New users first posts validated to tackle spammers/trolls?

Vaila

Came to this idea due to the influx of trolls/spammers on this site over the past few days. Why not approve a new posters first five posts or so to tackle this?

kermitfrog

Not enough manpower.

.

Outpost

I've always considered this to be unworkable but in light of recent events I'm beginning to reconsider my initial opinion.

Things can't go on the way they are. It's making a mockery of the site.

Tixy

317 people joined the forum yesterday, you could potentially be talking about over 1500 posts to be reviewed and approved, which could mean genuine new users would be waiting hours for their post to be approved. If regular users then reply to them - offer advice, ask questions etc, they could then be waiting another few hours for the newbie's response, in which time those people trying to help could easily have logged out for the day etc.

It would slow down the threads so much that people who have come on the forum worried and looking for advice, in some cases urgent advice, might well be put off.

Besides if this rule was implemented and known it would probably only get rid of the spam bots, anyone one else posting (and in particular AEs and trolls) would simply post 5 innocuous posts first before they started their trolling or 'games'.

Old_Wrinkly

Tixy wrote: »

Besides if this rule was implemented and known it would probably only get rid of the spam bots, anyone one else posting (and in particular AEs and trolls) would simply post 5 innocuous posts first before they started their trolling or 'games'.

This is undoubtedly what would happen.

Outpost

Old_Wrinkly wrote: »

This is undoubtedly what would happen.

Which is why MSE need to take more robust action to track down the culprits, as is threatened in the forum rules.

Mobeer

Perhaps a tweak to the Spam button, so that it:
1) needs just 2 users to identify a post as Spam when this one of a user's first 4 posts
2) if the user has 2 of their first 4 posts marked as Spam then their account is temporarily suspended until it can be reviewed

CountryGuy

Mobeer wrote: »

Perhaps a tweak to the Spam button, so that it:
1) needs just 2 users to identify a post as Spam when this one of a user's first 4 posts
2) if the user has 2 of their first 4 posts marked as Spam then their account is temporarily suspended until it can be reviewed

Would that really work though? What about those few (and it is only a handful) who think every newbie is a banned member returning with a new name?

Personally I cannot see why MSE can't use volunteers to hide suspected posts until a guide can look into the offending post.

I could quite easily name at least 4 long serving members who offer great advice, are non judgemental and non biased who would quite easily be able to carry out such tasks (not sure if they would be willing though lol)

I also think if they did introduce moderators, these people who be given a moderator name which is different from their user name! Guides would obviously know their users name so any untoward events could easily be tracked.

I myself have 4 forums, all have a hidden (private) category where all moderators move unwanted posts, with an explanation, until someone from admin can choose to take action or not.

It is a very simple process. Each category has 4 moderators all with their own moderator forum.

Forgot to mention, I also help moderate a very large medical site who follow the above procedure!