Blog Archive: November 2011

Answerbag news, notes, and announcements.

Author	Post
Author	Post
AB-Rich	November 28th, 2011 at 11:47 am Holiday flags Music, decorations, temperatures and commercial intensity are just some of the things that change during the holiday season, and we here at Answerbag thought it might be a good time to ask whether you think we should alter our spam flag review policy accordingly. Our usual rule of thumb to accept a spam flag is if it promotes a product or includes a link that's repetitive across many answers or comments, isn't responsive to the question, or otherwise is more about promoting commerce than conversation. However, during the holidays we've traditionally seen more Q&A about what is and isn't worth buying. Some folks think that's a valid use for Answerbag, while others might just as reasonably feel inclined to flag such posts as spam. With that said, what do you suggest our threshold for accepting a spam flag should be? Should it change during the holidays? The moderators will be reviewing your responses, and if we can come to some consensus, that will be the basis of our policy. Thanks, and happy holidays to all! 18 comments \| Post one Comments Thanks for the post Rich. I think your spam policy should be the same all year 'round. Spam is spam is spam IMO. I think if people want to advertise their products on AB at any time of year .. they should pay for the "space" like the rest of your advertisers do. That's fair to everyone ... and no one wants to see more "ads" than necessary. Happy Holidays to you! Report by Mrs. Cleaver on November 28th, 2011 Accept them if they're truly spam. Reject them if they're not. Report by AnonymousGirl on November 28th, 2011 Spam policy? I was put in the penalty box for "spam" when I sent a message to AB staff via the contact form with what I thought was a good suggestion for the site. Is that the spam policy you're talking about? Report by East Hill on November 28th, 2011 __________ ... blatant attempts to sell crap with a question ... FLAG and remove. __________ ... valid answers with a sales link included ... allow and ignore flags. __________ Report by Takei-Shihan on November 28th, 2011 If its out and out spam no matter what time of year it is.. then remove it. Report by buxtonite ..slowly losing my mind on November 28th, 2011 It will obviously be a subjective process; you will have to just take each case individually. For the ones specific to what is/isn't worth buying: Eliminate them because everyone knows they can just go to amazon product ratings or similar to find out that stuff. Leave the ones with a little tweak to them, like what tool is best for a specific purpose or something. People may mix real comments with ads and stuff though, making it difficult to draw a hard cutoff line. For that, use Spam Agent, your anti spam filtering solution. Spam Agent comes preset with over 1,500 filters for the most common spam issues. You also have the ability to create your own custom filters - as many as you wish! View the complete feature list at http://www.anti-spam-software.com/ Report by Dylan K. on November 28th, 2011 Spam is spam. It's promoting things without having bought space or time here. I think it would be opening pandora's box to the world of spammers out there and have AB as their dumping ground for links to all sorts of things. I like to think of this place as free from obvious commercial links in answers. Responses about where to buy something from one member to another is one thing, giving out links is spam. Report by Galeanda on November 28th, 2011 In my view, there should be Zero Tolerance of Spam at any time of the year. There are many reasons, but allow me to list a few: Advertising income is the lifeblood of the Site. Free advertising offers no income to the Site, whatsoever, and is, in fact, theft of service. Thieves by nature, spammers lack integrity. They come from all over the world. Their intentions may go even further than marketing a product or products, but may even use their lures to inflict viruses and engage in identity theft. AB should exercise reasonable protective measures against such invasions and ward off those who would violate the Members’ security, comfort and enjoyment level. I’ve seen spammers in direct competition with legitimate advertisers. If I were a paying advertiser, and I noted free spamming competitors, I’d be incensed and would view a site’s staff as possibly incompetent for its inattentive negligence in allowing it. I would think that a positive marketing tool would be found in pointing out to potential advertisers the absence of spam on the Site, an all too common bane on most social dialogue sites. And if I were a potential advertiser, I would certainly examine a site for its spam tolerance, and would not be inclined to advertise where a site was spam infested during multiple holiday times or any time of year. I would want to advertise on a reasonably “clean” site...or as clean as possible. Bottom line, I think that AB’s Moderators do a fine job rapidly responding to Flags. Theirs is a critical function in my view. I wouldn’t interrupt that performance with some new-found level of holiday tolerance. AB is far improved in cleaning out the spam of late...and I don’t mean just in attacking the BOT attacks, which, thank goodness, are considerably under control this year. If anything, reenforce the message to spammers: At Christmastime, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day...whenever...you are not welcomed here! Zero Tolerance. On the other hand, if you would like to advertise here on Answerbag at a reasonable rate, feel free to contact our Marketing Department Report by ChuckExAnon on November 28th, 2011 The more I'm on the internet, the more I don't understand hardly any of it. I'd suggest to do whatever your rules-setup is. I'd rather see spam then some of the words/speeches I see on the site. I'm quite-correctly told by others whom I respect that I need to remember that it's just the internet , that answerbag is just an internet site, that I need not take it so seriously -- so a little spam here and there does not bother me. I can take a little spam easier than some of the words on the site I'd call hateful and vicious. [ And I understand why those words can remain, depending on the rules. And what I think of certain thoughts of others does not make my opinion of those words a flagging requirement. ] Though if someone asks, do you like Pepsi better than Coke, I hardly call that spam. Or which facial cleanser works best for acne? If someone answers, I wouldn't call that spam. Nor "what album would you recommend is the best by Simple Minds?" It almost seems if someone recommends a movie to go see, than that could be spam, too. i don't know. I went off topic anyway. I'll just continue to participate as usual -- and take the lumps if they happen. Report by WelbyQuentin on November 28th, 2011 Rich i think each one has to be investigated individually the same way all year. And i was very impressed when a Horrible answer yesterday was investigated so quickly. Thank you and Enjoy your Holidays! Report by dorothybulls on November 28th, 2011 The current policy is fine the way it is, year round. Essentially, spam is using the site with the intent to promote the sales of a product or service. This is not what Answerbag is all about. In general, if a product, service, or website is posted as part of a legitimate answer/comment to a legitimate question, it's pretty much understood it's not spam. Another problem with slacking off on the rules as a seasonal response is the fact that these questions, and their associated answers, are available all year round...which would give people a "double-standard" impression. "Why was my answer rejected when it's just like the answers posted to (fill in the blank)?" Additionally, it becomes more difficult to properly moderate on several levels. A new standard would be implimented for the holiday season(s), yet a few months later I must remember to screen spam postings to see if they were posted during the "acceptable" time frame. No, thank you. I like the rules on spam just the way they are! :):) Report by The Chief on November 28th, 2011 I don't support a special holiday rule for spam. It is better if the moderators (CL included) manage to see the big picture and look at other postings of the possible spammer and check for multiple spam postings or for multiple accounts. This takes more time, but it could bring more if you reject several spam postings at the same time or even suspend the spammer account. Isolated "commercial" postings could be given the benefice of the doubt, especially if they answer the question. Report by iwnit on November 28th, 2011 Special rules for the holidays? Is that really necessary? No, don't you change a thing. I love you just as you are.:) Report by trouble slouching toward the Apocalypse on November 29th, 2011 Spam is spam..why allow it during the holiday season....which isn´t even a holiday for a lot of groups? Just get rid of it:) Report by DA BEN DAN yanggui zi on November 29th, 2011 Keep the same spam policy. There is a difference when someone asks: "do you know a good webshop for ordering suits," and people answer those questions by providing links, with questions that have nothing to do with products but do get answered with links to such sites. I always thought such a distinction was part of the spam policy anyway. If you suddenly allow for un-asked spam, we will all get crazy by an overflooding with spammers here. Report by BloedEnMelk on November 29th, 2011 advertising a product and talking about a product, a present, a possible present is imo not a spam. imo a spam would be if the person " obviously" wants to sell a product. Report by shunyata on November 29th, 2011 No change. Keep everything the way it is. Report by rose1980 on December 2nd, 2011 Heh, I know consensus when I see it :). Thanks for all your feedback! Report by AB-Rich on December 6th, 2011

Author

Post

Author

Post

AB-Rich

November 28th, 2011 at 11:47 am

Holiday flags

Music, decorations, temperatures and commercial intensity are just some of the things that change during the holiday season, and we here at Answerbag thought it might be a good time to ask whether you think we should alter our spam flag review policy accordingly.

Our usual rule of thumb to accept a spam flag is if it promotes a product or includes a link that's repetitive across many answers or comments, isn't responsive to the question, or otherwise is more about promoting commerce than conversation. However, during the holidays we've traditionally seen more Q&A about what is and isn't worth buying. Some folks think that's a valid use for Answerbag, while others might just as reasonably feel inclined to flag such posts as spam.

With that said, what do you suggest our threshold for accepting a spam flag should be? Should it change during the holidays? The moderators will be reviewing your responses, and if we can come to some consensus, that will be the basis of our policy.

Thanks, and happy holidays to all!

18 comments | Post one

Comments

Thanks for the post Rich.
I think your spam policy should be the same all year 'round. Spam is spam is spam IMO.

I think if people want to advertise their products on AB at any time of year .. they should pay for the "space" like the rest of your advertisers do. That's fair to everyone ... and no one wants to see more "ads" than necessary.

Happy Holidays to you!
- Report
by Mrs. Cleaver on November 28th, 2011
Accept them if they're truly spam. Reject them if they're not.
- Report
by AnonymousGirl on November 28th, 2011
Spam policy?

I was put in the penalty box for "spam" when I sent a message to AB staff via the contact form with what I thought was a good suggestion for the site.

Is that the spam policy you're talking about?
- Report
by East Hill on November 28th, 2011
__________

... blatant attempts to sell crap with a question ... FLAG and remove.

__________

... valid answers with a sales link included ... allow and ignore flags.

__________
- Report
by Takei-Shihan on November 28th, 2011
If its out and out spam no matter what time of year it is.. then remove it.
- Report
by buxtonite ..slowly losing my mind on November 28th, 2011
It will obviously be a subjective process; you will have to just take each case individually.

For the ones specific to what is/isn't worth buying: Eliminate them because everyone knows they can just go to amazon product ratings or similar to find out that stuff.

Leave the ones with a little tweak to them, like what tool is best for a specific purpose or something.

People may mix real comments with ads and stuff though, making it difficult to draw a hard cutoff line. For that, use Spam Agent, your anti spam filtering solution. Spam Agent comes preset with over 1,500 filters for the most common spam issues. You also have the ability to create your own custom filters - as many as you wish! View the complete feature list at http://www.anti-spam-software.com/
- Report
by Dylan K. on November 28th, 2011
Spam is spam. It's promoting things without having bought space or time here. I think it would be opening pandora's box to the world of spammers out there and have AB as their dumping ground for links to all sorts of things. I like to think of this place as free from obvious commercial links in answers. Responses about where to buy something from one member to another is one thing, giving out links is spam.
- Report
by Galeanda on November 28th, 2011
In my view, there should be Zero Tolerance of Spam at any time of the year. There are many reasons, but allow me to list a few:
*Advertising income is the lifeblood of the Site. Free advertising offers no income to the Site, whatsoever, and is, in fact, theft of service.
*Thieves by nature, spammers lack integrity. They come from all over the world. Their intentions may go even further than marketing a product or products, but may even use their lures to inflict viruses and engage in identity theft. AB should exercise reasonable protective measures against such invasions and ward off those who would violate the Members’ security, comfort and enjoyment level.
*I’ve seen spammers in direct competition with legitimate advertisers. If I were a paying advertiser, and I noted free spamming competitors, I’d be incensed and would view a site’s staff as possibly incompetent for its inattentive negligence in allowing it.
*I would think that a positive marketing tool would be found in pointing out to potential advertisers the absence of spam on the Site, an all too common bane on most social dialogue sites. And if I were a potential advertiser, I would certainly examine a site for its spam tolerance, and would not be inclined to advertise where a site was spam infested during multiple holiday times or any time of year. I would want to advertise on a reasonably “clean” site...or as clean as possible.
Bottom line, I think that AB’s Moderators do a fine job rapidly responding to Flags. Theirs is a critical function in my view. I wouldn’t interrupt that performance with some new-found level of holiday tolerance. AB is far improved in cleaning out the spam of late...and I don’t mean just in attacking the BOT attacks, which, thank goodness, are considerably under control this year.

If anything, reenforce the message to spammers: At Christmastime, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day...whenever...you are not welcomed here! Zero Tolerance. On the other hand, if you would like to advertise here on Answerbag at a reasonable rate, feel free to contact our Marketing Department
- Report
by ChuckExAnon on November 28th, 2011
The more I'm on the internet, the more I don't understand hardly any of it. I'd suggest to do whatever your rules-setup is.

I'd rather see spam then some of the words/speeches I see on the site. I'm quite-correctly told by others whom I respect that I need to remember that it's just the internet , that answerbag is just an internet site, that I need not take it so seriously -- so a little spam here and there does not bother me. I can take a little spam easier than some of the words on the site I'd call hateful and vicious. [ And I understand why those words can remain, depending on the rules. And what I think of certain thoughts of others does not make my opinion of those words a flagging requirement. ]

Though if someone asks, do you like Pepsi better than Coke, I hardly call that spam. Or which facial cleanser works best for acne? If someone answers, I wouldn't call that spam.
Nor "what album would you recommend is the best by Simple Minds?"
It almost seems if someone recommends a movie to go see, than that could be spam, too.

i don't know. I went off topic anyway.

I'll just continue to participate as usual -- and take the lumps if they happen.
- Report
by WelbyQuentin on November 28th, 2011
Rich i think each one has to be investigated individually the same way all year. And i was very impressed when a Horrible answer yesterday was investigated so quickly. Thank you and Enjoy your Holidays!
- Report
by dorothybulls on November 28th, 2011
The current policy is fine the way it is, year round.

Essentially, spam is using the site with the intent to promote the sales of a product or service. This is not what Answerbag is all about.

In general, if a product, service, or website is posted as part of a legitimate answer/comment to a legitimate question, it's pretty much understood it's not spam.

Another problem with slacking off on the rules as a seasonal response is the fact that these questions, and their associated answers, are available all year round...which would give people a "double-standard" impression. "Why was my answer rejected when it's just like the answers posted to (fill in the blank)?"

Additionally, it becomes more difficult to properly moderate on several levels. A new standard would be implimented for the holiday season(s), yet a few months later I must remember to screen spam postings to see if they were posted during the "acceptable" time frame.

No, thank you. I like the rules on spam just the way they are!

:):)
- Report
by The Chief on November 28th, 2011
I don't support a special holiday rule for spam.

It is better if the moderators (CL included) manage to see the big picture and look at other postings of the possible spammer and check for multiple spam postings or for multiple accounts.
This takes more time, but it could bring more if you reject several spam postings at the same time or even suspend the spammer account.

Isolated "commercial" postings could be given the benefice of the doubt, especially if they answer the question.
- Report
by iwnit on November 28th, 2011
Special rules for the holidays? Is that really necessary?

No, don't you change a thing. I love you just as you are.:)
- Report
by trouble slouching toward the Apocalypse on November 29th, 2011
Spam is spam..why allow it during the holiday season....which isn´t even a holiday for a lot of groups? Just get rid of it:)
- Report
by DA BEN DAN yanggui zi on November 29th, 2011
Keep the same spam policy.
There is a difference when someone asks: "do you know a good webshop for ordering suits," and people answer those questions by providing links, with questions that have nothing to do with products but do get answered with links to such sites.

I always thought such a distinction was part of the spam policy anyway.

If you suddenly allow for un-asked spam, we will all get crazy by an overflooding with spammers here.
- Report
by BloedEnMelk on November 29th, 2011
advertising a product and talking about a product, a present, a possible present is imo not a spam.
imo a spam would be if the person " obviously" wants to sell a product.
- Report
by shunyata on November 29th, 2011
No change. Keep everything the way it is.
- Report
by rose1980 on December 2nd, 2011
Heh, I know consensus when I see it :). Thanks for all your feedback!
- Report
by AB-Rich on December 6th, 2011

Blog Archive: November 2011.

Holiday flags

Comments

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Answerbag.com
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Blog Archive: November 2011.

Holiday flags

Comments

Blog Archives

Answerbag.com Your favorite Q&A site is on Facebook! Become a fan to connect with the ever-growing community of Answerbaggers, share your thoughts and find out what Answerbag's up to next!

Answerbag.com
Your favorite Q&A site is on Facebook! Become a fan to connect with the ever-growing community of Answerbaggers, share your thoughts and find out what Answerbag's up to next!