GDB spam

[Callisto]

I'd like to suggest the post counts in player profiles and such be removed, as I'm sure that within a month that 'feature' being removed, we will have much less spam. Just a thought from someone who gets enough spam in their e-mail, and doesn't want to have to read it on the GDB too.

(Note: I added this nifty little poll thing, just because I've never tried it before, so if I set it up incorrectly, sorry in advance)

[Angela Christine]

I find the worst of it is on the OOC chatter board where, in my opinion, posting something completely pointless is ok.  In the other forums I try to contain my inate silliness and only post if I have something to add to the conversation, occasionally I'll get disracted by something like hatting elves, but I try to keep things sensible and potentially useful in the non-chatter forums.   That way simply avoiding the OOC chatter forum will help you avoid about half the silly "spam."

I would encourage other, uh, "prolific"    posters to try to respect the intent of whichever forum they are in.  Being silly or incomprehensible in the newbie forums or the ask the staff forum is particularily counter-productive.   Off-topic stuff in the Newbie and Helpful Hints forums could make it difficult and discouraging for newbies to find information when they need some help.     Off-topic stuff in the Ask the Staff Forum means that it takes staff members longer to find the part that actually needs a staff answer, and may make some of them less likely to read it at all  :cry: (which isn't to say I don't think other people should try to answer questions in that forum, just keep it on track).

As for erasing post counts, I'm torn.  I'm a fan of statistics, I like to know stuff.  If possible I would keep the numbers visible in the Profiles and the Member list, because those are fun to play around with.   But I'd make it so your post count doesn't show up under your name every time you post.  That way the statistical information is still available if you care to look for it, but you don't see it unless you take the trouble to look for it, so it would seem less important.   In fact, I'd get rid of everything but the name.

Callisto



Joined: 21 Sep 2002
Posts: 42
Location: Navarro

[/list][/size]

Does anyone really need to know when you joined, how many posts you've written and where you are every time you post?  I don't think so, so I'd dump the whole box of information except the name.  If people want to know more they can look at your profile.

But that's just me.


Angela Christine

[John]

I'm finding there's as much spam about hating the spam as there is spam (maybe a slight exageration, but it's starting to feel like it), I've got a whole theory about why there is more posts then there use to be, but I don't have time to post it now.

True it's difficult to avoid the spam, but not impossible. I'm with AC on it depends what forum your posting in to what sort of posts you should have, and I do my best to keep that in mind when posting. Another thing I keep in mind is the previous posts, was everyone being silly or dead serious, if it's the former then I'm more inclined to post a silly post, why? Because it's adding something to the conversation, which just happens to be a silly conversation.

I reckon you'll find that no-one votes no, because no-one really cares if it's there or not except the people who think it's contributing to spam.

Will there be less spam if it goes? Yup, you'll have no more jokes about how much I post and no more polls about getting rid of it.

I agree, unless you have something directly related to the game, an idea, or a question, SHUT THE HELL UP :!:





And don't go blaming spam on me now anymore either, I havn't posted in weeks.

[creeper386]

First of all... I agree with AC just remove it from the posts... From the person who asks the Weekly Update be added to include Accounts that have been set up and for things to know how long you've been around the MUD... I like to know nifty things like that too!

And... I'd still make fun of John's posts and how much he posts... Just like people well still make fun of... Well everyone else! Comeone ... Like we are a big group of rich bastards that sit around a discussion table and don't say a damn word!?!?!

No... We may talk alot of crap that might be miscontrued as SPAM but probably talk about the important things and get more done in a day then a say Microsoft gets done in a month! Well Microsoft is a bad example... Lets just say some other big company that is big and important...


Creeper

There well be spam no matter what... Just be glad it isn't like most message boards with porn spams, furry spams, spams for other MUDs and games, joining IC clans... Joining clans in games like EQ and so on and so forth... Just be glad... Unless you really want to see what spam is?

[Dan]

I hope I speak for many, Creeper should change his name to Annoyer.

:lol:

Just joking, but... seriously.

[creeper386]

Hey watch it... I don't see you suggesting any good ideas! Sure probably have more things implemented then me but discussing changes that don't get done are just as important as the ones that get done!


Creeper

If you don't like it go jump into a pool of frozen lava!

[John]

John's Crackpot Theory On Why People Are Posting More
(What I think Of Late At Night When I can't Sleep)

Layout
This board is much more navigitable then the old board, which causes people to read more often and more posts, as well as post more. On the old board there were a lot of posts that some people never ended up reading because they just wouldn't know they existed because of the layout. This system stops that, by making it easier to tell when someone has said something new, which wasn't so easy on the old board.

This board also allows us to talk about things for longer then two weeks, on the old board conversations were confined to 2 weeks only, but now people can go back to an old conversation and right a new post and it starts up again.

Also, this board tends to give the illussion that people aren't posting as much. On the old board everything would be heaped in one giant list, so if you posted a lot you could tell just by how much you had to scroll, this board sections everything off, so you never have to scroll more then a certain amount so it is quite easy to reply to the interesting posts and think your doing pretty good until you realise you've got 500 posts.

Being Scared to Post
For a variety of reasons, this board has caused a lot more people to post, especially the Immortals and complete newbies. I think the Immortals use to feel like they couldn't post because it would kill off any discussion or ideas and everyone would take it as gospel instead of just their personal opinion. Now for some unknown reason they feel like they can post and have a discussion (ALL just my speculation, could be completely wrong here). And newbies now don't feel completely scared when they come here to post, and they even understand how the to post because it's all familiar and simple to use.

New Players
We've had a sudden influx of newbies, so they are of course coming here and posting, asking questions, complaining, praising and contributing ideas, which IMO is all a good thing, but it can add up to the amount of posts people post and make inconsequential posts seem even more.

Spam
None of this talks about spam, but this is a discussion board, and instead of starting yet another thread about the amount of people posting I tucked it onto here. But it does raise a point about spam. What is an inconsequential post?

Is N/A's post above me inconsequential? He's basically just saying I agree (NT) which is what the poll was for. I'm not picking on him for any reason but I can  :twisted:

Seriously, I'm assuming N/A's post is joking around, was it really necessary? Some might say no, that this is a serious mud and I'm sick of all of the joking around that's going on! How dare you be having fun!? Other people might say it's only a game lighten up.

Seriously, what's one person's spam is another person's joke. And here is a comic strip to prove it

[Gorobei]

Succinctly put, John.

I want a word of the day roll of tp.

[Sephiroto]

Does anyone really need to know when you joined, how many posts you've written and where you are every time you post? I don't think so, so I'd dump the whole box of information except the name. If people want to know more they can look at your profile.

Amen to that.  What I would like to see in my profile though, would be the number of hours/days etc. that have been spent searching through the GDB.

[lukie]

Suprisingly enough, I've calculated the average posts per day to be a little less than one hundred.

If you compare people's posts per day to their percentage, the numbers are very similar. (Thanks, creeper.) This leads me to conclude that about 100 posts happen per day on this board.

Wait... that makes no sense. Their percentage isn't per day. DAMMIT!

That means people post at a fairly even rate.

[creeper386]

You used my theory but and added more to the spam... I think people are going to see me as contagious and stop talking to me.. Or not start for all those people I've never talked to...

Oh... Anyone see them new Spam commercials? Them people are crazy... Thats the type of Spam that needs to be erased from the World... I'm still wondering what exactly it is...

Creeper
_________
If you didn't work up a sweat, you weren't trying hard enough(Works for everything).

[mansa]

oh, the irony.

[ObsidianSoul]

. . .A whole lot of spam. . .

L...O...L.

How f*cking ironic.

[spawnloser]

Spamboy necro'd huh?  Staff's already gotten it if so.  Beautifully ironic, though.

[Sanvean]

Yes.  We're aware of it and working on it.

[spawnloser]

...post counts or spam?  

[Sanvean]

Heh.  Yes, I am simply BUILDING MY POST COUNT, smartass.

[spawnloser]

Heheheh :lol: ...while that is funny, I meant the suggestion to remove post counts, not building them.

[Sanvean]

Ah, no.  I wasn't planning on that.  My concern isn't so much the posters in our regular community as the spambots.

[Hymwen]

The latest batch of spambots is particularly vicious. I really don't get the point, is it pure sabotage or is it actually worth the effort for people who sit down and write these scripts and stuff? I can't imagine more than one in a thousand - if any at all - internet users giving a shit about the things these bots post.

At least the ones we had before posted decent jokes makes you almost appreciate them.

[Sanvean]

Well, since they're posting in thousands of places using an automated process, they don't need more than one in a thousand to click through, I think.  They send things out in such massive quantities that the very small percentage of responders pays off.

At any rate, I disabled posting anonymously for now.  What we're hoping to put in place is a way to keep spambots from being able to register, and a way for people to post anonymously after they've logged in.