SPAM - What it is, and why it keeps getting deleted!

[Venomous]

With the recent massive influx of spambots that have recently spidered the Social Deviancy Forum and continually create bot accounts, which then often make a post in the Pointless Crap forum, it has been a matter of some discussion lately whether or not some posts are in fact spam. While a lot of spambots just blatantly post eight pages of porno links or what have you, others are very subtle, leading to "Wait - is this actually spam, or a legitimate new user saying hello?".

As a result, and to avoid further confusion, there will now be a concrete set of rules which dictate what is and is not considered spam on Social Deviancy. If you are a legitimate new member and find that your posts keep getting deleted, please check the following list and make sure you're not meeting these criteria.

So, without further ado, the following are the criteria I will be using to decide whether or not to consider a post spam and delete it on sight:-


A POST IS CONSIDERED TO BE SPAM IF:-
<blockquote>* It was posted by a zero postcount user (it is the user's first post on the forum), AND;<blockquote>* The post contains a URL anywhere in the post, whether hyperlinked or not, OR;
* The post is completely meaningless (says nothing but "hi guys", or gibberish, or a phrase that is utterly off-topic to the existing thread or of no real topic at all) and the user contains a URL in their user profile, OR;
* The post contains any of the most common clichéd spam keywords, ie. viagra, cialis, mortgage refinancing, xxx porn, loan approval, hoodia, valium, xanax, etc. And no, the usual spam filter diversion tricks, like l33tspeaking (ie. v14gr4) or word breaking (ie. V-iag Ra) will not work, because here at SocDev, your spam is deleted by {gasp!} real people with brains! So don't even bother to try and fool our "software", because our "software" is Common Sense. =)</blockquote></blockquote>

Some examples:-

#1 - User signs up to the forum, and their very first post is a new thread with the subject line "can you help me?". The post reads:-

hi all, i am looking for information about generic viagra or possibly cialis softtabs please. can anybody help me? thanks!

Is this spam? <font color="#FF0000">HELL YES</font>.


#2 - User signs up to the forum, and their very first post is a reply to an existing thread about cars. Their reply reads:-

This is a very interesting topic! I would like to hear more about this please! PS: Great forum!

Is this spam? <font color="#FF0000">ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY</font>.


#3 - User signs up to the forum, and their very first post is a new thread with the subject line "hi everybody". The post reads:-

Good day to you users of forum.socialdeviancy.com! I just joined your forum and wanted to say I really like your site! I wanted to share with you some other sites you might find interesting, such as http://rutgenple.biz/tandle/gerbil.php and also perhaps http://www.qwelderns.info/opulence/hatpole.htm. I hope you enjoy these sites as much as I do! Best regards,

Is this spam? <font color="#FF0000">NO SHIT, SHERLOCK</font>.


#4 - User signs up to the forum, and their very first post is a reply to an existing thread about gun legislation. Their reply reads:-

Yes! I completely agree!

However, in their member profile, in the Website field, they have included a URL which indisputably is not their own personal website.

Is this spam? <font color="#FF0000">'FRAID SO, PAL</font>!


#5 - User signs up to the forum, and their very first post is a new thread with the subject line "did you hear about this?". The post reads:-

I heard on the news about these global current events. What are your thoughts on this?

There is no URL or hyperlink in the post, nor in their member profile. The thread seems inane and generic otherwise, but no attempt to link to anything has been made.

Is this spam? <font color="#00AA00">Officially, no</font>.

While it is most likely a test broadcast by a new spambot, or otherwise a bit of fluff by a user who never posts a second time, on the record, since it doesn't actively attempt to link to or promote a website in the post or the member profile, and could be a legitimate human user's first post, it will be left alone and not deleted as spam.


Q. "I just signed up, and keep trying to post legitimately, but my posts keep disappearing! WTF?"

If you find your posts are getting erased, and you're NOT a spammer, make sure you're not breaking the above rules by accident. Do you have a URL set in the Website field of your profile, and was your first post a new thread with no real point or purpose to it? If so, chances are, you unfortunately were probably mistaken for a spambot. Try taking the URL out of your profile until we recognize you as a real user, or for your first few posts, contribute thoughtfully to existing threads before starting your own. Once we get to know you and recognize you're a real person, none of these rules will apply and you can post and link to whatever the hell you please, pretty much. It's just that first post hurdle you need to get by!

My rule of thumb is, a spambot never posts twice. So it's really only new, zero postcount users that may be at risk of being mistaken for spammers on their first post. So keep your posts and profile free of links, URLs, and spam-like content until you've been seen and greeted, and it'll be clear sailing from then on!

Last of all, if you're sure you're not spamming, even accidentally, but I keep deleting your posts anyway, use the Contact Form, and just ask me what's up! Contrary to everything you've heard, I'm a very reasonable guy, and I'd be happy to explain to you why your post or thread got deleted. Remember, Social Deviancy is about freedom of speech and freedom from political correctness and social taboos - I never censor anybody for speaking their mind, only for spamming their site links! =P

Hope this helps. Thank you for not spamming. =)