Captcha!? Really?

[Weaver]

... if they can get round a captcha when registering, throwing more at them is not going to work.....

Like I mentioned, it's not just spammers that automate posting, but malicious people as well. And they have no problem registering an account by hand to use to cause trouble. I'm sure you can find some people on the forums that remember certain incidents where we had an account post hundreds of threads full of pornography across multiple forums. We try to clean up problems like that quickly, but it has happened many times before.

When I have to implement things like this, I have to take into account how someone can cause the most damage possible, and limit that. Unfortunately, just gating registration alone, or just new threads, doesn't cover the "worst case" that I need to try to prevent.

It sucks, I know, but until there's a better solution, this is the best I can come up with.

... whats stopping them copying and pasting posts by hand? if there going to make accounts by hand then there not going to care about posting by hand i would assume, still the captcha will slow them down, and will stop most who just do random bot spam after registration so it does make sense to me now. i may have overlooked that possibility myself.

still there is no adequate solution to all these problems that i can see without limiting new users posts to a certain amount per day to limit damage, and that wouldn't go down well, so i guess this is the only real way.

Mabie captcha's for new users who haven't been here for a specific time (which would be somewhat more friendly to members), or a cut of post count? But then again that would mean sorting users into group's, and more than likely changing the structure of your database somewhat which would be a pain in the arse depending on the structure, and it would put more strain on it, but hell its a sugestion which would help limit annoyance to members who want to be here.

It's so we all buy publishers club subscriptions, obviously.
You could add a new column to the database "verified" say. Just a boolean. Go through and anyone with over, I dunno, 500 - 1000 posts becomes automatically verified as an authentic user and doesn't need to type the captcha?

hmm i was thinking of a different table for each group with a relationship to said member table and using the member table as a (bleh i forgot the word for it but im sure you'd understand), but then again i am an idiot and like to over complicate things, your idea would be a hell of a lot easier and well more efficient in changing groups so i think i derped when i posted that.

also i think publisher club subscriptions are affected by this aswell.

I don't think pub club subs are affected, as seen here:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.255588-Captcha-Really?page=2#9565087

 

[AugustFall]

All it is is typing 2 extra words after writing a paragraph already. Hardly a big deal to keep the forums clean of bots.

 

[Rofl-Mayo]

I hate having to fill out these damn things on every website. They're everywhere now!

 

[SimuLord]

Get great deals on authentic Rolex watches, Cialis, designer handbags from Coach 90% off! go to thisisanobviousjoke.com/offer=fraud912344&affiliate=noreallyitssatire

Captcha? I hardly even know ya!

 

[Jabberwock xeno]

The hell, we have captcha's now?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I don't get them, why can't they just be in normal writing anyways?

 

[bulldogftw]

its harmless i guess

 

[Starke]

All it is is typing 2 extra words after writing a paragraph already. Hardly a big deal to keep the forums clean of bots.

It is when the system won't except the words it appears to be asking for, and makes you try to resubmit three times, resulting in hilarious post errors on here today....

 

[Sevre]

*snip*

Virgil(a.k.a the IT Boss) has already justified it here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/chat/Tech-Team]

The reason people don't see spambots around here is because we're notoriously quick to act thanks to the community helping us out through PMs and user groups. However we're noticing an increasing number of spambots recently and with March Mayhem coming up we're going to need a more effective way of protecting ourselves.


The only other alternative is to make people pay for forum access, and no one would do that. So really, deal with it. It's a word you type in once or twice a day.


~Sev

 

[Gxas]

March Mayhem

Shit... I forgot about that... Well, Even if Virgil hadn't already justified it, by saying that, you just doubled that justification. Hell, I wouldn't mind a captcha-per-post for the entire month of March, now that you bring that up.

 

[XT inc]

Oh what sweet hell is this, I never even noticed spam before I saw that horrid thing. Death penalty to bot makers and spam artists.

Hopefully its the fun one that only really uses one word

 

[NotSoNimble]

Wow, a lot of people like to complain on this website.

If you want to spew posts without this slight delaying feature, you can always go somewhere else.

 

[Weaver]

*snip*

Virgil(a.k.a the IT Boss) has already justified it here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/chat/Tech-Team]

The reason people don't see spambots around here is because we're notoriously quick to act thanks to the community helping us out through PMs and user groups. However we're noticing an increasing number of spambots recently and with March Mayhem coming up we're going to need a more effective way of protecting ourselves.


The only other alternative is to make people pay for forum access, and no one would do that. So really, deal with it. It's a word you type in once or twice a day.


~Sev

Sevre I'm quite curious and I hope this doesn't come off as spiteful or offensive, but how are Red Guards chosen? I've been here since 2008 and I've never seen or heard of you before today. Do they get picked from the IRC channel, what's the story here?

 

[Virgil]

Serve I'm quite curious and I hope this doesn't come off as spiteful or offensive, but how are Red Guards chosen? I've been here since 2008 and I've never seen or heard of you before today. Do they get picked from the IRC channel, what's the story here?

[user]Kuliani[/user] picks them, at his discretion. You'd have to ask him for more details

 

[Sevre]

*snip*

Virgil(a.k.a the IT Boss) has already justified it here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/chat/Tech-Team]

The reason people don't see spambots around here is because we're notoriously quick to act thanks to the community helping us out through PMs and user groups. However we're noticing an increasing number of spambots recently and with March Mayhem coming up we're going to need a more effective way of protecting ourselves.


The only other alternative is to make people pay for forum access, and no one would do that. So really, deal with it. It's a word you type in once or twice a day.


~Sev

Serve I'm quite curious and I hope this doesn't come off as spiteful or offensive, but how are Red Guards chosen? I've been here since 2008 and I've never seen or heard of you before today. Do they get picked from the IRC channel, what's the story here?

Haha don't worry about it. I'm not entirely sure how the process works, Kuliani just appeared one day with a contract which I had to sign in blood. I got a blue name so it was a sweet deal...till I saw my workload. I'm pretty sure it's a nomination process where when he needs a new moderator he picks the person who the community have been recommending for the job. Once again I don't know how it's done, that's just my take as it would explain the last batch of mods.

Also you probably haven't seen me because I sort of stopped posting on the forums for a long time and fled to IRC and user groups, but recently I've been liking the threads coming up so I'm around here a lot.

 

[Weaver]

Serve I'm quite curious and I hope this doesn't come off as spiteful or offensive, but how are Red Guards chosen? I've been here since 2008 and I've never seen or heard of you before today. Do they get picked from the IRC channel, what's the story here?

[user]Kuliani[/user] picks them, at his discretion. You'd have to ask him for more details

*snip*

Virgil(a.k.a the IT Boss) has already justified it here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/chat/Tech-Team]

The reason people don't see spambots around here is because we're notoriously quick to act thanks to the community helping us out through PMs and user groups. However we're noticing an increasing number of spambots recently and with March Mayhem coming up we're going to need a more effective way of protecting ourselves.


The only other alternative is to make people pay for forum access, and no one would do that. So really, deal with it. It's a word you type in once or twice a day.


~Sev

Serve I'm quite curious and I hope this doesn't come off as spiteful or offensive, but how are Red Guards chosen? I've been here since 2008 and I've never seen or heard of you before today. Do they get picked from the IRC channel, what's the story here?

Haha don't worry about it. I'm not entirely sure how the process works, Kuliani just appeared one day with a contract which I had to sign in blood. I got a blue name so it was a sweet deal...till I saw my workload. I'm pretty sure it's a nomination process where when he needs a new moderator he picks the person who the community have been recommending for the job. Once again I don't know how it's done, that's just my take as it would explain the last batch of mods.

Also you probably haven't seen me because I sort of stopped posting on the forums for a long time and fled to IRC and user groups, but recently I've been liking the threads coming up so I'm around here a lot.

Okay, thanks for the info guys! I don't want to be a mod, I have too much other stuff to do - I was just curious as to the process

 

[InnerRebellion]

Meh, it doesn't bother me too much... unless it becomes one of those captchas where the letters are all floating around... drives my mild OCD mad.

 

[katsumoto03]

I haven't seen any yet spam yet, let alone captchas.


[Edit:] As soon as I posted this, there was a Captcha at the bottom of the screen...

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

You'll all be thanking it when March Madness rolls around again...

 

[mjc0961]

Blah. Hope it won't be too annoying. Also maybe they can go away for Pub Club members (if it isn't like that already)? I highly doubt anyone would put in $20 so they could let a bot post shock porn and other nasty stuff.