Spam: Report it and Ignore it!

[Politoed666]

I've noticed that a lot of users have been replying to spam lately... I probably don't like the rule any more than you do, but it is a rule and it should be followed. Note that it only gets you a warning and no infraction points, but a warning is a warning. Many of you may be wondering the reason for the rule, and I'm confident that at least part of it is that replying to spam encourages the spammer! They see that someone is reading their post and taking at least a mild interest in it!

Please... if you see spam, report it! Don't post, we'll take care of it! If you see someone else posting, there's no need to reply to their post! Ignore it!

Thanks. I really don't like giving out warnings for such a menial thing, but blatant violations of the rules warrant it.

 

[Dewgong Reign]

Is this referring to all spam, or non-advertisement spam? I got a point for replying to advertising spam, but at least I reported it.

 

[AiedailEclipsed]

He's referring to all of it, please remember the issue with Empoleonater (everyone who replied got a warning,) and I'm going to assume he is also talking about the advertising cell phone ones.

 

[Dewgong Reign]

Oh.

Somehow, empoleonater's threads always found their to the HoS before I could read them.

 

[Politoed666]

Note that we're far less likely to give warnings for responses to empoleonater-like spam, but if it's just gibberish, just report.

 

[Dewgong Reign]

Ironically, a couple advertising threads just showed up. *report* Oh wait- they're already banned.

 

[ii kanji]

So we're meant to get warnings and not infractions for replying to spam? Including ad spam? Because I thought the rules said (and from personal idiocy) that replying to ad spam resulted in a 2 point infraction.

 

[Satoshi-chan]

Note that we're far less likely to give warnings for responses to empoleonater-like spam, but if it's just gibberish, just report.

We should never give warnings for responses to empoleonater-like spam. The only reason we have this rule is so that spam-bot threads don't have replies that might bring us more spambots, or something like that.

 

[Hassel]

Note that it only gets you a warning and no infraction points

Oh? I replied in a spam thread and got this:

You have received an infraction at Bulbagarden Forums.

Reason: Replied to spam
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This infraction is worth 2 point(s) and may result in restricted access until it expires. Serious infractions will never expire.

So I got infraction points instead of a warning, which I should have got.

 

[Kasumi]

Huh. I could swear we had a sticky thread in this forum saying people shouldn't reply to spam-bots.

@ Meron: if you already had a warning for the same thing, the next time you would get infraction points. I don't know if you had a warning before hand.

 

[Nekusagi]

We should never give warnings for responses to empoleonater-like spam. The only reason we have this rule is so that spam-bot threads don't have replies that might bring us more spambots, or something like that.

This.

I can understand random things like "what is this i don't even" that add to the spamminess but considering my post was actually somewhat constructive (as well as the poster who said the thread was in the wrong forum) I really don't get how we differentiate spam vs troll threads vs weird threads period (coughRishicough).

There needs to be a clearer definition of "spam" since I thought it was the botted threads.

 

[Hassel]

@ Meron: if you already had a warning for the same thing, the next time you would get infraction points. I don't know if you had a warning before hand.

But I've never got a warning or such before. This is odd...

 

[Kasumi]

This.

I can understand random things like "what is this i don't even" that add to the spamminess but considering my post was actually somewhat constructive (as well as the poster who said the thread was in the wrong forum) I really don't get how we differentiate spam vs troll threads vs weird threads period (coughRishicough).

There needs to be a clearer definition of "spam" since I thought it was the botted threads.

Which is why the rule we have is to NOT reply to spam-bot threads or advertising threads in general.

But I've never got a warning or such before. This is odd...

I reversed it and changed it to a warning. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

[Dewgong Reign]

Do you get an infraction or a warning for replying to spam-bots?

Cause I got a point I think for losing my temper at the macroers. xD I'd prefer not to post that publicly.

 

[Magmaster12]

Why do they do that stuff anyways?

Is there like a site were you get payed to spam?

I'm really just cureous.

 

[ii kanji]

But I've never got a warning or such before. This is odd...

Uh, same here ^^" I don't mind particularly, but do you think you could check it out for me as well?

 

[Gligar13]

Why do they do that stuff anyways?

Is there like a site were you get payed to spam?

I'm really just cureous.

First, the spammers make programs and let spammers who want to sell their spammy stuff use them for a high cost.

They write OCR Programs that scan the text and fill in the "Type what you see here" images. And they probably also use botnets as well, because they spam lots of sites. Then, they spam and if they get clicks and replies, they think "Its Working" then hit that site harder with spammy spam bots. If it is reported, then, the thread is deleted.

There was a thread moved to the HoS once back when posts were still alowed which was moved to tell people not to reply to spambots as people were replying to it.

Short version: If you reply and click they come back. And you get a infraction so why bother.

That is why they exist and why you get infracted.

 

[Magmaster12]

Thanks for the info

 

[Chocolate Bones]

I reversed it and changed it to a warning. Sorry for the inconvenience.

The same thing happened to me. I've never been warned and got two infraction points for replying to spam (and it was to tell others not to do it, ironically).

Meh, no need to worry about it if it's an inconvenience. They do expire in two months.

 

[TyranitarGirl]

Is this like a forum for mods or something?
Anyway what if someone wrote something but they didn't even know what they were writing was considered a spam..
its probably happened to people such as myself >_>