New Members???

[madmax-im]

Lately 99% of all the new members have exactly the same profile...they dont list where they are or what if any model XS they have. They just say XS for their model...this is so suspect that it has to be bogus. I feel the Mods should setup some requisite screening to insure the people coming here are legitimately interested in this site and not spammers..its become rather redundant to put it mildly.

[Wildkat]

Well... I think the powers that be have some shields implemented... but some of the spammers are pretty sneaky...
We've been able to get rid of several bogus members lately... and the ones who have actually posted have been dealt with accordingly...
Keep in mind that some new members aren't all that computer savvy and need a little time to get some of this stuff figured out...
Sometimes hard to distinguish between those and the sneakier spammers... until they post.

Hang in there, Ben...
It's frustrating for us as well...

[madmax-im]

Thanks Kat...I believe TC mentioned some prerequisite steps that he was reluctant to use perhaps its time to get tougher... On other websites I frequent this is never a problem...so I will inquire over there as to what it is they do to keep them out...I'll let you know...

[Wildkat]

We could always impose local Shalaylee (sp?) Lines for new members... Must appear in person... go through the line... then get your membership after buying the first round of beers (root for the non-drinkers)

Okay... maybe not... JAT

[MrOzz]

We could always impose local Shalaylee (sp?) Lines for new members... Must appear in person... go through the line... then get your membership after buying the first round of beers (root for the non-drinkers)...

I like that Idea!!

[Elevener]

Or you could require new members to buy a fuseblock from TC.

[latexeses]

I was a visitor to the site before I got hold of my covey of XS's and thought about joining the forum but decided to wait till I found a bike.

Could be some of the newbies are in that group. Joined without a bike.

[fredintoon]

Running the gauntlet

We could always impose local Shalaylee (sp?) Lines for new members...

Ki Kat,
would that be a shillelagh? The Tipperary rifle? The blackthorn or oak cudgel of a fighting Irishman?
I shudder to think what you do to those who will not wait in line down your way.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Ben,

I appreciate your concern and angst about the new members, but most of the spambots are being filtered. There are a few real people spammers from places like the Ukraine and Taiwan that get thru, perhaps post a few spams, but they are usually caught on the first day, and deleted, and then I get ahold of their usernames/profiles, and wipe them out, ban their IP addresses so that they can't even register back on, but there are a lot of IP addresses out there!

This alone takes a modest amount of my personal time, but no where near as much as it would take for me to review the DAILY new members that join this site. I/we the management don't want to hinder folks possibly immediate opportunity to post for help, etc..

So... I ask you to just bear with the rare spammer, he won't be around long anyways.

[madmax-im]

Thanks TC I know we all appreciate your efforts to keep this place clean...As you prolly know I had a link sent to you from ST-Owners to contact the main guy there about what he does to keep the spammers out...they have been very successful at it and the occaisionl one that gets thru is never seen by the general membership...as a failsafe last line of defense...they require all new members to post an introductory post. They are not allowed to post anywher else until they do this first. Then the mods sceen the post subject to their approval it then gets posted. ST-O even has a sub-forum for Introductions...perhaps we too could institute such a policy...JAT

[Wildkat]

Ki Kat,
would that be a shillelagh?

Yep... I found several variations of the word but chose the Americanized spelling so as not to confuse... Had I not known the word... I'd still be pronouncing it shill-laugh...

I shudder to think what you do to those who will not wait in line down your way.

Sometimes Fred, it's just best not to think about those things...
lol