Member list

Asa · Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 10:43 am Post subject: Member list

I was surfing the member list (and I'm number 6 on Total Posts - when did that happen?), and I saw about two pages of members with zero posts. Is this a recent number, or is this the unpurged number? Is Teh Lady or somebody keeping on top of inactive accounts?
_________________
Self-styled Forum Grandmother, because I hand out nicknames and hugs whether you want them or not. ^_^

Keeper of the Library and the Gateway to Haven

Nem: "It's the sort of face you just know is getting ready to poke you with something sharp."
BS: "...then insist you eat a brownie."
__________________
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this and all is mended...
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

JackAce · Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 673 Location: 53°04'N 8°53'E

Tenshi · Joined: 18 Apr 2008 Posts: 2594 Location: Star Stuff

The old forums we had used to have a problem with spam bots, actually. There have been a ton of controls put in place to avoid the spam bots, but every now and again one will slip through. From what I remember, though, there used to be a rule that user accounts with 0 posts would end up being deleted.

The reasoning is, there are no aspects of the forum that require a membership. If all you want to do is lurk, then you're more than welcome to do so, membership has no benefits beyond being able to communicate with the rest of the forum...

I take a neutral strance, m'self. It's not my forum to decide on, but a neat and clean user list does have an appeal I'll admit. Then we run into problems like "buttons" account being deleted, which without knowing why could have just been because it sounded like a spam name...

::shrug:: I've said nothing important. I feel so useless. Razz

_________________
. Dubbed "Usagi" by AsA .
Keeper of the Siderean Swords

"If by chance some day you're not feeling well, and you should remember some silly thing I've said or done, and it brings back a smile to your face or a chuckle to your heart, then my purpose as your clown has been fulfilled."
Red Skelton

JackAce · Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 673 Location: 53°04'N 8°53'E

cvcdaisy3 · Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 6:20 pm Post subject:

A lot of people who lurk often enough for that to make a difference at least post an intro, or a question before the time when the zero-post account is deleted.

Besides, if an account is deleted, and a previous lurker wishes to continue using it, said person can create a new one, and that eliminates all other unused accounts. If they want to avoid it happening agin, all they have to do is post.
_________________
Dubbed Cube by Asa

YatesOfYore · Site Admin Joined: 27 Dec 2006 Posts: 854

There still is a rather large spambot problem - but I have very efficient mods and I go through the user list at least every other day and purge the member list of the incredibly obviously named bot accounts.

As far as I know all my mods are in place, so I guess it's an actual person creating all these accounts, either that or spambots are developing AI. Goodness, no.
_________________
Keeper of Nanashi's Vambraces and the Amethyst Trees.

PS: Don't panic! I changed my username - I'm not an impostor!

Squeeself · Joined: 23 Mar 2008 Posts: 258

Well, Lady, according to IEEE Spectrum, the Singularity, where humans create sentient computers and exist in a symbiosis with them is coming very soon....

Maybe these spambots are just forerunners to the coming apocolypse. They're kinda cute....

Nem · Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Posts: 2112 Location: England

One day AI spambots will be hunted by AI modtools and fed to the administration with a side order of electrons.

Bet they taste like chicken.
_________________
Never forget,
We stroll along the roof of hell
Gazing at flowers.
- Issa

Tinu. · Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 11:52 am Post subject:

Or maybe they just taste like fish.

I actually haven't seen any spambots around, but then again, I've been busy lately, and as the Lady said, the mods are very good at what they do.
_________________
Keeper of Gaia and all the books on Earthsong

"If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid."
~Einstein

Spindrifter · Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 4:44 pm Post subject:

Squee, it kinda scares me that I know what you're talking about and have read that article...

Mmmm... spambot and chips...

RoseBlood · Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 4:54 pm Post subject:

Could we make it so that all members are required to an intro? They could still lurk, so long as they have SOMETHING, too. That way, those pretty, shiny, squeaky botty boys could be more easily seen.

so, all HUMAN members would have 1+ posts, and the botty boys would have a whopping total f 0.
_________________
Keeper of Tristram's soul.
Dubbed 'RED', by AsA.
RoseBlood=Rose/Blood= Red
'I want you, bleeders......'

Squeeself · Joined: 23 Mar 2008 Posts: 258

No, it scares Squee that Squee remembers these things at the most random times...like this thread...

Squee also thinks it's pretty easy to see a bot...and still, there's no reason to require someone to post. Squee has accounts on many, many forums where Squee just lurks and has never posted...but the account is quite useful.