as per Earl’s message this morning, I too find instances where an entire thread is locked - either by you - or by a “spammer” - so that there are no moderator boxes on which to select the post for deletion.
Since I don’t know how an entire “thread” is blocked, I would suggest a time in the very near future to sit at our computers for an email chat session. You as administrator, me, Earl and Cougar.
There isn’t much sense in only having a minimal abilty to control “junk” being posted, or removing SPAM. Heck, I remember advising you I could not even move a post to a “Dead Spam” thread to get the junk out of regular threads.
Without the ability to help keep the site clean, I can see where subscribers will go elsewhere that does a better job of keeping the posts restricted to subscribed members, and subscribers can be deleted if they violate the terms and conditions of use.
For me, as a moderator, I need to be able to keep the site clean - or as administrator with higher authroities, you may need to visit once a day to clean up the garbage Earl, Cougar or I can’t.
Let’s get together and do an email “Reply to all” discussion so we can better understand how to keep the site “clean”. Just my thoughts, but frustrating when we see something but can’t do anything about it.
When I set someone up as a mod, there is an option as to whether or not they are able to see IP addresses. I dont give that option to users that have been made moderators on the MD forums.
I understand - but we have some China/Russia spammers and if the “mods” don’t have the authorities, then the administrator/owner needs to check more often.
Actually I can see “some” of the IP addresses, but we have some threads that the complete thread is in some sort of non-security mode as Earl & I can’t even tag the post as Spam.
The quickest way to end all of this is to require email subscriptions with a question/answer so the “Spam Bots” are identified and rejected. Unfortunately it requires a multi-step process before anyone can post which can reduce any immediate posts on specific thoughts before they are forgotten. The alternative is to simply throw one’s hands in the air and give up. This forum is too valuable to use that option, in my opinion.
Thanks for your post and views - how would you deal with a post where a moderator cannot identify as Spam and block the IP address? Any suggestions appreciated.
Apologies if I sound a bit abrupt, but I haven’t had my morning coffee yet.
I think hiding the IPs from moderators is a thoroughly bad idea, because it prevents detection of spam rings.
For example, we now under sustained attack from a counterfeit luxury goods ring operating out of China. The IP block is 124.192.0.0 - 124.193.255.255. The most common IP used is 124.193.170.162. After years of antispam work I can tell you sending a complaint to a Chinese ISP is a total waste of electrons.
It would really help if the owners of this forum would block everything from that IP range. To do otherwise would run the risk of having something very valuable destroyed by a bunch of bandits.
The object/goal for a moderator is to keep the forums on track, clean and eliminate (or warn) those who abuse it. IN order to do that, the ability to ban a series of ISP addresses is a tool needed if we moderators are expected to keep a “clean house”. Without it, then the job falls on the Administrator/Owner who MUST visit at least once per day and do what we can’t or aren’t allowed! Not a “shot” at Chad - simply reality and if it “bites” - so be it.
You can see how many Earl deleted this morning - and we often do this twice or more per day. If I don’t have the “tools” to do my job, I can sit back and grumble like the rest who do send Earl and I notices of SPAM. I would rather act on those notices than to email the subscriber back say … “Sorry - nothing we can do!”
Here is an example of one that I did have rights to see - and I posted a note off to the ISP provider. They are in India and I’m not sure if they give a hoot or not - but I tried. It just seem with the ability to add an ISP address, (or series) it makes our job much faster/easier.
[i]A person on your network continues to SPAM model sailboat discussion sites here in the U.S.
Please take the necessary steps to end their spamming ! Thank you
The IP Address is: 122.162.109.190
The host name is: ABTS-North-Dynamic-190.109.162.122.airtelbroadband.in[/i]
If anyone has a better idea - please come forward. This site will only be as good as the subscribers allow it to be.
Obviously (and I HAVE had my coffee) a move to WindPower discussion site would end the problem for us - but not for this forum.
i have been a mod… for a long time… and banning IP address is a good idea…I dont know how many post… i had to delete for NON sail regraded post… now for a while . it was just me. and that was ok… but when i get on here at for the first HOUR… all i do is delete… it makes me wonder why i bother… now this is geting to 2 new guys… good guys who have volutneer to step up. I dont want to sound like a dictaor… but maybe we need one of those 5 letter word jumbles that computers cant crack… if you want to post… log in… read the word. and type in… it take 1 more step… and we avoid more problems… because for a while… all i was doing was deleting… I had no time to even post on the iacc120 thread that i love
you hide the ips… and what do we do??? sit for an hour. and delete?
or we fix this problem