One post requirement for starting threads

[Eophasmus]

I just encountered one of them - I've not seen a spambot do that before.

Do bots ever create avatars? If not, would forcing an avatar to be chosen on sign-up, even if it's an 'invisible' or blank avatar for those who don't want one, work? Anything without specifically selecting / uploading an avatar would be very visible as a spambot.

I may be new and currently unable to post new threads, but it's a small price to pay for reducing the spambots.

[Velko]

I just encountered one of them - I've not seen a spambot do that before.

It's such a good trick and so simple one that I have to wonder why this was a first for me too. I mean, if you're not reading the thread too carefully, you could easily reply to a spambot now as it is. That's one line crossed right there.

I don't know if they actually perform any better (in the money-scamming sense) than before, but it sure as hell is more convincing than the usual åöåäöåäöåäöåäöå GUCCI åöäöåäöåäöåöäöåö NIKE åäöåäöåäöå stuff.

[OrangyTang]

Damn, those copy-spambots are frightening. They seem to copy a part of an earlier post in the thread and then post that. Because it's from the same thread and it's a (set of) full sentences, it often fits in perfectly. How the hell do you combat those? I've been reporting them as I happen upon them, but they just seem to become more and more frequent.

If it's a direct c+p from within the same thread (or even forum) without alteration then surely that would be fairly easy for the forum software to check when it's posted. More scary are cross-posting bots that c+p snippets from similar blogs/forums so they look on-topic but are 'new' text.

I've seen a few cheeky posts on my blog with vague comments that looks human-ish, only to see the text edited to the usual "+++ nike shoes +++" a week later (after they've got past the spam filter).

[dafeiji]

​Is a need to respond to the number of topics to post a topic?

[Nalano]

​Is a need to respond to the number of topics to post a topic?

Continually posting the same post isn't indicative of a bot, no sirree.

[GunnerMcCaffrey]

Hi. I'm just dropping by to find out what the current Turing test for a spambot is, because all I'd like to do is make a post seeing if anyone fancies a game of Warlock, but it seems I can't start threads.

[Tikey]

You're in a desert, walking along in the sand, when all of a sudden you look down and see a tortoise. It's crawling toward you. You reach down and you flip the tortoise over on its back. The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can't. Not without your help. But you're not helping.
I mean: you're not helping! Why is that?

[GunnerMcCaffrey]

Are you saying I should tell you about my mother?

[Bobtree]

I had no idea the Warlock AI was so good. Who programmed you?

[GunnerMcCaffrey]

You know, if I were designing spambots, I'd design them so they accused other people of being spambots. That's just me, though.

[toynbee]

If users were unable to start threads without having at least posted once, these bots would be stopped.

Few non-bots post threads without having posted beforehand, and even for those that do it's hardly much of an inconvenience that they post in reply somewhere else too...

As someone who just registered, I can say it appears you are unable to start a thread without posting ten times first. (30%! w00t!)

[toynbee]

Also, wow, should have bothered to read through - I had no idea this thread was six pages long.

[aladinversuk]

I hate those spambots storming the forums today.

[Big_Z]

how many posts are required to make a new thread? I just signed up and can't start a tread so I goto the rules forun and the post in there mentions nothing about this. very confusing so now i'll start spamming replies until my counts get up so I can actually post the one message I wanted to.

[PoLLeNSKi]

Please some way of managing this so I don't have to dig through a ton of posts to find something where I can respond just to up my post count so I can make a thread about what I came here to say....

[toynbee]

how many posts are required to make a new thread? I just signed up and can't start a tread so I goto the rules forun and the post in there mentions nothing about this. very confusing so now i'll start spamming replies until my counts get up so I can actually post the one message I wanted to.

According to a kind forum user responding to my first post, the answer is: 10 posts.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/foru...count-password

Not having yet reached ten posts (trying to be respectful, though the temptation to, as you say, spam responses is difficult to resist), I cannot verify this. However, I have no reason to doubt. 8-)

[Heliocentric]

I am wondering how many posts before I get my own forum.

[gundato]

Please some way of managing this so I don't have to dig through a ton of posts to find something where I can respond just to up my post count so I can make a thread about what I came here to say....

No offense and all, but if you can't easily find ten places where you want to join in on a discussion, should you really be MAKING a thread?

Spam isn't restricted to just the bots, if you catch my drift.

[Nikas]

it would be nice to start new threads after registration ;3

[Jesus_Phish]

There's plenty of easy threads you can post in after registering that will get your post count up and will also help introduce yourself to the forum.

But realize the post limitation is there to stop both spam bot advertising and people who couldn't be bothered looking for an answer coming on and making new threads on "How do I..." "I wan't to..." "Help plz..."