SPAM All over the Microsoft vendor page this morning...

kirk · 2015-04-16T08:45:04.000Z

Gabrielle.L:

Antal Daavid:

Dogs:

Global community - many areas of the forum you would expect such characters :

http://community.spiceworks.com/group/view_all - check out regional.

Rather clarify: I meant it be temporary, especially with the Q&A board since that’s where almost all of it is going.

We have a blacklist, but only the Community Managers can update it. It’s been getting tweaked every day with new keywords, but the spammers have all night every night to find the holes in it before the new keywords get added every morning from the previous night’s onslaught.

Thought that was the naughty list for naughty spiceheads that swear a lot… that’s whats being used to combat the spammers?

gabrielle.l · 2015-04-16T08:46:06.000Z

Dogs:

Gabrielle.L:

Antal Daavid:

Dogs:

Global community - many areas of the forum you would expect such characters :

http://community.spiceworks.com/group/view_all - check out regional.

Rather clarify: I meant it be temporary, especially with the Q&A board since that’s where almost all of it is going.

We have a blacklist, but only the Community Managers can update it. It’s been getting tweaked every day with new keywords, but the spammers have all night every night to find the holes in it before the new keywords get added every morning from the previous night’s onslaught.

Thought that was the naughty list for naughty spiceheads that swear a lot… that’s whats being used to combat the spammers?

Not just that. But every bit helps

mattfippard · 2015-04-16T08:56:22.000Z

These are starting to creep into spiceworks now. 2 posted in water cooler about 3 mins ago

kramersdog · 2015-04-16T08:58:43.000Z

Dogs:

Gabrielle.L:

Antal Daavid:

Dogs:

Global community - many areas of the forum you would expect such characters :

http://community.spiceworks.com/group/view_all - check out regional.

Rather clarify: I meant it be temporary, especially with the Q&A board since that’s where almost all of it is going.

We have a blacklist, but only the Community Managers can update it. It’s been getting tweaked every day with new keywords, but the spammers have all night every night to find the holes in it before the new keywords get added every morning from the previous night’s onslaught.

Thought that was the naughty list for naughty spiceheads that swear a lot… that’s whats being used to combat the spammers?

That list is bullshit. You can’t shut me up!

gabrielle.l · 2015-04-16T09:02:52.000Z

Antal Daavid:

Dogs:

Gabrielle.L:

Antal Daavid:

Dogs:

Global community - many areas of the forum you would expect such characters :

http://community.spiceworks.com/group/view_all - check out regional.

Rather clarify: I meant it be temporary, especially with the Q&A board since that’s where almost all of it is going.

We have a blacklist, but only the Community Managers can update it. It’s been getting tweaked every day with new keywords, but the spammers have all night every night to find the holes in it before the new keywords get added every morning from the previous night’s onslaught.

Thought that was the naughty list for naughty spiceheads that swear a lot… that’s whats being used to combat the spammers?

That list is bullshit. You can’t shut me up!

Wouldn’t want to.

ivanidea · 2015-04-16T09:07:07.000Z

It would help us mods if the posts (especially those which have existed any length of time) were reported, since we monitor the moderation queue, but can’t look at every group.

markross0326 · 2015-04-16T09:19:22.000Z

I generally post a reply to say spam please delete and move on :o)

to be fair, most are gone before I can post :o)

markross0326 · 2015-04-16T10:24:00.000Z

load more just arrived - seems to be same post by same user - need to give MS guys a kick ?

Nick-C · 2015-04-16T10:30:39.000Z

Rambler:

load more just arrived - seems to be same post by same user - need to give MS guys a kick ?

I’ve already locked the account, just waiting for the CM’s to wake up so they can do the cleanup (as we have no access to vendor pages).

ross · 2015-04-16T10:45:04.000Z

I noticed that yesterday, too. Reported a couple posts. It’ll happen.

kirk · 2015-04-16T10:54:50.000Z

Maybe its time that spiceworks realize they are a global company (and not just generating GG’s globally) and hire a CM based in the London office.

Plenty of community managers in the area. You have the Office Space. You have the Technology. You have the money… make things easier for the CM team and the mod’s and have someone available with the right tools covering more of the working day than you can just from Austin.

Sean-Spiceworks · 2015-04-16T11:34:13.000Z

We’re taking some additional steps to combat this issue. Last night, we turned back on CAPTCHA for account creation but, much like I said in the other topic, these are not your run of the mill spammers. They look to be doing a lot by hand, they use different IP addresses, different domains, etc. They look to be a spam farm.

Due to this, we’re looking at other things we can do to hopefully deter this from being a viable place for them to spam. It is really hard to completely stop spammers (some might say impossible) but you can make it difficult enough where they decide to find easier prey, so to speak.

kirk · 2015-04-16T11:36:20.000Z

Dogs:

Antal Daavid:

Dogs:

Antal Daavid:

You’ve got to be a real dumb ass to repeatedly spam something with text that language that most people on Spiceworks don’t speak, and it’s fairly nonsensical anyway, clearly some sort of keyword bombing attempt, something which doesn’t even work anymore. So, let’s review, this idiot:

Doesn’t understand the concept of futility and/or created a bot that thinks a post being deleted means post more instead of moving on

Post in a language completely different from the rest of the site, something at least Google’s own indexer notices

Still thinks keyword bombing works

Posts get deleted so thinks making even more of them will keep that from happening, instead of being more subtle.

It’s all so idiotic I don’t think it’s a bot, it may be be a macro or something helping along, but I’m fairly sure it’s being done manually, since off the self spam bots tend to be smarter than this, and anyone this stupid certainly couldn’t code a bot on their own to do this much work.

Maybe this is some sort of performance art piece of what happens when you let a total moron become a spammer.

meh - with the recent attack on spiceworks and the increase in Simple Spam activity im going with old bot a script monkey has got hold of and is playing with (think < 16y/o) coupled with a slacker registration / posting regime at spiceworks.

How sad, bots that don’t recognise failures and keep trying are pathetic, and it takes almost no effort to add in something like that. Does Spiceworks not have ReCaptcha or something?

Have you ever seen spiceworks with one? your long enough in the tooth on here to know that

I remember years ago there was limits to what new accounts could do - no idea if these limitations are still in place or removed to encourage new people to the forum?

Still think old bot script and a script monkey playing and learning.

I take it all back Antal - spiceworks do use captcha… o_O

sqlrage · 2015-04-16T11:48:56.000Z

This made me laugh.
In the community today, dead spam links!

techguy75 · 2015-04-16T12:06:51.000Z

LAYETH THE SMACKETH DOWN…ETH!

Eric1929 · 2015-04-16T12:29:12.000Z

id throw down a challenge.

v-s · 2015-04-17T06:57:55.000Z

I would love to see CAPTCHA or Are You A Human as a requirement for creating a topic for maybe the first 2 or 3 spice levels. If they start making spam posts on existing topics, maybe add that as a requirement for all posts as well for the first 2 or 3 spice levels. Nothing too drastically difficult to read that may annoy regular users, but something that will curb any automated tools they may be trying to use and at least annoy spammers trying to clutter our Community.

How about when an account is made, make it a requirement and give points for reading:- Asking Better Questions

Why Is Spicing Important
How to ask a good question, and How to give good answers
How To Mark Best Answer and Helpful Post
Helpful Post vs Best Answer and Discussion vs Questions

I’d also love to see a link to Asking Better Questions under the Start a New Discussion topic on the page when someone creates a new topic who is within the first 2 or 3 spice levels, or for their first few questions if they are beyond the first 2 or 3 spice levels and have never asked a question before.

What about a huge list of custom Are You A Human verifications - Finish the following sentences:

There, Their and They’re

I see _____ are many new spam topics created on the forums lately.
In my opinion, _____ spam posts are really annoying and cause unease in my stomach when I see so many of them.
I know Spiceworks is doing their best, but _____ getting really annoying and I would love to see them thwarted (and electrocuted).

Where, Were and We’re

Don’t forget to report the next spam post you see. Together _____ going to make the Spiceworks Community a better place.
From now on, _____ going to try to take care of (and annoy) spammers as much as possible.I would like to ask, _____ _____ you when we _____ taking care of the spammers?
I would like to ask, _____ _____ you when we _____ taking care of the spammers?

Thinking a bit more about this, though, I wouldn’t want to alienate International Spiceheads and actual users who don’t use English as their main language. I wonder if it could be disguised as an educational exercise? I’ve seen many native English speakers have problems with these areas as well.

@sean-spiceworks

kramersdog · 2015-04-17T07:18:36.000Z

V_S:

I would love to see CAPTCHA or Are You A Human as a requirement for creating a topic for maybe the first 2 or 3 spice levels. If they start making spam posts on existing topics, maybe add that as a requirement for all posts as well for the first 2 or 3 spice levels. Nothing too drastically difficult to read that may annoy regular users, but something that will curb any automated tools they may be trying to use and at least annoy spammers trying to clutter our Community.

How about when an account is made, make it a requirement and give points for reading:- Asking Better Questions

Why Is Spicing Important

How to ask a good question, and How to give good answers

How To Mark Best Answer and Helpful Post

Helpful Post vs Best Answer and Discussion vs Questions

I’d also love to see a link to Asking Better Questions under the Start a New Discussion topic on the page when someone creates a new topic who is within the first 2 or 3 spice levels, or for their first few questions if they are beyond the first 2 or 3 spice levels and have never asked a question before.

What about a huge list of custom Are You A Human verifications - Finish the following sentences:

There, Their and They’re

I see _____ are many new spam topics created on the forums lately.

In my opinion, _____ spam posts are really annoying and cause unease in my stomach when I see so many of them.

I know Spiceworks is doing their best, but _____ getting really annoying and I would love to see them thwarted (and electrocuted).

Where, Were and We’re

Don’t forget to report the next spam post you see. Together _____ going to make the Spiceworks Community a better place.

From now on, _____ going to try to take care of (and annoy) spammers as much as possible.I would like to ask, _____ _____ you when we _____ taking care of the spammers?

I would like to ask, _____ _____ you when we _____ taking care of the spammers?

Thinking a bit more about this, though, I wouldn’t want to alienate International Spiceheads and actual users who don’t use English as their main language. I wonder if it could be disguised as an educational exercise? I’ve seen many native English speakers have problems with these areas as well.

That’d alienate a bunch of native English speakers from what I’ve seen too.

johan · 2015-04-17T07:53:35.000Z

Antal Daavid:

V_S:

I would love to see CAPTCHA or Are You A Human as a requirement for creating a topic for maybe the first 2 or 3 spice levels. If they start making spam posts on existing topics, maybe add that as a requirement for all posts as well for the first 2 or 3 spice levels. Nothing too drastically difficult to read that may annoy regular users, but something that will curb any automated tools they may be trying to use and at least annoy spammers trying to clutter our Community.

How about when an account is made, make it a requirement and give points for reading:- Asking Better Questions

Why Is Spicing Important

How to ask a good question, and How to give good answers

How To Mark Best Answer and Helpful Post

Helpful Post vs Best Answer and Discussion vs Questions

I’d also love to see a link to Asking Better Questions under the Start a New Discussion topic on the page when someone creates a new topic who is within the first 2 or 3 spice levels, or for their first few questions if they are beyond the first 2 or 3 spice levels and have never asked a question before.

What about a huge list of custom Are You A Human verifications - Finish the following sentences:

There, Their and They’re

I see _____ are many new spam topics created on the forums lately.

In my opinion, _____ spam posts are really annoying and cause unease in my stomach when I see so many of them.

I know Spiceworks is doing their best, but _____ getting really annoying and I would love to see them thwarted (and electrocuted).

Where, Were and We’re

Don’t forget to report the next spam post you see. Together _____ going to make the Spiceworks Community a better place.

From now on, _____ going to try to take care of (and annoy) spammers as much as possible.I would like to ask, _____ _____ you when we _____ taking care of the spammers?

I would like to ask, _____ _____ you when we _____ taking care of the spammers?

Thinking a bit more about this, though, I wouldn’t want to alienate International Spiceheads and actual users who don’t use English as their main language. I wonder if it could be disguised as an educational exercise? I’ve seen many native English speakers have problems with these areas as well.

That’d alienate a bunch of native English speakers from what I’ve seen too.

How about rather using the ones where you have to match a picture to text?Something like this: http://demo.visualcaptcha.net/

@sean-spiceworks

gabrielle.l · 2015-04-17T12:13:46.000Z

V_S:

I would love to see CAPTCHA or Are You A Human as a requirement for creating a topic for maybe the first 2 or 3 spice levels. If they start making spam posts on existing topics, maybe add that as a requirement for all posts as well for the first 2 or 3 spice levels. Nothing too drastically difficult to read that may annoy regular users, but something that will curb any automated tools they may be trying to use and at least annoy spammers trying to clutter our Community.

How about when an account is made, make it a requirement and give points for reading:- Asking Better Questions

Why Is Spicing Important

How to ask a good question, and How to give good answers

How To Mark Best Answer and Helpful Post

Helpful Post vs Best Answer and Discussion vs Questions

I’d also love to see a link to Asking Better Questions under the Start a New Discussion topic on the page when someone creates a new topic who is within the first 2 or 3 spice levels, or for their first few questions if they are beyond the first 2 or 3 spice levels and have never asked a question before.

What about a huge list of custom Are You A Human verifications - Finish the following sentences:

There, Their and They’re

I see _____ are many new spam topics created on the forums lately.

In my opinion, _____ spam posts are really annoying and cause unease in my stomach when I see so many of them.

I know Spiceworks is doing their best, but _____ getting really annoying and I would love to see them thwarted (and electrocuted).

Where, Were and We’re

Don’t forget to report the next spam post you see. Together _____ going to make the Spiceworks Community a better place.

From now on, _____ going to try to take care of (and annoy) spammers as much as possible.I would like to ask, _____ _____ you when we _____ taking care of the spammers?

I would like to ask, _____ _____ you when we _____ taking care of the spammers?

Thinking a bit more about this, though, I wouldn’t want to alienate International Spiceheads and actual users who don’t use English as their main language. I wonder if it could be disguised as an educational exercise? I’ve seen many native English speakers have problems with these areas as well.

The Community team, and to a certain extent the volunteer moderators, have had frequent discussions about much of what you have brought up here. As Antal hinted at, a careful balance has to be made with decisions such as these, in order not to alienate people due to language considerations and skill level. It’s something that is discussed regularly, and the target is always moving so we’re always adapting strategies.

It’s also important to remember that the intent is not to put new Spiceheads through what essentially sounds like a full interview and training session in order to be allowed to participate. That would indeed be a huge turnoff. I can appreciate that you’re looking to try maintain a quality standard, but there are ways to do that more inclusively than making someone run through a gauntlet of stuff before signing up.