Inactive user names will be pruned

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Husse

Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by Husse »

We have large numbers of user names that have been inactive since they first were registered
//Edit - these potential forum members have not even clicked the activation link in the mail you get when you register//
Most of them are of a kind where you suspect it is a spam bot but can't be sure
I'll remove such inactive names after some two weeks
Edit
Also inappropriate user names will be deleted - some are of a kind I don't want to write in a forum post....
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Thierry
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Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by Thierry »

Hello,

So I have to post a message. I'm a Mint user since Bea. I have no special or interesting informations to give to the others, that's why I never sent a message to this forum.
I learned a lot in this forum ( and other too !)
Now I run Felicia x64, and it's great.
I tested a lot of distros and Mint is the best.

Pleas ! Don't prune me !! :mrgreen: I'm not a bot ! :D
Husse

Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by Husse »

@ Thierry
You were not - I pruned a whole bunch of users yesterday - and I must point out that this is users that have never been active in the forum apart from registering and most with user names like samarapspsadtwo which smells spam bot - sorry if this is a real person
And In case a real person got pruned that wanted to use the forum I do apologise and you are most welcome to register again
I constantly prune the user names from names like viagraonlinewea which is a partial explanation to the current low level of spam - how much easier it would be without that abuse (to use a mild word)
Edit - right after I wrote this I found a user name " paris hilton nude " :)
Edit two - between March 6 and 29 there are about 600 inactive users - odd I think....
Husse

Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by Husse »

Not absolutely sure but I think it's enough to log in
Husse

Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by Husse »

I've given it some more thought - it's enough to log in
Edit by Husse
In the first go clicking the activation link in the activation mail you get after registration is enough
I doubt I've seen any other than "Newly registered account" listed as inactive (and some that have changed their account details)
End edit
It's sad that spammers destroy the beauty of internet so much...
I go through the inactive new users every day and always find some "buyonline" or "pharmacy" or the like.....
Husse

Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by Husse »

This goes against everything I know about spam(mers) - never ever contact them, because then they'll know it works and try even harder to bombard you with their crap
nitehawk

Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by nitehawk »

I don't post very often,....
but I usually like to check the forum every day or so (I find very useful info). Besides,...it just seems like a very friendly place to drop into now-and-then (and I really like my Linux Mint)...... :)
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bob
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Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by bob »

The spam problem's been rampant at FedoraForum.org, even with the 'standard' CAPTCHA. Frankly, the normal one is broken very quickly by the bots, since it's in such wide usage. However, if you've modified it, bots will likely bypass your site since they're interested in posting, not breaking individual code. We went from banning approx. 100/day down to single digits within 48 hours. You may contact leigh123@linux at FedoraForum if you'd like details, or Schwim (Json) at http://www.infosprite.com/ who has some excellent techniques.
Husse

Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by Husse »

minty spice wrote:this is a good forum.......
Yes - but I expected a link to something in that post
This is exactly how lots of spam posts looks, only no spam link here :)
Craig

Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by Craig »

As long as you do not delete (real) people mistakenly who need this forum because it is a valuable resource I cannot foresee any real problems with your decision.
Husse

Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by Husse »

Just register again :)
Craig

Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by Craig »

Well either that or you could always change to a forum software that actually handles spam a lot better than that of phpBB. ;)
Husse

Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by Husse »

I have seen reports that the next version of phpBB will have better spam protection
The problem is that it seems that the spambots seem to overcome the protection after a while all the time
Right now we have close to no spam - knock on wood :)
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Acid_1
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Location: Saskatchewan, Canada

Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by Acid_1 »

AHH! Don't delete me!!! No but really, why don't you just find the people who have 0 posts and have registered longer than a month ago, at least then they have some time to check if they're ready to post (Never did that myself :S), and if they're real, they can re-register and they've lost nothing.
Husse

Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by Husse »

Acid_1
It's something like that I do - phpBB provides a list of inactive users, meaning people that have registered but not even clicked the activation link in the registration mail
I go through that list every day and delete a lot of BuyViagraOnLine and the like, this is actually one of the reasons we have so little spam now
And you are right, it is possible to register again - also for the spammers :(
garda

Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by garda »

Husse,

Please don't wipe me out. I know I haven't been active for quite a while now. But I will be back to 'turbo' mode once I'm out of this series of mind-crushing, time consuming, incredibly burdening tasks before me. So please, please don't delete my account. :)
Husse

Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by Husse »

garda - no risk
As I wrote it's just people that haven't even clicked the link in the registration mail :)
Fred

Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by Fred »

garda,

It is just for riffraff, derelicts, and misfits, like me. :-)

Husse is just trying to upgrade the forum to a better class of people. You have nothing to worry about. :-)

Fred
Husse

Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by Husse »

@ Fred
:mrgreen:
StanTheMan

Re: Inactive user names will be pruned

Post by StanTheMan »

The methods described above by Papabearak have been quite effecive. Worth considering.
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