25 Post Rule

svenrufus · #1 (**permalink**) 31-01-2007, 11:58 AM

This post brings me up to 25 posts on WAB.
Woohoo!!

I can now edit my profile!
Huzzah!

What is the point of this rule?
Can't think of one good reason for it. All it does is encourage spurious posts by people that want to reach the total quicker and so waste everyone else's time. I hope I have resisted the temptation to do that myself - this is about as close as I have come to it, but actually it is a genuine question.

What is the point?
Cheers
Sven

Rainbowmum · #2 (**permalink**) 31-01-2007, 12:14 PM

Not sure of the point Sven but you don't have much on your profile yet...hurry up

Louise x

StuartDH · #3 (**permalink**) 31-01-2007, 12:22 PM

Hi Sven,

It's aim is to obviously keep spam to a minimum. After running it for the second half of last year, it's certainly served us very well in comparison to hundreds of new-member spams that we got before it was implemented.

Obviously, it's not perfect and we'd rather not have to use it, but in the long run it really shouldn't affect many genuine members. I run other sites that get spammed up to a dozen times a day by one-post members. It's easy enough to deal with them, but as the moderators here are all volunteers, it's extra work that they shouldn't have to take on if it can be avoided.

We used to have the limit set at 10, but it was easy for a new member to drop 10 posts, then spam, then leave. Now the limits at 25 it happens less often, but if it becomes an issue then we may even move it to 50+. Not only is it then harder for the spammer to spam, it's also easier for us to spot the spurious posts.

Stu

nightshade · #4 (**permalink**) 31-01-2007, 01:32 PM

I can see the point, as there have been a number of advertising spams recently,
most of which were pounced on quickly by the Moderators

matt_xyz · #5 (**permalink**) 31-01-2007, 03:11 PM

I think I'm missing something here. Why does not being able to alter your profile for 25 posts prevent a user from spamming? What's to stop their very 1st post from being spam?

Presumably by spam we simply mean junk posts advertising sites or drugs or software etc.

I'm now waiting for someone to point out something very obvious and make me feel thick

Matt

Boddie · #6 (**permalink**) 31-01-2007, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt_xyz

I think I'm missing something here. Why does not being able to alter your profile for 25 posts prevent a user from spamming? What's to stop their very 1st post from being spam?

Presumably by spam we simply mean junk posts advertising sites or drugs or software etc.

I'm now waiting for someone to point out something very obvious and make me feel thick

Matt

I think as much as spamming it has alot to do with someone coming on and putting loads of detail on their profile and signature - website URL etc etc. Spammers can be seen very easily, but some might post innocuous or irrelevant posts simply to take the opportunity to spam advertise using their signature and other info on their profile.

I guess it gets rid of that grey area.

i.e. at the moment Mateymeladdo might come on and just write

Hi Guys

but given no restrictions he could come on and write

Hi Guys

www.blahblahbla
visit blah blah blah

So when do you decide if someone is being genuine?

Now the 25 post rule shows some committment to a long term relationship with the site and forbids the chance to just make numerous one off posts with loads of info on them.

Does that make sense?

matt_xyz · #7 (**permalink**) 31-01-2007, 04:02 PM

Hi Andrew, yes I can see the logic in that. I was thinking more of spam contained in the content of the actual post (aside from profile and signature) and couldn't see how the 25 post rule could help reduce that. But it would certainly help reduce self promotion via signatures from non-geniune members.

Matt

glsammy · #8 (**permalink**) 31-01-2007, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt_xyz

Hi Andrew, yes I can see the logic in that. I was thinking more of spam contained in the content of the actual post (aside from profile and signature) and couldn't see how the 25 post rule could help reduce that. But it would certainly help reduce self promotion via signatures from non-geniune members.

Matt

I'm glad you raised that Matt, as I was thinking exactly the same!

StuartDH · #9 (**permalink**) 31-01-2007, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glsammy

I'm glad you raised that Matt, as I was thinking exactly the same!

As well as adding links in their posts, there were many new members adding a link in their signature and adding their homepage in their profile and only posting once to get a link from our PR 5/6 site.

We even had someone complain that they couldn't work out how to add their homepage and signature, then they added them, made one post and never posted again.

If you go to this page - http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/fo....php?do=search - and put a fullstop in the homepage field and a 5 in the 'less than' post count box it gives you some idea of how many there at the moment. The results used to be nearer 650 and the problem with linking out to unmoderated sites is that we may be linking to blacklisted spam sites that won't do us any favours with the search engines.

Stu

glsammy · #10 (**permalink**) 31-01-2007, 04:59 PM

That all makes perfect sense Stu. It's just our, or should I say my, simplistic mind when mentioning spam.

Obviously what was happening was unacceptable and I fully understand why the rule was put in. It's hardly much of a problem for anyone after all.

StuartDH · #11 (**permalink**) 31-01-2007, 05:34 PM

I know what you mean, the more traditional spam can be found from the same link - http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/fo....php?do=search - by adding a 1 in the 'greater than' and a 2 in the 'less than' post count boxes. Hundreds of results and many of them with people joining then posting once with a link to their site, then disappearing again.

This isn't so much of a problem as I've added code to block the search engines following the links, but before that I'd gone through hundreds of similar post and removed them manually. Since then, the 25 post limit has certainly helped out a lot too.

Stu

matt_xyz · #12 (**permalink**) 31-01-2007, 05:56 PM

thanks for the clarification Stu and everyone else. The picture is a lot clearer now.

Matt

Boddie · #13 (**permalink**) 31-01-2007, 06:28 PM

I think its a terrible shame that so much time is evidently employed to combat such behaviour, but I guess it happens everywhere.

eeyore · #14 (**permalink**) 31-01-2007, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boddie

I think its a terrible shame that so much time is evidently employed to combat such behaviour, but I guess it happens everywhere.

i agree - it a great shame that dealing with selfish behaviour eats up time which could otherwise be used to build content or further the aims of the site.

on a slightly related point - i have heard that using the actual word spam - can attract spambots and thus spammers to the site , and thus i try not to use it if i can - however as you infinitely more knowledgeable folks are using it here does this mean that this is an urban myth ?

almostnormal · #15 (**permalink**) 12-03-2007, 02:22 PM

ok...now that i have found a thread that deals with this 25 posts rule....i can't edit my profile, or put up pictures, or add attatchments. and it says i've made my 25 posts. help? please?

almostnormal · #16 (**permalink**) 12-03-2007, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by almostnormal

ok...now that i have found a thread that deals with this 25 posts rule....i can't edit my profile, or put up pictures, or add attatchments. and it says i've made my 25 posts. help? please?

ah...nevermind...it seems that i was having a very ditzy moment and clicking on the wrong box...sigh...must be a monday thing!

StuartDH · #17 (**permalink**) 12-03-2007, 02:55 PM

after making 25 posts the system updates your permissions to be able to change your profile, but the updates are only changed once per day, so you might have to wait 24 hours after you've reached 25 posts.

jonhawkins · #18 (**permalink**) 23-03-2007, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by svenrufus

This post brings me up to 25 posts on WAB.
Woohoo!!

I can now edit my profile!
Huzzah!

Out of curiosity I noticed when looking at the members list that some have avatars with only one post credited to them. Is this a glitch in the system or have I missed something?

Jonathan
Slowly working my way to 25 posts!

eeyore · #19 (**permalink**) 23-03-2007, 07:53 PM

I think that the 25 post rule is relatively new in response to a nasty outbreak of signature spam - presumably the people you are talking about joined before the rule was implemented

jonhawkins · #20 (**permalink**) 23-03-2007, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eeyore

I think that the 25 post rule is relatively new in response to a nasty outbreak of signature spam - presumably the people you are talking about joined before the rule was implemented

That would explain it as the one I noticed was for someone who joined some months ago.

Jonathan