Turn Private Messaging back on

[mwieder]

Not that I expect anyone from the mothership to be reading the forums, but at least I get a chance to vent (and vents should be in all caps, no?)...

<rant>
SPAMMERS ARE GETTING THROUGH AND POSTING MESSAGES HERE ANYWAY. WHATEVER IS IN PLACE TO PREVENT THAT IS INEFFECTIVE. THERE ARE VARIOUS THINGS THAT CAN BE DONE. TRY A GOOGLE SEARCH.
1. PAY ATTENTION TO THIS AND INSTITUTE A SECURITY MECHANISM THAT WORKS.
2.TURN PRIVATE MESSAGING BACK ON. DISABLING IT IS NOT KEEPING SPAMMERS OUT. WITHOUT PRIVATE MESSAGES WE'RE FORCED TO PUT EVERYTHING IN PUBLIC SPACES.
</rant>

There. That feels better. THANKS^H^H^HThanks.

[FourthWorld]

A policy of allowing PMs after a certain number of posts (many forums use 50) may strike a good balance between supporting the feature and protecting the members.

I don't have permissions to do so, but I would support such a change.

Thanks for posting that, Mark.

[Mark]

Hi,

This forum uses very old software Also, there are approximately 10000 spammers, including hackers, registered on this forum. These two factors may be a serious threat if private messaging is turned back on. Apparently, the people on the mothership don't think that proper maintenance of this forum has any value to them. Don't expect any changes.

Kind regards,

Mark

[FourthWorld]

Maybe. I don't know because I've never written them on the issue. What did they say when you wrote to them?

[Mark]

Richard,

If I remember correctly (it is a long time ago) they had valid reasons to turn off private messaging and they would update the forum software when someone has time to do it. This was a very long time ago and therefore I don't expect any changes anytime soon.

Kind regards,

Mark

[BarrySumpter]

I've managed a number of forums.

When you start getting 1 message per spammer every 3mins,
you're spending more time cleaning up than contributing.

One client shut his forum down because he couldn't afford the distraction of maintenance.
His business dropped off very quickly in the first year.
He then contacted me and we started the forum again but it was too late.
After 6 months he still hasn't recovered.
I found out later he had been paying his web guys about $4000/year for higher ratings in google search engine.
With the opposite effect. Continued decline.
(my opinion is that its the biggest snake oil scam since the bible and bottled water)

So we stop automatic signups.
And limit when a hyperlink can be posted.
And limit the number of posts
And have tools that remove every single post from a specific accout.
etc. You get the idea.
Mostly just practical stuff.
Nothing mysterious or magical about it.
And private messaging turned off, regretably, gets thrown in the mix.

I've seen very few spam posts here and sometimes wonder how RR does it.

But then again I've limited my notices to threads I'm interested in only.
So I don't get a notice everytime a spammer posts.

Private Messaging is nice to have but I've only considered using it a few times.

With all this written and read, it's likely the Private Messaging is turned off to save time, money, and effort.
And to me, would make practical since, to remain so.

Regretably.

[FourthWorld]

I've seen very few spam posts here and sometimes wonder how RR does it.

A small army of volunteers who log in to find and delete such messages daily.

[Klaus]

I've seen very few spam posts here and sometimes wonder how RR does it.

A small army of volunteers who log in to find and delete such messages daily.

Yep

[mwieder]

And since these unsung heroes are performing a generally thankless job, let me publicly thank those who patrol the waters and keep the pool safe for the rest of us.

[BarrySumpter]

And since these unsung heroes are performing a generally thankless job, let me publicly thank those who patrol the waters and keep the pool safe for the rest of us.

Hear! Hear!

[WaltBrown]

That last spam on historical events in the East was fascinating...

[mwieder]

phpBB has supported captcha plugins for a few years now. It's a constant source of amazement to me that we don't have even a modicum of security enabled here for posting/registering. There are three possibilities that come to mind:

1. nobody's in charge
2. nobody competent is in charge
3. nobody in charge cares

[FourthWorld]

phpBB has supported captcha plugins for a few years now. It's a constant source of amazement to me that we don't have even a modicum of security enabled here for posting/registering. There are three possibilities that come to mind:

1. nobody's in charge
2. nobody competent is in charge
3. nobody in charge cares

I've corresponded with Heather about upgrading this board, and it turns out it's #4:

4. Heather's been really busy

She's looking into what it will take to do the upgrade, and hopefully we'll see it online soon.

[mwieder]

Heather's always busy. Is she the webmaster now, too, in addition to her other duties? I'd suggest something like one of the following as being easy to install and implement without needing a lot oh php chops.

http://support.prophpbb.com/topic2492.html

[Mark]

Even if you're busy, if you care about something, then you make time, or money, for it.

Mark