Spam moderation FAQ

[Kayvon]

I've received several questions about this for different individuals, so I thought I'd clear up some confusion.

Q: Who are the moderators?
A: Bob and I have been made moderators on the forum. This is a super helpful step by Rockler because it allows us to delete spam posts that had been piling up prior to that appointment.

Q: I still see spam posts!
A: Between the two of us, we usually clear out spam posts multiple times per day, but sometimes it'll take us a couple days due to life considerations. Sometimes there's no spam to worry about. Lately, we've seen maybe 30 spam posts per day, all from the same spambot.

Q: Why don't you delete the spambot accounts?
A: While we have some ability to moderate individual messages, we don't have the power to ban or delete individual accounts. If you have another suggestion of what we should do, please let us know. Just remember that we can only act on individual posts.

Q: Why do spambots post all these links? Do they really think we'll buy tennis shoes from them?
A: Usually, they're hoping to work Google's SEO (Search Engine Optimization) by convincing Google that their site is more popular than it actually is. They're hoping that Google's search algorithm will see that everyone is talking about the site and linking to it from different forums all over the internet. If so, Google may think it's popular and boost its search results higher.

Q: Why don't you change the forum to allow X?
A: We can moderate individual messages, but we can't change the forum settings directly. We can't edit the code, either, so no custom changes. The display, subforums, attachment sizes, sign-up process, etc. are all fixed beyond our control.

Q: Can I be a moderator? Or an administrator?
A: I don't know... maybe? This came about after I'd been in frequent contact with Rockler via email and phone about appointing someone to moderate the spam. I recommended Bob because he's been an active, positive member of the community here for a long time. I didn't recommend myself because I felt that would appear self-serving and power-hungry. One day, out of the blue, Bob and I were both made moderators. We're as surprised as anyone. Together, we've deleted thousands of spam posts on the forum. (Bob has far surpassed the number that I've managed to delete. He's on the ball!)

I think that covers it, but post a reply if you have other questions or suggestions.

[Rut Row]

thanks for all your hard work!