WHF team - Word Verification notice...why??

[Oldboy]

Hello team!

Can you answer a question please, recently i have had this word verification action come up whenever i go to post a comment in the forum where you have to print the words as shown in the image....could you please tell me why?

It's just odd and doesn't happen all the time and is becoming annoying now as it happens more frequently, i can understand when it's used on sites to discourage children and to verify personal info but why is it now being used on the forums? Any info would be much appreciated, thank you.

Best regards

Oldboy

 

[ric71]

+1 very frustrating

 

[Oldboy]

Found the reason in using the forums section...to stop spammers, fair enough but can't see how it helps that much?? Besides it's still annoying for forum members!

 

[The_Lhc]

Found the reason in using the forums section...to stop spammers, fair enough but can't see how it helps that much??

Because an automated spam-bot can't perform the word verification task.

Besides it's still annoying for forum members!

Once you've posted enough times for the system to "learn" you it stops asking, so the solution is: post more!

 

[Oldboy]

Found the reason in using the forums section...to stop spammers, fair enough but can't see how it helps that much??

Because an automated spam-bot can't perform the word verification task.

Besides it's still annoying for forum members!

Once you've posted enough times for the system to "learn" you it stops asking, so the solution is: post more!

Ok but it's not as if i don't post alot anyway, i'm a frequent poster, so just how long does it take untill it stops asking you to do this?

 

[The_Lhc]

Found the reason in using the forums section...to stop spammers, fair enough but can't see how it helps that much??

Because an automated spam-bot can't perform the word verification task.

Besides it's still annoying for forum members!

Once you've posted enough times for the system to "learn" you it stops asking, so the solution is: post more!

Ok but it's not as if i don't post alot anyway, i'm a frequent poster,

Oldboy
Joined:
09/13/2007
Posts:646

Nah, that's not a frequent poster...

The_Lhc
Joined: 10/16/2008
Posts: 7072

THAT'S a frequent poster...

 

[Oldboy]

Found the reason in using the forums section...to stop spammers, fair enough but can't see how it helps that much??

Because an automated spam-bot can't perform the word verification task.

Besides it's still annoying for forum members!

Once you've posted enough times for the system to "learn" you it stops asking, so the solution is: post more!

Ok but it's not as if i don't post alot anyway, i'm a frequent poster,

Oldboy Joined: 09/13/2007 Posts:646

Nah, that's not a frequent poster... The_Lhc Joined: 10/16/2008 Posts: 7072 THAT'S a frequent poster...

In your eyes!

 

[Clare Newsome]

Enough....

Yes, as detailed previously, we have a new spam filter in place, which - while it learns - will ask for word verification on some posts (typically those including links - which could be in your signature, as well as post itself - or pictures).

As regular posters will attest, it does learn - soon you shouldn't be asked for verification, assuming you're playing nicely.

Apologies for any temporary inconvenience, but trialling the software has seen a massive drop in spam across the site: now it's only the really dedicated spammers that can blight threads with their existence.

We'll keep you all updated re the trial and any other moves: i've just been told that we've got some geniune improvements in the pipeline...

 

[The_Lhc]

Found the reason in using the forums section...to stop spammers, fair enough but can't see how it helps that much??

Because an automated spam-bot can't perform the word verification task.

Besides it's still annoying for forum members!

Once you've posted enough times for the system to "learn" you it stops asking, so the solution is: post more!

Ok but it's not as if i don't post alot anyway, i'm a frequent poster,

Oldboy Joined: 09/13/2007 Posts:646

Nah, that's not a frequent poster... The_Lhc Joined: 10/16/2008 Posts: 7072 THAT'S a frequent poster...

In your eyes!

IN YOUR MIND!!1!

 

[roger06]

I still don't get how it's supposed to deter spammers. You have to be authenticated to post so the hijacking of posting systems for spamming seems irrelevant.

You only usually see these catphas on un-authenticated system, for example, setting up an account in the first place. If a human wants to post spam then they'll enter the word.

Anyway, I don't seem to have it any more and considering WHF moved to a completely new system with no downtime we shouldn't moan too much...

 

[Oldboy]

Found the reason in using the forums section...to stop spammers, fair enough but can't see how it helps that much??

Because an automated spam-bot can't perform the word verification task.

Besides it's still annoying for forum members!

Once you've posted enough times for the system to "learn" you it stops asking, so the solution is: post more!

Ok but it's not as if i don't post alot anyway, i'm a frequent poster,

Oldboy Joined: 09/13/2007 Posts:646

Nah, that's not a frequent poster... The_Lhc Joined: 10/16/2008 Posts: 7072 THAT'S a frequent poster...

In your eyes!

IN YOUR MIND!!1!

Blimey calm down no offence was intended. I was just trying to say that it's a matter of what you call 'frequent' that's all and no offence was meant with my last comment.

 

[Oldboy]

Enough....

Yes, as detailed previously, we have a new spam filter in place, which - while it learns - will ask for word verification on some posts (typically those including links - which could be in your signature, as well as post itself - or pictures).

As regular posters will attest, it does learn - soon you shouldn't be asked for verification, assuming you're playing nicely.

Apologies for any temporary inconvenience, but trialling the software has seen a massive drop in spam across the site: now it's only the really dedicated spammers that can blight threads with their existence.

We'll keep you all updated re the trial and any other moves: i've just been told that we've got some geniune improvements in the pipeline...

Many thanks for the update Clare and i can assure you i always play nicely

 

[The_Lhc]

Found the reason in using the forums section...to stop spammers, fair enough but can't see how it helps that much??

Because an automated spam-bot can't perform the word verification task.

Besides it's still annoying for forum members!

Once you've posted enough times for the system to "learn" you it stops asking, so the solution is: post more!

Ok but it's not as if i don't post alot anyway, i'm a frequent poster,

Oldboy Joined: 09/13/2007 Posts:646

Nah, that's not a frequent poster... The_Lhc Joined: 10/16/2008 Posts: 7072 THAT'S a frequent poster...

In your eyes!

IN YOUR MIND!!1!

Blimey calm down no offence was intended. I was just trying to say that it's a matter of what you call 'frequent' that's all and no offence was meant with my last comment.

Hmm? Oh dear, absolutely no offence taken old boy, err Oldboy (that's confusing!), I was just being silly, harking back to the good old days when everyone knew that a comment with multiple "!"s with one replaced by a "1" wasn't intended to be taken seriously.

And I got it wrong, I should have said "IN MY MIND!!1!", that would have made a LOT more sense! I'm such a klutz...

 

[chebby]

Does anyone read those multi-layered/nested quotes once they get that long?

Why is all this an issue anyway?

Occasionally having to tap in some letters after a post is no big deal.

 

[Clare Newsome]

I still don't get how it's supposed to deter spammers. You have to be authenticated to post so the hijacking of posting systems for spamming seems irrelevant.

What we had previously was spammers signing up then spraying links around the site in all sorts of news story and blog comments as well as Forum threads (you lot will have seen a fraction of the posts we saw/removed!)

Making them have to verify before they can add links (which, of course, is their entire aim) has massively reduced the amount of spam - it's an extra level of deterrent that appears to be driving away all but the very determined to less patrolled sites.

We totally appreciate it's not ideal, as innocent posters have to (temporarily) suffer as well, so we're reviewing this and other spam-fighting options available.

 

[John Duncan]

<grandmother eggs>

You could put everybody with more than a certain number of posts (like 5, say) in the 'trusted users' group...

</grandmother eggs>

 

[Andrew Everard]

You could put everybody with more than a certain number of posts (like 5, say) in the 'trusted users' group...

Of course, when you say 'you could'...

 

[Anonymous]

<grandmother eggs>

You could put everybody with more than a certain number of posts (like 5, say) in the 'trusted users' group...

</grandmother eggs>

oi, that's my idea

 

[John Duncan]

You could put everybody with more than a certain number of posts (like 5, say) in the 'trusted users' group...

Of course, when you say 'you could'...

Well I'm not doing anything tomorrow...

 

[Andrew Everard]

oi, that's my idea

But then every time we think of doing something like that, someone with 'previous' goes and does something spectacularly daft.

 

[Anonymous]

oi, that's my idea

But then every time we think of doing something like that, someone with 'previous' goes and does something spectacularly daft.

EDITED BY MODS: we rest our case.