All those zero post members

[Albertosaurus Rex]

Officially, we currently have 353 members, but if you look through the list, most of them have zero posts and very vague usernames that look like they were randomly generated. What are they? Spambots? But they haven't made any posts, so what's their purpose?

['thul]

most forums have fairly large numbers of such users. the longer the forum has existed, the larger those numbers. Only a few bigger forums will purge out such users.

[Farseer]

We might take this as evidence of a tiny Skill-link between us, AR. I was only going through the member list in the last day or so, and thinking the very same thing!

New member accounts that have been created but not activated within 90 days are automatically pruned but, yes, it appears to me that many of the members with vague usernames are more spammy than anything...you only have to go into the profiles and most seem to have some type of advertising as their signature, and so that's seemingly their whole purpose for registering. It seems to me to have increased to a silly point over the last twelve months though?

Of course, others may like to register and receive email updates but not post...kind of like the next step up from being a lurker but then not being fully involved either? Then again, many of those with zero posts also have zero time spent here since registering, so...

I can check with Mervi and easily cull a few of the more obvious ones if that's what's required. Feel free to make suggestions!

['thul]

There are countless spambots created all the time. These beings have had to ban quite a few of them on another, somewhat larger forum. Those were the more complex ones that could figure out email activation. There are also naturally those that are not so complex, that simply end up in the userlist.

pruning such members is best done either from the database or the ACP.

[Farseer]

Thanks 'thul!

[Albertosaurus Rex]

I am getting so awfully tired of all the new and inventive venues spammers use to advertise products that only a complete moron would fall for.

I mean, I have recently begun to receive fake emails from people I know, talking enthusiastically about some awesome product or contest, and it's really obvious it's not really those people. Just like it's really obvious that the spambots are fake.

['thul]

Such emails would indicate that the email accounts of your friends have been compromised.

The problem with spambots is that it is essentially free to make them, so if even 0.5% of those that are affected by it buy the product, they run in profit...

[Albertosaurus Rex]

Yeah, I did try to notify them, but I'm not sure all my messages get through.

['thul]

not much you can do beyond that.

[Farseer]

This signature makes the preceeding post about 20% cooler.