New and inactive members please read this post!

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davesmith_au
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New and inactive members please read this post!

Unread post by davesmith_au » Thu Jun 13, 2013 9:43 pm

It has again become necessary (see this older thread for some history) to take some drastic action regarding spam signups. We can at times get up to 50 in a day, many of which go right through to the stage of posting some spammy rubbish. Regular members don't get to see these posts as all new members' posts are held in a moderation queue for just this reason.

Over the next week or so, we'll be making some experimental adjustments and also a cull of ALL USERS WITH ZERO POSTS AND ALL INACTIVE USERS.

Again, if real bona fide users get caught up in the cull, we apologize and ask you to have patience and simply sign up again. Note that you may have to wait for an admin to approve your new account, as that's one of the measures we are going to experiment with.

We know that this can be inconvenient for those wishing to maintain a low profile, but the incessant spam sign-up issue is creating much too large a workload on our volunteers to let it continue.

Dave Smith.
Forum Administrator.
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stickwhistler
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Re: New and inactive members please read this post!

Unread post by stickwhistler » Fri Jun 14, 2013 12:20 am

If inactive members ( or very low posting rate members :oops: ) are culled,
would that mean that they do not receive the Thunderbolts Update
from David Talbot?

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davesmith_au
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Re: New and inactive members please read this post!

Unread post by davesmith_au » Fri Jun 14, 2013 3:21 am

stickwhistler wrote:If inactive members ( or very low posting rate members :oops: ) are culled,
would that mean that they do not receive the Thunderbolts Update
from David Talbot?
No, the Thunderbolts Update is an entirely different animal. It is instigated by the "Free Newsletter" sign-up on the proper site, not connected with forum membership.
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Cavemann
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Re: New and inactive members please read this post!

Unread post by Cavemann » Fri Jun 14, 2013 11:43 am

Hi, I don't want to be culled again, does this post count? I prefer to just read and learn, not debate.

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davesmith_au
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Re: New and inactive members please read this post!

Unread post by davesmith_au » Fri Jun 14, 2013 12:12 pm

Cavemann wrote:Hi, I don't want to be culled again, does this post count? I prefer to just read and learn, not debate.
Yes it does Cavemann, so you're safe now.

For everyone's info, we're working on a much better system to register which will be implemented in the near future, which should stymie all but the craftiest of spammers/spambots. Then we shouldn't have to go through this process again.

Cheers, Dave.
"Those who fail to think outside the square will always be confined within it" - Dave Smith 2007
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Osmosis
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Re: New and inactive members please read this post!

Unread post by Osmosis » Fri Jun 14, 2013 2:17 pm

Hi Dave,

A simple-minded question: Will my username and password get me in from other IP addresses than the one I'm using now?

Regards,
Osmosis

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davesmith_au
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Re: New and inactive members please read this post!

Unread post by davesmith_au » Fri Jun 14, 2013 2:48 pm

Osmosis wrote:Hi Dave,

A simple-minded question: Will my username and password get me in from other IP addresses than the one I'm using now?

Regards,
Osmosis
Yes it should Os, and by the way, only those who have zero posts will be culled, so you're safe.

Cheers, Dave.
"Those who fail to think outside the square will always be confined within it" - Dave Smith 2007
Please visit PlasmaResources
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davesmith_au
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Re: New and inactive members please read this post!

Unread post by davesmith_au » Fri Jun 14, 2013 3:45 pm

OK everyone, we've now finished the latest cull, and at the same time we've instigated a newer, much more difficult system to register for the forum.

I apologize if any bona fide members got caught up in the cull. We had over 10,000 inactivated accounts, as well as over 4000 activated accounts with zero posts, which have almost all been culled. So you can see how difficult it was to sort the wheat from the chaff. If you're one of the unlucky users who has been caught in the cull, please go through the new registration process to renew your membership. I know there will likely be a few folk who had to do this last time we culled the excess too, but this time around, with the new registration system in place, it should negate the need to go through such a harsh culling process again in the future.

Thank you all for your patience.

Dave Smith.
Forum Administrator.
"Those who fail to think outside the square will always be confined within it" - Dave Smith 2007
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Solar
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Re: New and inactive members please read this post!

Unread post by Solar » Sat Jun 15, 2013 2:30 pm

davesmith_au wrote:
We had over 10,000 inactivated accounts, as well as over 4000 activated accounts with zero posts, ....
:shock:

That was flabbergasting.

Spam is so bad these days the spam filters that some sites use where you have to type in a word or phrase before getting access have started to use two words now. Those are some amazing numbers though.
"Our laws of force tend to be applied in the Newtonian sense in that for every action there is an equal reaction, and yet, in the real world, where many-body gravitational effects or electrodynamic actions prevail, we do not have every action paired with an equal reaction." — Harold Aspden

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davesmith_au
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Re: New and inactive members please read this post!

Unread post by davesmith_au » Sat Jun 15, 2013 9:33 pm

Yep, my flabber is still being gasted over it... :mrgreen:

The new system has stopped them in their tracks though, at least for the moment. Now at least the number of members shown at the bottom of the forum is pretty close to accurate.

Cheers, Dave.
"Those who fail to think outside the square will always be confined within it" - Dave Smith 2007
Please visit PlasmaResources
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danikutya
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Re: New and inactive members please read this post!

Unread post by danikutya » Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:23 am

davesmith_au wrote:
Cavemann wrote:Hi, I don't want to be culled again, does this post count? I prefer to just read and learn, not debate.
Yes it does Cavemann, so you're safe now.

For everyone's info, we're working on a much better system to register which will be implemented in the near future, which should stymie all but the craftiest of spammers/spambots. Then we shouldn't have to go through this process again.

Cheers, Dave.
Now I prefer to read and learn too, and I hope, You don't quit my registry. I'm waiting for the time, when I shall have enough time to write, translate and ask all my questions, beacuse I have a a truckload of questions yet.
since I've finded your website, I'm a diligent visitor, and tell everybody to visit sites too.
cheers: Dankuty

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AgentP
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Re: New and inactive members please read this post!

Unread post by AgentP » Thu Oct 09, 2014 8:36 am

Hello Thunderbolts!
I am new here and this is my first post.
I hope to continue learning a lot from you all, and hopefully contribute here as well.
"...a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy..."

killswitchengage
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Re: New and inactive members please read this post!

Unread post by killswitchengage » Mon Nov 24, 2014 11:54 am

as i asked in the facebook page we are really excited to hear about the EU 2014 workshop

CuriousCat
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Re: New and inactive members please read this post!

Unread post by CuriousCat » Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:04 pm

Hello again. I had gotten distracted, very distracted, and had a rather long and eventful absence. A certain Hobbit reminded me of the discussions here. Thank you for not culling me.

Cat
Disciple of Bast. Child of Loki.

Scholar-72
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Re: New and inactive members please read this post!

Unread post by Scholar-72 » Sun Jan 03, 2016 3:43 pm

Well it seems I've joined up here after all the Spamtastic Festivities! Yay for me! Hope to learn some things and throw my two cents in here and there.

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