Dealing with spammers

[Farmboy]

This is the Internet forum that no one quits and when the do publicly quit they keep coming back under other names to avoid not coming back.

[dneal]

Some even ask to have their accounts deleted because they admit their compulsive behavior prevents quitting a forum they’re not interested in.

[Jon Szanto]

[welch]

EoC's intent is to irritate you.

Don't think it's him? See THIS POST from today, by Mik Joger.

Now revisit The first post of "Dogs eatin' homework...", and note Mik Joger is one of EoC's confirmed alter egos.

You can't be responsible for the actions of others. You can only be responsible for your reactions.

I find it more humorous than irritating, as David confesses daily as to what a petty, miserable and vindictive person he is. If you're studying Buddhism, think of it as an opportunity to practice empathy. Every time you see one of his spam posts, acknowledge it for what it is and feel sorry for him.

Alternatively, complain to the indifferent gods of the internet. They aren't listening.

Well researched, dneal. Yes, I read through your detective work to show that EoC and "Mik Joger" are the same. What about other spam posts? Can he have thrown all that garbage at us? And what is he up to? I remember him as someone who pouted about each pen he had bought...each had some imperfection, and many of those imperfections were ones we would have ignored or fixed.

What turned him into an enemy of FPG? Whatever it was, I missed it.

[dneal]

There is automated spam software (XRumer) that will handle all aspects of account creation, email verification, captcha defeat, etc... It'll add even add an avatar. Among its "features" is automating posting with links. Flooding this forum with multiple accounts and multiple posts requires even less effort than he seems to be making with his targeting some sections (and users) and avoiding others.

A friend with impeccable cyber-credentials looked at the problem here for me some time ago, recognized the software (it's commercially available), and may have traced data to a certain island in Oceana...

Several of the accounts EoC has tried to post under have been inadvertently "outed". Monsoon pretending to be a Texan, for example; or Carpio as another (i.e.: the context of Farmboy's post above).

David clearly has some personality issues, and has been spamming this board for years. As to what set him off? Who knows.

[calamus]

See THIS POST from today, by Mik Joger.

I went, I saw, and I made so bold as to respond in kind. I guess sometimes I am not as compassionate as I wish I were. But then again, if it's all a big game to him, as it appears to be, why should he be the only one to play?

Here's the post:

You got me interested. Tiles add beauty and durability to floors and walls, while coping ensures the edges of surfaces are safe and visually appealing. By looking at the works of Antonovych Design one can see how expertly chosen tiles and well-designed coping enhance both the aesthetics and practicality of living spaces. Their designs show that thoughtful tile and coping selection can make a significant difference in the overall look and feel of a home.

That is fascinating! However, please bear in mind that there are colorful and useful accessories that will enhance your experience of any environment incorporating next-level tile work.

But alas, if it's all done by his spambot minions, he'll likely never get close enough to his handiwork to properly admire it, or notice if someone replies to one of "his" posts. Unless he visits to gloat. Then he might notice, I suppose. (Big whoop-dee-do.)

[calamus]

Very safe and secure, no vulnerabilities then, eh?

Not only that, it runs great on my Commodore 64!

[Pendragon]

And that is the clean part of San Francisco.

[Chrissy]

This is the Internet forum that no one quits and when the do publicly quit they keep coming back under other names to avoid not coming back.

Sounds like the behaviour of a psychopath

[Pendragon]

This is the Internet forum that no one quits and when the do publicly quit they keep coming back under other names to avoid not coming back.

Sounds like the behaviour of a psychopath

It sounds like the expected outcome of a completely unmoderated, neglected forum. The epitaph for this place was written in stone when Dan got das boot and no replacement was named. The same thing happened to Pentrace years ago when it was left to its own devices. Although later revived in a way, it has all of about five members. Most independently owned and operated hobbyist forums of all sorts are vanishing even without spamfloods. Even FPN is declining, now having fewer members than it did seven years ago.

There is a good alternative, however: https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/ For better or for worse, it is now eclipsing the multitude of older style forums on the Internet. Being commercially owned, the parent company is not going to let things go off the rails. The format is more dynamic than the older style forums, good in some ways, less good in a few others. But hey, it's what we got, its free, and it's not half bad. And it doesn't have any spam.

Hope this does not sound sarcastic or flip, as it is not intended that way.

[Chrissy]

I'm currently reading and occasionally commenting on posts on r/fountainpens every day. I've spotted comments by really good FPG members on there too. (Talking about you Jon.)

[~JJ]

Sounds like the behaviour of a psychopath

*DING DING DING DING DING!* We have a winner!!

[~JJ]

...Even FPN is declining, now having fewer members than it did seven years ago.

(They became moderators.)

[Jon Szanto]

Hope this does not sound sarcastic or flip, as it is not intended that way.

No, I think it is spot on.

I started at reddit nine years ago because I wanted to have a sense of what new users were interested in, and I didn't want to lose touch with the excitement (and lack of information) that younger people have with a new hobby. I only tear my hair out when I forget that it is a very different delivery medium, one that scrolls away into the oblivion instead of categorized and easily locatable topics. Once I started archiving my own responses to very common questions so I could avoid repetitive typing, I find that helping new users there is a very valuable use of my time. If I need counsel on deeply niche vintage matters, I have a big circle of friends I can reach out to elsewhere in the pen world.

As Pendragon suggested, we lost FPG years ago. It makes me sad, but I'm tired of trying to change that reality. There are 300k pen users to interact with... elsewhere.

[FredRydr]

...There are 300k pen users to interact with... elsewhere.

Well...that's a bit misleading. They're not active. Simultaneous with this post, there are 73 members online reddit fountainpens. Last time I looked it was 54. It does make me dubious about that 303k members statistic. Meanwhile, FPN is 34 members online. FPG is 13 members online. But I do agree with Jon and Pendragon insofar as this place.

[Jon Szanto]

...There are 300k pen users to interact with... elsewhere.

Well...that's a bit misleading. They're not active. Simultaneous with this post, there are 73 members online reddit fountainpens. Last time I looked it was 54. It does make me dubious about that 303k members statistic. Meanwhile, FPN is 34 members online. FPG is 13 members online. But I do agree with Jon and Pendragon insofar as this place.

Of course, that is only a basic metric. The bottom line is that if you surf the flow of posts there, it is clear that nowhere else is there so large a body of active, interested users. The vintage people? Very few, very far between. Still, I have to believe that the mass of people is at least an order of magnitude over anything else. As the old haunts die, that one is expanding.

[Farmboy]

In the old days we all went to pen shows to interact.

I’m gonna try that again this month…

[Pendragon]

...There are 300k pen users to interact with... elsewhere.

Well...that's a bit misleading. They're not active. Simultaneous with this post, there are 73 members online reddit fountainpens. Last time I looked it was 54. It does make me dubious about that 303k members statistic. Meanwhile, FPN is 34 members online. FPG is 13 members online. But I do agree with Jon and Pendragon insofar as this place.

From what I have seen on various hobby forums, only about 5-10 percent of the total membership is active. Most members make a few - or a few dozen - posts seeking info about the hobby, and then vanish.

I am surprised that FPN only had 34 members online given its size, but maybe that is to be expected given the way the place is run. What shocked me here was that the amount of spam. It has increased exponentially in recent weeks, and the first 13 pages of the New Members forum is almost entirely spam. Perhaps the reason this place is no longer maintained is because Eric saw the writing on the wall long ago.

Jon, if you go to the San Francisco Pen Show this year, I do hope you post one of your totally awesome reviews on Reddit. That would be epic!

I assume that most of you have seen Jon's reviews, but for those who have not:

https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread...Pen-Show-Recap!

An excellent review for a particularly amazing pen show.

See you guys on Reddit if I can remember my username. Pendragon over and out.

[Skip]

What is this add to 'ignore list'? I see nothing on any page that facilitates this?

[Chrissy]

What is this add to 'ignore list'? I see nothing on any page that facilitates this?

I suggest you look at the FAQ tab ^^^^near the top of this page: General Forum Usage - Dealing with troublesome users. It's near the bottom of the first block

Lots of useful information is in there