Should free email accounts be allowed?

[RumpledElf 20]

By 'free' email accounts I basically just mean gmail, yahoo, hotmail and possibly live too (basically every user signed up with live has zero posts so I'd throw them in the basket too)

A quick run-through of the email accounts here reveals about 1/3 of legit members using free accounts (almost exclusively gmail) with the balance using ISP emails or personal domains, but 90% of the spammers are using them (about 2/3 gmail) and the balance of the spammers are using randomish domains that are likely registered just for the purpose of spamming. This month, dealing with 20 new signups from gmail a day and basically just sending all of them straight to trash means any legitimate user with a 'funny looking' gmail email is not going to be able to register.

This is a pretty harsh measure but frankly I'm sick of an inbox full of spammers or bounced validation emails every 10 minutes, and I'm sure someone has something to say about trolls and free emails too, but it is mostly the spammers I'm interested in stopping at this point.

[RumpledElf 20]

Ok, I'd like to clarify that this is only NEW accounts, anyone who has already signed up and made at least one legitimate post is going to be completely unaffected.

[tor 94]

By 'free' email accounts I basically just mean gmail, yahoo, hotmail and possibly live too (basically every user signed up with live has zero posts so I'd throw them in the basket too)

A quick run-through of the email accounts here reveals about 1/3 of legit members using free accounts (almost exclusively gmail) with the balance using ISP emails or personal domains, but 90% of the spammers are using them (about 2/3 gmail) and the balance of the spammers are using randomish domains that are likely registered just for the purpose of spamming. This month, dealing with 20 new signups from gmail a day and basically just sending all of them straight to trash means any legitimate user with a 'funny looking' gmail email is not going to be able to register.

This is a pretty harsh measure but frankly I'm sick of an inbox full of spammers or bounced validation emails every 10 minutes, and I'm sure someone has something to say about trolls and free emails too, but it is mostly the spammers I'm interested in stopping at this point.

Getting your own domain and having it hosted costs all of 20 bucks a year or something doesn't it for the really cheap ones? Having your own domain makes you much cooler too!

I say do it, put a faq up on how to register a domain name with mail and then have a long tedious process for the freebies

Better yet require a pgp key for all registrations, spammers could automate that but it would be a pain for them.

[savagegoose 26]

well if its a problem then you have to do what you have to do to fix it.

i moved over to free online emails because when ever i canned my isp i lost my email, and it used to piss me off.

but yeah back in my spammer days, free emails where nice n handy for getting public use as when they ended up on massive amounts of spam lists you just stopped using them.

[urchin 6]

free emails are all i ever use for these kinds of things... once the real email gets onto the spam lists its all over. so yeah, i would say it would be good if a less radical method could be applied. like deleting everyone who hasn't posted a recipe.

[tor 94]

free emails are all i ever use for these kinds of things... once the real email gets onto the spam lists its all over. so yeah, i would say it would be good if a less radical method could be applied. like deleting everyone who hasn't posted a recipe.

Oh that's a good one!

[zaph 42]

i don't have an isp eddress (internet in flatmates name), i only use free ones.

if i was new to the forum i'm not sure i'd want to go to the bother and cost of setting up a domain eddress when i didn't know whether i would like posting here. so would probably just by pass the forum

[Bullshark 1]

I think it will dscourage legitimate people from joining, if I ever hit an account creation that doesn't allow hotmail I don't bother with signing up...

[tor 94]

I think it will dscourage legitimate people from joining, if I ever hit an account creation that doesn't allow hotmail I don't bother with signing up...

I like the mandatory recipe thread idea. Requires a bit of a sense of humour about yourself.

[zaph 42]

I like the mandatory recipe thread idea. Requires a bit of a sense of humour about yourself.

I'm no internet expert but i see spam in two categories...

1. penis enlargements and breast augmentation, click here. www.zaphs.titties.com. easy to spot and get rid of. machines can do this surely?

2. waffle. post. waffle go visit my populationdebate.com.au is it spam or a poster giving their opinion. a lot harder to determine if it is spam. a human could do this easily.

now where's that bottle of liquid paper?

[tor 94]

2. waffle. post. waffle go visit my populationdebate.com.au is it spam or a poster giving their opinion. a lot harder to determine if it is spam. a human could do this easily.

I don't think they could. Forced posting in the recipe thread I think damages the spammer mentality. they would either post something stupid and be easily detected or would post something good and gain a sense of community from it which would undermine their attempt to drive traffic. A copy paste recipe would be picked up in a second, as would a garbage post to pass the sql statement. But a mod would see it and delete it and then they would be gone until they posted in the recipe thread again.

Of course any "silly" thread would do. Even the intro thread would probably work, although that has capacity for related grandeur; "I am a god of knowledge and you should go to my site". the recipe thread would only work for that if they had a recipe site

Of course I am well known for being optimistic about people and could be wrong.

[RumpledElf 20]

like deleting everyone who hasn't posted a recipe.

A set of challenge questions that could only be answered by someone with at least a passing knowledge of Australia would stop 99.9% of them.

Things like: What is the capital of Australia? a. Melbourne b. Sydney c. Canberra

and maybe some others.

You have to actually join to be able to post a recipe, and I want to stop the flood of joins each day. Deleting everyone with 0 posts every day is easy but I'd rather it be automated.

[zaph 42]

I don't think they could. Forced posting in the recipe thread I think damages the spammer mentality. they would either post something stupid and be easily detected or would post something good and gain a sense of community from it which would undermine their attempt to drive traffic. A copy paste recipe would be picked up in a second, as would a garbage post to pass the sql statement. But a mod would see it and delete it and then they would be gone until they posted in the recipe thread again.

Of course any "silly" thread would do. Even the intro thread would probably work, although that has capacity for related grandeur; "I am a god of knowledge and you should go to my site". the recipe thread would only work for that if they had a recipe site

Of course I am well known for being optimistic about people and could be wrong.

my sisters idea of a recipe would be - drive to end of st. turn left. proceed 300 metres. turn right. talk into microphone. proceed and collect meal. turn left. proceed 300 metres turn right. stop and eat. - it might be stupid but would probably be recognised as genuine by mods. ok bring on the recipe thread test.

[tor 94]

my sisters idea of a recipe would be - drive to end of st. turn left. proceed 300 metres. turn right. talk into microphone. proceed and collect meal. turn left. proceed 300 metres turn right. stop and eat. - it might be stupid but would probably be recognised as genuine by mods. ok bring on the recipe thread test.

In our house that is bathhurst day. I go to training, on the way back back we buy more KFC than anyone can eat, then we try to while watching cars go round and round. Then we snooze then we wake up and eat the cold KFC and yell at the tele (or each other). Then Bathhurst is finished for a year and so is KFC.

The funny thing is we both actually start looking forward to the whole thing each year even though neither of us likes car racing or KFC.

RE, I can't remember if you have access to the mysql backend of not but making a check against contents of the recipe thread would actually be doable wouldn't it?

I think the idea is hilariously cool. Instead of "you can't post again within 10 minutes" they get "Oh man you ain't got squat in the recipe thread, what are ya some kind of single purpose drone?"

Can we please try it? Almost guaranteed no other forum uses it as a spam blocker so they won't have scripts for it.

[wim 4]

I wouldn't sign up to something requiring a real address. Even my address for sign up here is a dummy gmail account and only used for things which might get spam.

Not sure what the answer is but the "real email" address seems harsh.

[staringclown 54]

Yeah you will lose people if you don't accept free accounts. I voted No. Can you block on country or something? Not ban all O/S accounts but have a white list that is explained on the forum rules. What about those captcha screens? Do they cost? They should stop bots at least.

[savagegoose 26]

who was the greatest aussie pm

1 Menzies

2 Howard

3 Hawke

4 Keating

and boot anyone who doesnt answer 4

[Mr Medved 41]

who was the greatest aussie pm

1 Menzies

2 Howard

3 Hawke

4 Keating

and boot anyone who doesnt answer 4

No love for Harold Holt? Or how about the 8 days of Frank Forde? Surely he did the least damage of any Australian Prime Minister...

[RumpledElf 20]

What about those captcha screens? Do they cost? They should stop bots at least.

There is a captcha on already (as of a few days ago) and it sends *most* of them straight to banned. They're not bots - they are real people, paid to post.

I deleted 166 on the other forum that signed up overnight and have banned gmail there but not here yet.

Not sure how to get a list of country IP blocks to check against, I have a feeling those aren't free ...

[savagegoose 26]

not sure this helps but its a php geo ip thingamobob

http://php.net/manual/en/book.geoip.php

[RumpledElf 20]

Mmmkay IPB has a question and answer section, so I need some questions and answers, Citizenship test style.

[RumpledElf 20]

Neato, no new registrations since my last post. So spambots really don't know what the capital of Australia is then

Wish they had this option on the older versions of IPB ...

[wim 4]

Mmmkay IPB has a question and answer section, so I need some questions and answers, Citizenship test style.

Is there free will?

[Max Carnage 35]

Who loves pies?

How often do house prices double?

Which former doctor turned spruiker is a registered sex offender?

Which direction do house prices always go?

Is tor drunk?

Does 'choking and poking' refer to a sex act or an evil conspiracy?

[staringclown 54]

There is a captcha on already (as of a few days ago) and it sends *most* of them straight to banned. They're not bots - they are real people, paid to post.

I deleted 166 on the other forum that signed up overnight and have banned gmail there but not here yet.

Not sure how to get a list of country IP blocks to check against, I have a feeling those aren't free ...

I've noticed that the "location" field is always filled in with these guys. Is it mandatory? Anyway this is the attribute I thought you might have easy access to and could white list against it.

Sounds like the capital fools em. Damn mechanical turks

Max/wim. well done.