2016-08-18, 01:32 PM
I think StopForumSpam and Security Question are very effective to get rid of 95% of automated spam. The rest are manual spammers.
- Some of these will make posts. They are reported and banned / purged. Easy enough.
- Another kind of manual spam is new accounts that don't post but fill in Website and Bio with spam.
I'm seeing those every now and then. They fill in Website with a "couponshare" URL. Often they also fill "bio" with some obvious advertising blurb.
I think it's pretty safe to say 95% of new accounts that fill in Bio and put in a Website URL are spammers. Nearly alwys. Very few legit users put in a website. And even the legit ones tend to make a single post or a few posts to covertly promote their blogs / sites with the URL under their avatar or in the sig, and have no interest in participating in the community. Some may consider it spam as well.
TLDR
- Plugin that filters new accounts on the Website and Bio fields.
- Either "just filled in" , or "matches keywords" (eg. "coupon4share" in the URL)
- Let them register (option) (so mods/admin can improve their keywords) but report the account with reason like "Suspicious account"
- Optionally : ability to insta set such accounts as "Moderate user's posts"
- Some of these will make posts. They are reported and banned / purged. Easy enough.
- Another kind of manual spam is new accounts that don't post but fill in Website and Bio with spam.
I'm seeing those every now and then. They fill in Website with a "couponshare" URL. Often they also fill "bio" with some obvious advertising blurb.
I think it's pretty safe to say 95% of new accounts that fill in Bio and put in a Website URL are spammers. Nearly alwys. Very few legit users put in a website. And even the legit ones tend to make a single post or a few posts to covertly promote their blogs / sites with the URL under their avatar or in the sig, and have no interest in participating in the community. Some may consider it spam as well.
TLDR
- Plugin that filters new accounts on the Website and Bio fields.
- Either "just filled in" , or "matches keywords" (eg. "coupon4share" in the URL)
- Let them register (option) (so mods/admin can improve their keywords) but report the account with reason like "Suspicious account"
- Optionally : ability to insta set such accounts as "Moderate user's posts"