A little suggestion.....(Default Post Icon)

Baldilocks

Baldilocks

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I've noticed that bot spammers always pick the "newspaper" post icon when posting their messages. (I've seen it on all Pre-vB 3.7 forums I have visited or am a member of.)

That is the default posting icon here on TAZ as well. I think that removing the default post Icon will make it easier to spot SPAM posts.
 
Baldilocks

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Ok, let's just say that out of the 5000+ spam posts I removed on HowardForums since I have been modding there that 4900 of them were using that post icon.

When my own forum was spammed before adding reCAPTCHA only Spammers used that post icon.

So, yes, most of the automated vBulletin Spam Bots DO use that post icon. :banghead:
 
gabrielzero

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Couldn't we also take other things into consideration. Spam bots don't use avatars right ? Maybe a guideline should be made.
 
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JoshB

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Baldilocks said:
Ok, let's just say that out of the 5000+ spam posts I removed on HowardForums since I have been modding there that 4900 of them were using that post icon.

When my own forum was spammed before adding reCAPTCHA only Spammers used that post icon.

So, yes, most of the automated vBulletin Spam Bots DO use that post icon. :banghead:
Click to expand...

:confused: I don't understand what you want. If the default post icon is removed and a new one is selected spam bots will just use the new default post icon. They don't actively select a post icon.
 
Baldilocks

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I have mine set to "No Default Post Icon". When a spammer does get thru, yes they DO select the first post icon, which is usually that little newspaper image.
 
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JoshB

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So if the first post icon is removed, spam bots will default to the new first post icon :S
 
Baldilocks

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Yes. If you have it set to use NO post icon by default--which I do and which we do on Howardforums, then most automated bots will use the first post icon choice.
 
OrangeStu

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But I don't usually change the image so you would assume my posts are spam when they aren't
 
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JoshB

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Baldilocks said:
Yes. If you have it set to use NO post icon by default--which I do and which we do on Howardforums, then most automated bots will use the first post icon choice.
Click to expand...

So, what difference does that make, a spammer using a different post icon?
 
couponsaremygame

couponsaremygame

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maybe changing the default post icon to one that reads "SPAM". LOL

I get what the OP is saying, that spam bots do not take the time to do anything custom they usually choose the first choice when given. When we put a drop down option on our registration page for location with all of the states, 99.9% of our spam were from Alabama. We now have something else as the first choice in that drop down and it helps control the spam.
 
Baldilocks

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Exactly.

99.9% of the thousands of spammers I have banned from Howardforums use the first available post icon. Since regular users seldom choose a post icon, it often draws our attention to those posts first and they are usually Spam.

That is the point I am trying to make.
 
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JoshB

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Baldilocks said:
Exactly.

99.9% of the thousands of spammers I have banned from Howardforums use the first available post icon. Since regular users seldom choose a post icon, it often draws our attention to those posts first and they are usually Spam.

That is the point I am trying to make.
Click to expand...

I see :), although I'm not sure I understand the effect of removing the default post icon. Could you elaborate?
 
Baldilocks

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It's not removing the icon, it is just changing the settings in the AdminCP to "no default icon".
 
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