What to do about spam in Forum Sections?

[Stedsm]

When we talk about spam, we think of those megaspam threads where people discuss the same thing that's discussed already in first few pages of that thread, and as nobody is interested in looking for an answer already given there, they bump the threads with a spam comment with the same type of content already said somewhere before, that bump and post is all about to increase their post count - either to meet the requirements of their campaign or to make it a potential account and/or complete their activity requirements so that whether they achieve a higher rank or not nowadays (due to the merit requirements) but to keep their activity high.

Now, keeping this to the topic, what I said was all about spam in threads. But we've been seeing threads popping up in the relevant or different sections with the same question already asked at least a ten or hundreds of times, for eg.: What is Bitcoin? How to earn Bitcoins? Why am I banned? How can a wallet be used to send Bitcoins? etc.

For such spam threads where people ask an already interrogated query, there should be a few things they need to take in mind to help stop the Section spam going on here:

- Use Google with the query before you ask here, as Google is the best source to find an answer to the questions asked tens of times here. I believe newbies should use the search box here on the forum to search for the same thing they're interested in asking here (not highly recommended though as search option here has some issues involved).

- Request to others (dedicated to all ranks) to please not co-operate with such threads by explaining the same thing back to them and redirect them to a thread that's already up with the same query, so as to keep it far from turning it into a megaspam thread.

- Request to admins and devs (please deal with the "SEARCH" issues as it will help stop a lot of threads turn into megaspam threads by letting them know that their question was already asked). As well, I've got a small suggestion here, if possible, please also add a sliding (suggestive) portal to the "SEARCH" like when we use Google, it gives automated suggestions in order to make us choose a better search over what we're looking for, as well the database should also be added to the search bar in order for similar threads to show in a sliding drop-down list for newbies to easily navigate through those threads containing the desired material they're looking for.

[1714995869]

1714995869

[1714995869]

1714995869

[1714995869]

1714995869

[Lakai01]

In addition to your possible solutions:
I'm a software developer and therefore a lot on technical forums, such as the MicroFocus support forum. As soon as you start a new topic there and type the first words in the "Subject", a small window appears immediately which points you to similar posts like yours. Such a feature would be a huge improvement for the forum and would definitely reduce the number of always the same questions and topics.

[hugeblack]

These solutions will be valuable if people want a useful discussion, where the same topic can repeat but with different content.
Re-repeating, the same question without searching, is an attempt to get extra activity points without effort "SPAM."
So the solution is to make the activity worthless "as happened by activating the merit system" and over time will reduce profits /participants.
Until then, reporting posts is the best solution.

[Stedsm]

In addition to your possible solutions:
I'm a software developer and therefore a lot on technical forums, such as the MicroFocus support forum. As soon as you start a new topic there and type the first words in the "Subject", a small window appears immediately which points you to similar posts like yours. Such a feature would be a huge improvement for the forum and would definitely reduce the number of always the same questions and topics.

I propose the admins to please give such devs (afternoon checking their eligibility and credibility) a chance to work it out as this is something really needed on the forum. I guess the newer version of the forum also doesn't have these features (haven't tried it though), so adding them to the forum will work its charm to help stop spam going on all over the forum.

These solutions will be valuable if people want a useful discussion, where the same topic can repeat but with different content.

That's fine, but then an explanation needs to be given.
One more thing here, even if the question is same and OP inputs different material, then instead of looking the first page, many users directly go for the subject and reply accordingly which makes that thread a megaspam one.

Re-repeating, the same question without searching, is an attempt to get extra activity points without effort "SPAM."
So the solution is to make the activity worthless "as happened by activating the merit system" and over time will reduce profits /participants.
Until then, reporting posts is the best solution.

No matter how we try to describe them, I've always seen many newbies (mostly alts) asking the same questions with almost same content and then their major accounts show up giving same or a bit different replies to give a green signal to the thread, and then everyone goes on and on until it reaches tens of hundreds of pages with hell shit of spam.

[Kakmakr]

If you completely eliminate the "repeat questions" scenario, then this forum will turn into a deserted place. Some of these "repeat questions" are just laziness from some forum members, but I have seen some questions that pose a new twist on the previous questions that looked very similar.  

The mods are very active in some of the sections on this forum and I see whole threads being deleted on a daily basis. I lose about 3 to 4 posts per day, when they delete these threads.

It must be difficult to determine if a new thread is unique or if it adds something new, based on all the threads that has been posted on this forum before.  

[Stedsm]

If you completely eliminate the "repeat questions" scenario, then this forum will turn into a deserted place. Some of these "repeat questions" are just laziness from some forum members, but I have seen some questions that pose a new twist on the previous questions that looked very similar.  

The mods are very active in some of the sections on this forum and I see whole threads being deleted on a daily basis. I lose about 3 to 4 posts per day, when they delete these threads.

It must be difficult to determine if a new thread is unique or if it adds something new, based on all the threads that has been posted on this forum before.  

I've already told about this that I'm not really saying that all those same subject threads aren't worth making comments into, as few or many of them add up value and spice to the same subject by adding a whole new twist to the topic with a somewhat/completely different content in the OP, sometimes people who post in those threads don't watch OP or even first few posts, and they just try to add up more spice to the conversation by saying the same thing again and again (spam) which turns that complimentary debate into an unnecessary box of matchsticks which is left empty (even if full as it contains nothing but shit).

[Kakmakr]

If you completely eliminate the "repeat questions" scenario, then this forum will turn into a deserted place. Some of these "repeat questions" are just laziness from some forum members, but I have seen some questions that pose a new twist on the previous questions that looked very similar.  

The mods are very active in some of the sections on this forum and I see whole threads being deleted on a daily basis. I lose about 3 to 4 posts per day, when they delete these threads.

It must be difficult to determine if a new thread is unique or if it adds something new, based on all the threads that has been posted on this forum before.  

I've already told about this that I'm not really saying that all those same subject threads aren't worth making comments into, as few or many of them add up value and spice to the same subject by adding a whole new twist to the topic with a somewhat/completely different content in the OP, sometimes people who post in those threads don't watch OP or even first few posts, and they just try to add up more spice to the conversation by saying the same thing again and again (spam) which turns that complimentary debate into an unnecessary box of matchsticks which is left empty (even if full as it contains nothing but shit).

I made a little study of my own on these so called "spam" posts <Posts being re-posted on the same topic> and I made some interesting conclusions :

~ Most of these posters never read previous posters comments.
~ A lot of them only respond to the thread heading and not the actual content of the OPs post.
~ The posters doing this, usually have a "language" difficulty
~ The post history of these spammers shows almost zero creativity or constructive posting. 

Looking at this, you might find it difficult to change these people's posting habits or even their intellectual capacity or the lack of it.