# General Questions under spam attack **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 22, 2014, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195 "2014-09-22T10:01:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/1 "2014-09-22T10:01:03Z")
The first page is filled with spam and advertising. Surely not all mods are asleep? Are all in N American? ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/2 "2014-09-22T10:11:37Z")
Is this the worst spamming ever? I counted 40 spam threads in GQ before I got bored of counting. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/3 "2014-09-22T10:16:01Z")
Not all. Colibri’s in Panama. But the GQ mods are all on this side of the Atlantic. At least it’s an easy cleanup. They only need to select one thread from a spammer and the board software will seek and destroy all of the threads with one flick. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/4 "2014-09-22T10:17:19Z")
I’ve never seen that much spam in one go before. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/5 "2014-09-22T10:17:50Z")
I reported a few before I noticed how many new threads there actually were. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/6 "2014-09-22T10:22:41Z")
Its all still on. Can’t we do anything? Besides impeach the mods 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/7 "2014-09-22T10:25:06Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Its all still on. Can’t we do anything? Besides impeach the mods > 😉 Wait a few hours until they wake up. It’s only about 6:25 AM EDT. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/8 "2014-09-22T10:34:13Z")
No worries, they’re just game threads. You can still find the threads you’re interested in, right? ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/9 "2014-09-22T10:36:14Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > No worries, they’re just game threads. You can still find the threads you’re interested in, right? Made me laugh! ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/10 "2014-09-22T10:40:23Z")
Uh oh, looks like they found ATMB. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/11 "2014-09-22T10:49:46Z")
Isn’t there some kind of limit on the number of threads an individual can start within a small amount of time? It seems like there should be, especially for new users. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/12 "2014-09-22T10:53:18Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Not all. Colibri’s in Panama. But the GQ mods are all on this side of the Atlantic. At least it’s an easy cleanup. They only need to select one thread from a spammer and the board software will seek and destroy all of the threads with one flick. Panama is in the same time zone as NY so there’s still no overnight coverage. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/13 "2014-09-22T11:07:43Z")
I counted at least 3 different user names: amardas, rishijisharma, and astrologerji. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/14 "2014-09-22T11:12:09Z")
You’d think with all the black magik they can do, they wouldn’t have to resort to such ineffective marketing techniques. Anyone wanna try calling that number… Jerky Boys style? ---
**Author:** ![Krav\_Manga](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/krav_manga/32/3153_2.png) [@Krav\_Manga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krav_Manga)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/15 "2014-09-22T11:13:23Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > At least it’s an easy cleanup. They only need to select one thread from a spammer and the board software will seek and destroy all of the threads with one flick. This is a really nasty sound bite that is totally untrue. That’s like saying that it easy to clean a turkey carcass, because it’s simple to pull the giblet bag out of the cavity. First, having turned on the computer, opened internet explorer, logged into the SDMB, selected GQ and identifed a spam thread, copied the name of the spammer no, it’s not ‘easy’. But let’s start with the need to read the thread to ensure they aren’t general questions and are spam, then signing into the Admin section of the boards with username and password, then clicking through menus to the place where spammers are identified (it’s not like they do it every day and so can zip right to it), then waiting while the $\*#@(ing thing loads up, then delrting the thead (that’s the step that you think is easy but you’re wrong), typing in the spammer name, checking that there are no typos, then hitting the SEND button, then waiting while it works ('cause these Boards ain’t whatcha call speedy) and then checking that it did what was wanted. No, it’s not rocket surgery, but it’s nowhere close to easy. And they are swamped, totally and utterly. It’s time that they don’t have. Heck, just telling them that it is “easy,” is more complicated than I can fathom. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/16 "2014-09-22T11:15:19Z")
I don’t know, I’m getting an uncontrollable urge to click on some of those links. If even one of them is real, I can do magic! ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/17 "2014-09-22T11:17:17Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > I don’t know, I’m getting an uncontrollable urge to click on some of those links. If even one of them is real, I can do magic! 101% guaranteed! ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/18 "2014-09-22T11:19:30Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > You’d think with all the black magik they can do, they wouldn’t have to resort to such ineffective marketing techniques. > > Anyone wanna try calling that number… Jerky Boys style? DON’T DO THIS. Those are 900 numbers. That means they probably have a per minute charge which could be any amount. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/19 "2014-09-22T11:23:28Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > DON’T DO THIS. Those are 900 numbers. That means they probably have a per minute charge which could be any amount. ohh. They’re good. Damn them and their black magic!!! ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/20 "2014-09-22T11:25:18Z")
They seem to be still coming! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195.md?page=2)