# 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:** 5
**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, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/81 "2014-09-22T19:30:00Z")
Actually, most of the comments ended up being posted here. There were too many threads for us to post in each one. And it was a fun way to start a Monday morning. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/82 "2014-09-22T20:33:26Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Panama is in the same time zone as NY so there’s still no overnight coverage. > [@Bumbershoot](#): > > _knock knock knock_ > > Colibri… > > _knock knock knock_ > > Colibri… > > _knock knock knock_ > > Colibri… Yeah, I’m on Eastern Standard Time, which is currently the same as Central Daylight Time. Hummingbirds go into torpor at night (or after a few beers), so there’s not much coverage at night. When **xash** was a GQ mod he was based in India so he basically had the night shift. > [@Broomstick](#): > > So…which mod woke up first today? That person deserves a big, squishy magik voodoo hug! Seems like it was mostly **engineer** in GQ at least. When I came on I had 70 reports in my inbox but all of the spam had already been cleaned up. > [@Mijin](#): > > I know you don’t want to give out the Mod badge and gun to just anyone, but you are not telling me that there are not hundreds of members here who would do a tip top job. If all it involved was just cleaning up spam then that might be right. That’s just janitorial work. However, I’m sure that there aren’t “hundreds” of members who we could be confident would do a good job on the other aspects of modding. One problem is that most people who we think would be good at modding don’t want to do the job (too busy or don’t want to deal with all the flak). I’d say that at least half the people we approach to be mods turn us down. This particular attack was exceptional. There was a very heavy attack when coincidentally several mods weren’t on as early as usual. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/83 "2014-09-22T21:00:09Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > This particular attack was exceptional. There was a very heavy attack when coincidentally several mods weren’t on as early as usual. Yeah that what you want us to believe as you hex us with your voodoo black magic. 😃 ::: Adjusts tin foil hat and strolls out of this thread::: ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/84 "2014-09-22T23:09:23Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Well, it sounds like the policy is “people who’s jib Ed likes the cut of”, and it seems pretty obvious that policy needs to be rethought. I don’t have any problem with that. Message boards by their very nature lend themselves to a feudal-system style of rule. The problem with an elective democracy is that any jerkass can wind up in power (as history has proven time and time again…) ---
**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 23, 2014, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/85 "2014-09-23T00:53:36Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > **Become a Mod with blac k Magic call REDACTED NUMBER** 😃 (Just so we’re clear, that was a false number I used.) ---
**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 23, 2014, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/86 "2014-09-23T01:19:38Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > I don’t have any problem with that. Message boards by their very nature lend themselves to a feudal-system style of rule. The problem with an elective democracy is that any jerkass can wind up in power (as history has proven time and time again…) I have no issue with a jib-cut selection process either…as long as Ed can appoint enough mods and from a number of different timezones. Otherwise, it would seem there is a problem with this system. No-one’s obliged to fix it but there’s no harm in pointing it out. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2014, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/87 "2014-09-23T02:26:24Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Otherwise, it would seem there is a problem with this system. No-one’s obliged to fix it but there’s no harm in pointing it out. There’s not a “problem with the system.” We had an unusually large spam attack and due to a variety of factors it took a few hours longer than usual before it was cleared away. The fact that this is so extremely unusual is why this is being commented on. It’s a consequence of the fact that spam is usually cleaned up rapidly. While having mods from additional time zones would be nice, recruiting more just to deal with an ephemeral problem that might crop up once a year would be overkill. And mods only get reports from their own forums, so we would need additional mods for each forum. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2014, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/88 "2014-09-23T02:41:36Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > 😃 > > (Just so we’re clear, that was a false number I used.) It got reported just the same by people who were very worried about it. No harm, no foul … people just looking out for one another, which is nice. Did mess up your joke, though. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2014, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/89 "2014-09-23T02:48:03Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I have no issue with a jib-cut selection process either…as long as Ed can appoint enough mods and from a number of different timezones. > > Otherwise, it would seem there is a problem with this system. No-one’s obliged to fix it but there’s no harm in pointing it out. Really? In all of my years here I don’t recall another attack like this. Is it that big an issue? ---
**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 23, 2014, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/90 "2014-09-23T02:55:36Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > It got reported just the same by people who were very worried about it. > > No harm, no foul … people just looking out for one another, which is nice. Did mess up your joke, though. My jokes! _My beautiful jokes!!!_ ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2014, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/91 "2014-09-23T03:08:35Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > …it was kinda fun making dumb jokes and whatnot. Then again, I’m not a mod. Mods make dumb jokes also, I think. ---
**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 23, 2014, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/92 "2014-09-23T03:10:56Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > 😃 > > (Just so we’re clear, that was a false number I used.) My phone didn’t know it was fake. My mobile browser turned it into a clickable link that would have dialed it if I brushed the screen the wrong way. Yeah, I know. It wasn’t your fault, you didn’t know, blame Apple, etc. Not being snarky, I acknowledge the problem is on my end. I just wish I knew how to turn off that setting on my phone. And even if it was fake, there’s no telling between what is fake and what isn’t when my phone turns every random series of numbers into a clickable phone number. ---
**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 23, 2014, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/93 "2014-09-23T04:23:38Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > My phone didn’t know it was fake. My mobile browser turned it into a clickable link that would have dialed it if I brushed the screen the wrong way. Yeah, I know. It wasn’t your fault, you didn’t know, blame Apple, etc. Not being snarky, I acknowledge the problem is on my end. I just wish I knew how to turn off that setting on my phone. > > And even if it was fake, there’s no telling between what is fake and what isn’t when my phone turns every random series of numbers into a clickable phone number. Hadn’t thought of that. I even left off a number, so after the 900, it was a six-digit “phone number”. Weird. ---
**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 23, 2014, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/94 "2014-09-23T04:40:02Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Hadn’t thought of that. > > I even left off a number, so after the 900, it was a six-digit “phone number”. > > Weird. My phone’s browser turns any string of seven or more digits with a hyphen somewhere in the middle into a dialable phone number. So even if you left off one of the digits, there were still nine of them in your fake number. Enough to turn the string into a dialable link. Yeah, it is weird. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2014, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/95 "2014-09-23T07:02:38Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > If all it involved was just cleaning up spam then that might be right. That’s just janitorial work. However, I’m sure that there aren’t “hundreds” of members who we could be confident would do a good job on the other aspects of modding. One problem is that most people who we think would be good at modding don’t want to do the job (too busy or don’t want to deal with all the flak). I’d say that at least half the people we approach to be mods turn us down. I know it’s been suggested before, (I don’t remember what the response was, sorry) but why not bring on a number of ‘associate’ mods who can help just with spam zapping? There’s no flak, no huge time commitments, your workload gets reduced, and no onerous selection criteria beyond being a member of the board in reasonably good standing. I don’t see the downside. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2014, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/96 "2014-09-23T07:41:51Z")
They’re back. User name Rishirj. ---
**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 23, 2014, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/97 "2014-09-23T07:53:43Z")
I say recruit the spammer. He’s clearly very productive, apparently is an expert on a variety of subjects, and is readily contactable. ---
**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 23, 2014, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/98 "2014-09-23T07:59:10Z")
> [@bldysabba](#): > > I know it’s been suggested before, (I don’t remember what the response was, sorry) but why not bring on a number of ‘associate’ mods who can help just with spam zapping? There’s no flak, no huge time commitments, your workload gets reduced, and no onerous selection criteria beyond being a member of the board in reasonably good standing. I don’t see the downside. In other words, they’ll be junior mods? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2014, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/99 "2014-09-23T08:06:39Z")
Spammer is also awake at the right time of the night. I don’t remember seeing spam on this board before, a testament to how fast the mods here have been. This is the second night in a row that I’ve seen so much of it here. Since the mods have noted their late hours modding were due to insomnia and late sleeping, I’m glad that they’re getting their beauty sleep. No sarcasm intended. Sleep is good, and a little spam hasn’t killed anyone that I know of. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2014, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195/100 "2014-09-23T08:25:08Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > In other words, they’ll be junior mods? 😃 I typed that and then deleted it figuring there would be some who wouldn’t get the joke. Should have used strikethrough 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-questions-under-spam-attack/699195.md?page=6)