Comments on: phpBB3 spam annoys me http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/ Me fail English? That's unpossible! Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:22:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Laurent http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/comment-page-1/#comment-28869 Laurent Wed, 13 May 2009 11:34:37 +0000 http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/#comment-28869 As for you guys that have problems with the spammers, I had it as well. Mention how I can say "had". What I did was completely disable registrations. Well this is a very dramatic option. But for you that have some dev skills, read on. I went through all the code of the registration page, and made one myself. I coupled the registration to the registration to the site. Which made me have 2 things by these spammers: 1) my site registration (completely custom) was coupled to the board one, which is great since only 1 signup is required. 2) no more spammers joined, since my custom register page isn't recognized as a register page from phpBB. You should try doing that ;). It finally keeps of those damn spammers. As for you guys that have problems with the spammers, I had it as well. Mention how I can say “had”.

What I did was completely disable registrations. Well this is a very dramatic option. But for you that have some dev skills, read on.

I went through all the code of the registration page, and made one myself. I coupled the registration to the registration to the site. Which made me have 2 things by these spammers:

1) my site registration (completely custom) was coupled to the board one, which is great since only 1 signup is required.
2) no more spammers joined, since my custom register page isn’t recognized as a register page from phpBB.

You should try doing that ;) . It finally keeps of those damn spammers.

]]> By: swollenpickles http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/comment-page-1/#comment-28666 swollenpickles Fri, 08 May 2009 05:29:28 +0000 http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/#comment-28666 I'm seriously considering ditching my forum seeing as though I'm not getting the time to keep it under control. Might try using SMF instead. I’m seriously considering ditching my forum seeing as though I’m not getting the time to keep it under control. Might try using SMF instead.

]]> By: pixelmama http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/comment-page-1/#comment-28662 pixelmama Fri, 08 May 2009 03:11:38 +0000 http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/#comment-28662 :S it was a pun - a sort-of joke. Yous have a good sense of humour and better to hang on to that - not worry about it. Spam - yeah probably a coincidence then. Advertising is spam too. A one-way conversation. 2-way is good - like this. I see black, you see white... somewhere in the middle is gray - we learn something. It's good. I once read that the background to "rapping" was that in some african cultures men from different tribes fought it out by "out-retorting" each other - thus over years the battle of witty come-backs was developed. People got to say what they needed to say, and be heard. Many things were resolved before it came to blows - no sticks and stones. AND I'm happy to report there no more bogus registrations on my forum. Woohoo! :S it was a pun – a sort-of joke. Yous have a good sense of humour and better to hang on to that – not worry about it. Spam – yeah probably a coincidence then. Advertising is spam too. A one-way conversation. 2-way is good – like this. I see black, you see white… somewhere in the middle is gray – we learn something. It’s good. I once read that the background to “rapping” was that in some african cultures men from different tribes fought it out by “out-retorting” each other – thus over years the battle of witty come-backs was developed. People got to say what they needed to say, and be heard. Many things were resolved before it came to blows – no sticks and stones. AND I’m happy to report there no more bogus registrations on my forum. Woohoo!

]]> By: swollenpickles http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/comment-page-1/#comment-28651 swollenpickles Thu, 07 May 2009 23:53:04 +0000 http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/#comment-28651 @Pacoup I thought that perhaps it was a joke but wasn't sure. Sarcasm doesn't always work well with the written word. @Pacoup

I thought that perhaps it was a joke but wasn’t sure. Sarcasm doesn’t always work well with the written word.

]]> By: Pacoup http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/comment-page-1/#comment-28626 Pacoup Thu, 07 May 2009 06:55:49 +0000 http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/#comment-28626 @swollenpickles @pixelmama Wasn't that a joke? (Nice picle - not) Lol, as if it could happen like that. @swollenpickles
@pixelmama

Wasn’t that a joke? (Nice picle – not)

Lol, as if it could happen like that.

]]> By: swollenpickles http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/comment-page-1/#comment-28625 swollenpickles Thu, 07 May 2009 06:37:32 +0000 http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/#comment-28625 @pixelmama - you think you are getting spam because you posted a comment here? Don't know how that's possible seeing as though email addresses don't get published. Sounds like a weird coincidence. @pixelmama – you think you are getting spam because you posted a comment here? Don’t know how that’s possible seeing as though email addresses don’t get published. Sounds like a weird coincidence.

]]> By: Pacoup http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/comment-page-1/#comment-28621 Pacoup Thu, 07 May 2009 04:38:14 +0000 http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/#comment-28621 lol really, spam? I think Gmail has great spam filters though. My father had a really spammed account and it got rid of all of it without false positives. It's just that his junk box gets 120+ junk mails per day... Anyways, I'm totally right with you, too much advertising is just too much. That's why I don't use those in-page link advertising solutions on my site, just regular Google ads. But hey, when you run your business with advertising, example, Engadget, you really don't have a choice. (well, you do for the in-line text ads, but I mean, not for having ads or not) lol really, spam? I think Gmail has great spam filters though.
My father had a really spammed account and it got rid of all of it without false positives. It’s just that his junk box gets 120+ junk mails per day…

Anyways, I’m totally right with you, too much advertising is just too much. That’s why I don’t use those in-page link advertising solutions on my site, just regular Google ads.

But hey, when you run your business with advertising, example, Engadget, you really don’t have a choice. (well, you do for the in-line text ads, but I mean, not for having ads or not)

]]> By: pixelmama http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/comment-page-1/#comment-28618 pixelmama Thu, 07 May 2009 02:08:54 +0000 http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/#comment-28618 What's worse. Since posting on this site, I'm now receiving spam at that email address. Nice pickle - not. What’s worse. Since posting on this site, I’m now receiving spam at that email address. Nice pickle – not.

]]> By: pixelmama http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/comment-page-1/#comment-28617 pixelmama Thu, 07 May 2009 02:04:52 +0000 http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/#comment-28617 Pacoup, I found that PHPBB3 thread today too. I've added the custom profile questions and hopefully that will get most of the bogus registrations before I need to do the next step and add mods. Advertising... well I'm one of those strange people that don't care for extra revenue at the cost of a good old-fashioned clean website. And there's advertising and there's advertising. Links that are totally erroneous to the context of the sentence or article you are reading just make using the internet so irrelevant for me. Pacoup, I found that PHPBB3 thread today too. I’ve added the custom profile questions and hopefully that will get most of the bogus registrations before I need to do the next step and add mods.

Advertising… well I’m one of those strange people that don’t care for extra revenue at the cost of a good old-fashioned clean website. And there’s advertising and there’s advertising. Links that are totally erroneous to the context of the sentence or article you are reading just make using the internet so irrelevant for me.

]]> By: Pacoup http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/comment-page-1/#comment-28507 Pacoup Tue, 05 May 2009 05:15:54 +0000 http://www.swollenpickles.com/2009/02/13/phpbb3-spam-annoys-me/#comment-28507 It's advertising, it's actually not that uncommon. Pays a lot apparently. Anyway, I got this wonderful page: http://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=1437125&sid=f494f9a75c6985b56e3e171b119c24f4 And I've installed the two mods validated by the PHPBB Mod Team. That is, Advanced Visual Anti Bot http://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=1545695 and Anti Bot Question http://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=645075&start=0 Very useful, the first is an enhanced captcha with a random background image you can customize to your desire, and the second is the famous user-set question/answer. That one's very efficient for bots since it's unpredictable, you make it anything you want. You could even make it something hard to figure out for non-english (or any language you use) speakers, example, Russians (sorry for the authentic Russians out there that do not spam). Anyway, just tried these on my forum and haven't received a single spam yet, 'been half a day. I'll keep you updated on its efficiency. It’s advertising, it’s actually not that uncommon. Pays a lot apparently.

Anyway, I got this wonderful page:
http://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=1437125&sid=f494f9a75c6985b56e3e171b119c24f4

And I’ve installed the two mods validated by the PHPBB Mod Team. That is, Advanced Visual Anti Bot http://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=1545695
and Anti Bot Question http://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=645075&start=0

Very useful, the first is an enhanced captcha with a random background image you can customize to your desire, and the second is the famous user-set question/answer. That one’s very efficient for bots since it’s unpredictable, you make it anything you want. You could even make it something hard to figure out for non-english (or any language you use) speakers, example, Russians (sorry for the authentic Russians out there that do not spam).

Anyway, just tried these on my forum and haven’t received a single spam yet, ‘been half a day. I’ll keep you updated on its efficiency.

]]>