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Hi,

I don't come to the forums often and already in 10 minutes i've been annoyed by random spam in threads. I looked this guys profile up and he's roughly 12/ 13, all this talk a while back on enforcing rules should be dug up and shown to these little spammers. If they can't contribute in a mature way to a topic then they shouldn't at all, by that i include posting pictures without comments. About time they realised post count matters not, doesn't in my books anyway ;) Not wanting to make this personal i just think these new posters who are trying to get 100 in their first stay at the forums should be given a quiet word in the ear :)

Exactly, look at my post count. Now look at my join date.
Don't post unless you have something worthwhile to say.

Some of these little buggers need a good kicking. Or we could bribe them. With custom titles.

hmm, custom title... Alcar am I not deserving of a custom title?

If that's me, sorry
if it's somebody else, it has happen to me too

Every forum I'm a member of has exactly the same problem, and it's always members in the 11-13 age range. It really gets on my nerves and I'm sure everyone elses too.

Yes, it is annoying. But we can't go around banning people because they annoy us - that wouldn't be fair. And don't deal with it in threads, notify a staff member. One thing I am annoyed by is when members take it into their own hands to discipline others. You have no idea who this member is, how do you know they are not autistic? Or of some other affliction? You have to explain to them what is wrong in a constructive manner. While posting and presenting funny images is indeed humourous, you forget that the person on the other end has feelings.

I will deal with it myself, and please, in the future, notify a staff member. We're here for a reason.

Alcar...

Yes but Peter, there's no need for it. Back when I joined I was 11, I never behaved like that. I never posted random shit or put pictures in the middle of posts because "I felt like it" and not putting any comments. The quality of my posts has always been the same.

Or maybe I'm just intelligent and articulate?

I'm sorry if I annoy people like Oddguy and Esus, but theres no rule that says'11-13 year olds can't join a forum because they're immature. but some people on this forum are older than 13, and are mean whenever they get the chance to be.

Just to clarify it's one new member that came to my attention, nobody that has posted in this thread :) I suppose it's a forum newbie stage we all grow out of...eventually.

I agree with Leeum It mostly is a newbie thing but some of us still have it.
very few of us though

Bloody good job too! It's a shame, a lot of decent members have joined recently.
(Mawk, Shadowman, Godlesswanderer and many more that I can't remember)

Hell, look at posters from France (Munchou) and Poland (Moose). English isn't even their first language but they can spell, make sense and post more worthwhile stuff than the illiterate beasts that Alcar and co. have to deal with.

I found that funny but it's a serious matter. It's kill or be killed in the dog eat spammer world of the Oddworld Forums...

yes, some of us grow out of it much quicker than others

I was thirteen when I joined, and I never acted like a retard. Actually, I put lots of thought into everything I posted, so I would be accepted.
But there's nothing you can really do about it, everywhere has their share of spammers and stuff. There seems to be a minimum percentage that has to exist of them on every forum.

When I first joined, it was one day before my fourteenth birthday, if I recall correctly. I acted like an absolute terror, only on some form of grass. I guess I was excited, but I hadn't been on the internet for too long before that (about nine months). Though, when I was set straight, which wasn't long, I suddenly reverted to my mature side. I guess I thought this was the internet, and I could get away with murder.

While some of you might think they should be culled immediately, the majority only need to be reminded once or twice. It's the regulars, who spam, that I'd be most concerned about - because they know it's against the rules. And yes, every forum has spam. That is a given, and we will never be completely rid of it. But we'll do our best to control it, and keep it to a level lower than most forums.

Alcar...

Exactly. I was 11 when I joined, so I'm sure if I didn't behave like that and you didn't why can't they be mature as well?
Oddworld Forums has always drawn in mature members as you need to be mature in order to understand the themes ans appreciate it.

If I remember, you were never a spam meister. 'Cause we were doing that Oddworld: Our own oddysee stuff. (Which was cool and should be done again, what with the current boom in fan corner) :)

I don't think it's right to pretend that age is integral to the way people behave on a message board. It's more culture. When the Oddworld Forums were first born the main problem was people speaking in Ebonics. Then along came texting, and everyone decided to reduce understanding, comprehension and clarity by simply forgetting about the vowels (Dido eliminates the consonants with to same effect). Now it's people who justify the Internet by stamping on their keyboards and posting the result.

There is little excuse for abusing language, but that doesn't justify keeping people from their right to communicate. The most we can do is show disdain. Actually, the most we can do is turn the other cheek, but then we'd become like a state education system and everything would fall apart.

Spam is a hard line to draw a line at heres an example
someone posts spam then someone says "thats spam" or continues along with the spam comment it is also spam,
the reason spam is hard to call spam without contriversy is because everyone's veiw of what spam is is different

I consider the member Asher5 to be a grade-A spammer. One of his topics has been deleted, two have been closed for being utter nonsense. He posts random bullshit and deserves to be shot.

:rant:

Twice.....

Sure, I've got a bullet or 10 with some spammers names on. Lets go spammer hunting. Mawks questionaire idea sounds good. (not in this topic) If the people answer correctly they will be allowed to join.

I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. But yeah, it's a great idea!

Ah... That post makes me think of Monty Python.
"Spam, egg, sausage and spam."
Great stuff.

But as previously stated by others, and I, there's nothing you can do about, unless they go absolutely nuts spamming and they feel the mighty wrath of Alcar's boot.

Oh I was. My first few days worth of posts were shouting for images and information about Munch's Oddysee that no one could possibly provide me with. So I got angry, and rather spam-oriented. It was when Sydney, most of all, told me to calm down that I did just that.

Which is why I don't want to ban people straight away, there is always a reason. Even if it is "being an absolute idiot for no reason".

Alcar...

Grrr! That little spammer sent me an Email!

Lets kill this mofo!

I think in some cases people don't deserve the privilege to use forums. Personally I think they should be given a chance to redeem themselves, it looks like Asher5 isn't about to. He should be banned/ suspended or at least given a quiet word from an admin.

He made 2 threads called Cheese and countless other pointless threads that I think are closed. I think he's too young. I agree with Leeum, someone ought to give him a message and advise him to READ THE RULES carefully.

It's for this reason that many forums have a "Pointless Thread" or "Worthless Crap" forum. It's a good way to both manage pointless threads and a place to allow people to post their pointless threads.

Just an idea...

I don't know if you can implement it, but a forum I'm on has a post limit per day. New members are only allowed 30 posts per day. Admins can upgrade people's accounts allowing them to post more.

I have to mention that on this forum almost everyone is level 1 (30 posts). A few are level -1 (warned and 20 posts) and a couple are level 1+ (i think it's 60 posts)

This, if possible, would at least force spammers to cut back, and make people who like to post a lot become better members to earn the ability to post a lot.

Yeah, I've seen a lot of forums with this. I've even seen some forums that contain sub forums for flaming!! This is just my opinion, but I think that would be the best way of managing problems like this. There would be less frustration, I think. Now if the spammers came into other forums and posted spam where it doesn't belong even with this separate forum, then that would be another problem.

Make it very clear that this is not to happen.
If they do post spam elsewhere, that would result in the instant banning of said member.

On the forum I used to run, being intelligent and articulate was an entry requirement.