More anti-spam measures coming your way

[Nick Barr]

Fresh on the heels of the Spam Watchlist, we have a few more anti-spam tools to announce today.First, we've begun to block email notifications for suspicious profile comments. Spammers sometimes try to abuse comments on member profiles because they know that each post will generate an email notification to the member. Starting today, we will begin blocking email notifications when spammy profile comments appear. The content will still be published on a member's profile page, but your member won't receive an email notification. The person who posted the content will also appear in your Spam Watchlist for you to evaluate. You can always choose to delete the content and the spammer — or whitelist them if they are simply a very active, well-meaning member of your network.This will greatly reduce the negative impact of profile comment spam, because members will get fewer spammy email notifications and you'll be able to remove spammy content before members are aware of it.Second, we're piloting the ability to auto-suspend any member who appears in your Spam Watchlist. This is an extremely aggressive measure, and we're not recommending Ning Creators enable it unless they have a serious spam issue. For now, this will be a tool our Advocacy Team can activate on your Ning Network if you want it.From here, our top priority is improving the underlying algorithm that detects spam and surfaces it on your Spam Watchlist. Thanks to all who have posted their feedback, and do keep in mind that the more you interact with the Spam Watchlist, the better the algorithm will get.

[RJ Blanco]

Will there be the ability to disable these features?  I have seen the Spam Watchlist in action. So far all it has found is 6 of our really good members who do post a lot of good content but do not spam. I realize these are new features & may be a bit buggy at first, but e need to be able to turn those features off until they are tweaked in a little better.

[seymor54]

UPDATE - today 21 members have been falsly accused of spamming!!!!

This feature is awesomely BAD - I now have 21 members all accused of being SPAMMERS without any real evidence.

PLEASE GET RID OF THIS FALSELY ACCUSING S/W BEFORE SOMEONE deletes a bonda finda member and then has the BOOK thrown at them for monitoring members communications - this is unethical - perhaps you need to check the legal status of what is called CENSORSHIP.

[seymor54]

Here is the EVIDENCE that you provide for a member being a SPAMMER

I quote:

tyre pressure

• Posted by mally on September 26, 2009 at 2:52pm in E50 How to do it!
• Back to E50 How to do it! Discussions

does anybody know the correct tyre pressure for e50 elgrand.

So how does this members message constitute to being analysised as being a SPAM.

 

I think you need to seriously reconsider this current offerNing! Before it cause more problems than its worth. 

[seymor54]

For good measure here is another so called spammers message:

E50 Speedo Fascia

• Posted by Sudesh on May 6, 2010 at 10:56am in  Electrics (Change)
• Send Message   View Discussions

Has anyone fitted the dual display speedo fascia to a 2000 E50?

If so is it easy enough to remove the needle? and what mehod did you use?

I question the strategy on introducing this feature when it generalizes so much, and is clearly in Beta stages with many pitfalls still to be explored.

[seymor54]

Here is an alternative solution to this problem:

Provide more adequate membership analytics, that enable CREATORS to identify "heavy" users, as most members will be only moderate users. Spammers will stand out!

 

Another QUICK fix for CREATORS  

1. limit members messages down to say max 10 or 20 emails to other members per day.
2. This could be developed to LIMIT members like myself from multi-posting across mulitple discussions. This could be done on a daily or hourly limit, so as not to cause offence to GENUINE MEMBERS.
3. Use of membership levels - New members are limited to say 10 posts a day until they have say made a set number of postings - then they go up a level. This works well on PHP Bulletin boards, so why not on ning. Bronze Silver and Gold members come to mind

I am sure a lot of CREATORS may consider this type of facility as an alternative solution, as it gives CREATORS the much needed analytical tools on membership we are so currently lackNing.

 

[john preston]

hey nick really quick question, one of my administrators just text me saying ning disabled her account. How can this be! My spam watch list is empty so, I'm at a lost for words on this one. I have to have her on my network because she helps me out extremely well. Is this maybe do to this new spam thing? How can I get her account undisabled?

[Nick Barr]

sorry to hear that, but to confirm Eric's post, the spam algorithm never flags NCs, Admins, or moderators.

[seymor54]

A thought for filtering

what about a simple URL blocker for NON appropriate URLS, that would be really useful. Even better if it was designed to automatically append the COMMENT for administration APPROVAL - this would set up a monitor and a control to ensure members where aware that adding URLS required moderation.

OK we need to be able to ADD URLS, but I am sure making it for approval would be more common sense way of doing things.

[seymor54]

So lets get this right - As an ADMIN/Creator - will that mean I will not receive any NOTIFICATIONS of COMMENTS being posted on a Ning site, which Nings anti-spam algorithm decided is spam.

Surely if I receive notification I could take action to delete or advise the member that they are out of ORDER, before it becomes a major issue.

I think with SPAM filtering you as "Ning" are clearly taking upon yourself to be both Judge and Jury, and yet even today you are considered INNOCENT until proved to be GUILTY.

 

Let RIGHT be done... is old old cavete in "English Law"  from the days of the Magna Carter, which has stood the test of time. 

This isn't letting right be done its getting very close to CENSORSHIP

[solo]

+1 @seymore