Where did I say they would be removed if you report them? If you read what I wrote I said we were currently discussing how to handle them.

[jackg]

I'm not sure of the problem of the thread OP posted? Most signature campaigns pay bonus for posting in the gambling section - so why don't spammers just post there all the time if the intent is to spam (there's enough threads to do that there)?
Users who feel people do post bad quality posts should consider talking to the manager of the signature campaign directly to have them removed from it.

[Your Point Is Invalid]

Where did I say they would be removed if you report them? If you read what I wrote I said we were currently discussing how to handle them.

Ok, i dont see what the discussion is about though, you guys have no choice but to either delete them, or get new staff to clean up the spam

[jackg]

Where did I say they would be removed if you report them? If you read what I wrote I said we were currently discussing how to handle them.

Ok, i dont see what the discussion is about though, you guys have no choice but to either delete them, or get new staff to clean up the spam

It may be difficult for the moderators though. How can they work out what is spam? They can't just target those in signature campaigns either, they'd have to clear up everywhere! Or then they're judging things differently depending on whether a user wishes to earn when they post or not.

[hilariousandco]

Users who feel people do post bad quality posts should consider talking to the manager of the signature campaign directly to have them removed from it.

The problem campaigns never listen to you. 9/10 I never get any response from them even after months of telling them they need to start looking after their campaigns. Try PM bitmixer or some of the shitcoin sig campaigns and see if you get a response. They don't care and the ones that don't listen even after repeated warnings either need some sort of punishment or not be allowed to advertise here in such a way and that's another thing we're discussing.

Where did I say they would be removed if you report them? If you read what I wrote I said we were currently discussing how to handle them.

Ok, i dont see what the discussion is about though, you guys have no choice but to either delete them, or get new staff to clean up the spam

It may be difficult for the moderators though. How can they work out what is spam? They can't just target those in signature campaigns either, they'd have to clear up everywhere! Or then they're judging things differently depending on whether a user wishes to earn when they post or not.

Exactly and that's what we're discussing. It's not a question of new staff but making sure everybody is on board and on the same page about what is acceptable or not. You might think a thread is spam and others might not. Even a constructive thread can be taken over by shitposters so do we trash that as well? What threads should or shouldn't be permitted are currently being discussed as are ways to cut down on sig spam altogether. I'm not the boss here and don't want to overstep my authority so any big changes that happen need to be run through with both all the other staff and most importantly theymos first and that's what we're waiting on.

[criptix]

I think I got the situation:

Staff are like Germany and the spammers are the refugees.


Jk

Interesting that we didnt get a single input from a staff member. They might have given up on this one :S

As others have mentioned these sorts of threads pop up every week or so and it gets tiring responding to the same question over and over. We're currently discussing ways to combat spam but can't really make any big changes without admin input but most of us agree those sort of shit threads mentioned in the op should be locked and probably will be.

I hope you get a solution. It is really getting worse by day. I'm pretty sure right now the spammers are registering new accounts to create new threads and then are spamming with their sig campaign accounts.
Like just look at the first page of politics&society.

[jackg]

Users who feel people do post bad quality posts should consider talking to the manager of the signature campaign directly to have them removed from it.

The problem campaigns never listen to you. 9/10 I never get any response from them even after months of telling them they need to start looking after their campaigns. Try PM bitmixer or some of the shitcoin sig campaigns and see if you get a response. They don't care and the ones that don't listen even after repeated warnings either need some sort of punishment or not be allowed to advertise here in such a way and that's another thing we're discussing.

Where did I say they would be removed if you report them? If you read what I wrote I said we were currently discussing how to handle them.

Ok, i dont see what the discussion is about though, you guys have no choice but to either delete them, or get new staff to clean up the spam

It may be difficult for the moderators though. How can they work out what is spam? They can't just target those in signature campaigns either, they'd have to clear up everywhere! Or then they're judging things differently depending on whether a user wishes to earn when they post or not.

Exactly and that's what we're discussing. It's not a question of new staff but making sure everybody is on board and on the same page about what is acceptable or not. You might think a thread is spam and others might not. Even a constructive thread can be taken over by shitposters so do we trash that as well? What threads should or shouldn't be permitted are currently being discussed as are ways to cut down on sig spam altogether. I'm not the boss here and don't want to overstep my authority so any big changes that happen need to be run through with both all the other staff and most importantly theymos first and that's what we're waiting on.

The worst campaign for spammers is probably yobit (which isn't even regulated).
Steep sanctions should be put in place go tackle this (such as blocking accounts either permanently or until a fine is paid to the forum).
I've looked on threads and thought I'd turn off signatures for one day a while back. Its interesting to notice that the post quality of people in and out of campaigns is very similar to me. And the fact that most people are in a signature campaign means that threads are more likely to have those people replying to them.

[Lauda]

They don't care and the ones that don't listen even after repeated warnings either need some sort of punishment or not be allowed to advertise here in such a way and that's another thing we're discussing.

I think it has gone beyond the point of discussing 'whether to punish them or not', to 'how to punish them exactly'. Quite a few campaigns deserved it.

It may be difficult for the moderators though. How can they work out what is spam?

I disagree. I can (usually) easily asses whether you're a spammer or not. Sometimes even based on a singular post (although for a conclusion a deeper analysis is required), and most often based on your last post page. There are certain behavioral habits that can be identified in addition to the linguistic skill of the user in question. Hint: "I'm not native to English but should be allowed to post useless & faulty posts in every section" is not a valid argument.

It's not a question of new staff but making sure everybody is on board and on the same page about what is acceptable or not.

I don't think we're lacking manpower. If anything, the moderation may be imbalanced in times where there may be a lot of unhandled reports. Generally, my report list is empty or quickly emptied (as a patroller & 2 section moderator).

Even a constructive thread can be taken over by shitposters so do we trash that as well?

IMHO: If the thread itself is pointless, then everything should be trashed if it gets flooded by spam. If the thread initially happened to be constructive then either: a) Try to clean it and punish the 'shitposters'. b) Lock and archive it.

Its interesting to notice that the post quality of people in and out of campaigns is very similar to me.

No. You're looking at the wrong place and potentially encountering account farmers without signatures. There's a usually a distinct difference between genuine posts and spammers regardless of whether they have a signature or not.

[jackg]

They don't care and the ones that don't listen even after repeated warnings either need some sort of punishment or not be allowed to advertise here in such a way and that's another thing we're discussing.

I think it has gone beyond the point of discussing 'whether to punish them or not', to 'how to punish them exactly'. Quite a few campaigns deserved it.

It may be difficult for the moderators though. How can they work out what is spam?

I disagree. I can (usually) easily asses whether you're a spammer or not. Sometimes even based on a singular post (although for a conclusion a deeper analysis is required), and most often based on your last post page. There are certain behavioral habits that can be identified in addition to the linguistic skill of the user in question. Hint: "I'm not native to English but should be allowed to post useless & faulty posts in every section" is not a valid argument.

It's not a question of new staff but making sure everybody is on board and on the same page about what is acceptable or not.

I don't think we're lacking manpower. If anything, the moderation may be imbalanced in times where there may be a lot of unhandled reports. Generally, my report list is empty or quickly emptied (as a patroller & 2 section moderator).

Even a constructive thread can be taken over by shitposters so do we trash that as well?

IMHO: If the thread itself is pointless, then everything should be trashed if it gets flooded by spam. If the thread initially happened to be constructive then either: a) Try to clean it and punish the 'shitposters'. b) Lock and archive it.

Its interesting to notice that the post quality of people in and out of campaigns is very similar to me.

No. You're looking at the wrong place and potentially encountering account farmers without signatures. There's a usually a distinct difference between genuine posts and spammers regardless of whether they have a signature or not.

Once a thread is taken over by spammers, there's not really any easy way of recovering it. I have not really ever seen that being done either.

The "farmers" that you refer to whom I was talking about are mainly of a lower rank so they may be looking at making many posts to get accepted into a signature campaign once the account matures.

[Lauda]

Once a thread is taken over by spammers, there's not really any easy way of recovering it. I have not really ever seen that being done either.

Again, there are internal discussions regarding this matter. I have compiled a nice list of threads that need locking and trashing (preferably). Once there's some consensus on the matter, it will be (hopefully) handled.

The "farmers" that you refer to whom I was talking about are mainly of a lower rank so they may be looking at making many posts to get accepted into a signature campaign once the account matures.

Not necessarily. It is not rare for me to see Hero member accounts (with or without signature) who almost have no clue about Bitcoin (i.e. their posts lack in content and quality).

[jackg]

Once a thread is taken over by spammers, there's not really any easy way of recovering it. I have not really ever seen that being done either.

Again, there are internal discussions regarding this matter. I have compiled a nice list of threads that need locking and trashing (preferably). Once there's some consensus on the matter, it will be (hopefully) handled.

The "farmers" that you refer to whom I was talking about are mainly of a lower rank so they may be looking at making many posts to get accepted into a signature campaign once the account matures.

Not necessarily. It is not rare for me to see Hero member accounts (with or without signature) who almost have no clue about Bitcoin (i.e. their posts lack in content and quality).

Am i the op of any of those threads? If so, i can make it easier and lock and delete those threads (that'd be nicer than having a mod overpower my intellectual property).
Newer members are more likely to account farm as it has great value to mature an account from newbie to member and sell it on (presumably, though account sales would be slow based on me trying to sell accounts taken as collateral for loans)

[MrBig]

How do you stop signature spam when paid signatures are allowed? There are money-making forums and guides that encourage registering on here and posting simply as a way to earn an income online. While that $3 a day or whatever signature posters get paid may seem insignificant to some, it is pretty enticing to people in some parts of the world (eg. official minimum wage throughout India varies from $2.40 to $6.35 per day; and there are many places with lower wages than that). Multiply that $3 by several accounts, and they've got a a pretty good thing going for them.

[jackg]

How do you stop signature spam when paid signatures are allowed? There are money-making forums and guides that encourage registering on here and posting simply as a way to earn an income online. While that $3 a day or whatever signature posters get paid may seem insignificant to some, it is pretty enticing to people in some parts of the world (eg. official minimum wage throughout India varies from $2.40 to $6.35 per day; and there are many places with lower wages than that). Multiply that $3 by several accounts, and they've got a a pretty good thing going for them.

You need to remember than in poor countries, there's probably a £100 startup fee for Internet connection. Mainly used for cabling and routers. There's then a £20 fee per month at least in most countries to maintain a connection. The money earned is a bit worthless, however, it all adds up and is probably seen by some as a good way to greater decentralise the currency.

[MrBig]

How do you stop signature spam when paid signatures are allowed? There are money-making forums and guides that encourage registering on here and posting simply as a way to earn an income online. While that $3 a day or whatever signature posters get paid may seem insignificant to some, it is pretty enticing to people in some parts of the world (eg. official minimum wage throughout India varies from $2.40 to $6.35 per day; and there are many places with lower wages than that). Multiply that $3 by several accounts, and they've got a a pretty good thing going for them.

You need to remember than in poor countries, there's probably a £100 startup fee for Internet connection. Mainly used for cabling and routers. There's then a £20 fee per month at least in most countries to maintain a connection. The money earned is a bit worthless, however, it all adds up and is probably seen by some as a good way to greater decentralise the currency.

You can get a 3G data connection with a few gigs for less than $5 a month in many countries. More people in India have access to smart phones than toilets. Maybe some of the signature spammers can shed some light as to why they spend time here making incoherent posts that no one wants to read instead of exploring other sources of income.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

How do you stop signature spam when paid signatures are allowed? There are money-making forums and guides that encourage registering on here and posting simply as a way to earn an income online. While that $3 a day or whatever signature posters get paid may seem insignificant to some, it is pretty enticing to people in some parts of the world (eg. official minimum wage throughout India varies from $2.40 to $6.35 per day; and there are many places with lower wages than that). Multiply that $3 by several accounts, and they've got a a pretty good thing going for them.

That is very interesting.  Can anyone else here verify whether this is true (I'm a skeptic by nature)?  

If this is true, I'm very happy that bitcoin is providing a real source of income.  But that doesn't excuse lazy shitposters by any means.  I'm not saying that.  If that's a day's wage, they should put some serious effort into their posts.  But I really like the idea of Indians being able to earn that much by sig campaigns.  It almost warms my blackened, dead heart.  This is what bitcoin is supposed to be about, a global thing.

[MrBig]

How do you stop signature spam when paid signatures are allowed? There are money-making forums and guides that encourage registering on here and posting simply as a way to earn an income online. While that $3 a day or whatever signature posters get paid may seem insignificant to some, it is pretty enticing to people in some parts of the world (eg. official minimum wage throughout India varies from $2.40 to $6.35 per day; and there are many places with lower wages than that). Multiply that $3 by several accounts, and they've got a a pretty good thing going for them.

That is very interesting.  Can anyone else here verify whether this is true (I'm a skeptic by nature)? 

If this is true, I'm very happy that bitcoin is providing a real source of income.  But that doesn't excuse lazy shitposters by any means.  I'm not saying that.  If that's a day's wage, they should put some serious effort into their posts.  But I really like the idea of Indians being able to earn that much by sig campaigns.  It almost warms my blackened, dead heart.  This is what bitcoin is supposed to be about, a global thing.

Here's a Wikipedia list of minimum wages by country: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_wages_by_country

[actmyname]

Here's a Wikipedia list of minimum wages by country: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_wages_by_country

Anyway, as for the ones that are relevant (with minimum wages starting at 0.01 usd/hr) there are 69 (if I've counted correctly) countries that have minimum wages of <$1 usd hourly. The map helps to really show the difference between the higher wages vs the lower ones, but you always need to consider cost of living to truly understand.

[minifrij]

Even a constructive thread can be taken over by shitposters so do we trash that as well?

The solution to this on another forum I'm a part of was to be a lot more liberal with locking threads. For example, once a question was answered or a request was fulfilled the thread was locked to prevent further spamming. This would prevent threads like this and this (which is essentially the exact same topic anyway) from gaining any sort of ground with spam.

How do you stop signature spam when paid signatures are allowed?

You moderate the users, or you remove the paid signatures. While this is a lot easier said than done, I'm hoping that something eventually gets theymos' approval and it can begin to take effect; there's only so much users can do without authority.