what's with all the spam???

[corruptmary]

Is it just me or is there more spam than usual lately?

[cbarrett92]

I agree, there has been a lot of spam lately. I try to always repot it.

[AveyTare]

Originally Posted by corruptmary

Is it just me or is there more spam than usual lately?

isn't that topic spam already? :p

[corruptmary]

haha yeah I thought of that...but then I figured it's not spam although I might have posted it in the wrong place! haha

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by corruptmary

Is it just me or is there more spam than usual lately?

Yes, and most of the spammer sites are at the free web host 101free.com. So I'd put much of the blame there. The cheaper it is for spammers to spam, the more spam there is.

The solution is simple. Before anyone can get an account at Gearslutz they must answer a simply audio multiple choice question. Or better, write a one-paragraph "essay" explaining their involvement in audio. Spammers are morons who likely bought into a work-at-home scam themselves. Not one of them could answer correctly if a U87 is a dynamic or condenser microphone.

--Ethan

[Knastratt]

Statistically that's a mere 50%. Why not the whole shebang?

• Is Behringer considered high-end?

• Will there be another free upgrade of Cubase 3.x ? (trick question)

• Will Jules lock this thread? (A divider)

etc. etc.

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by Knastratt

Statistically that's a mere 50%.

I envisioned a multiple choice with more than two choices. How about this as one of the test questions:

U87 is

1) A condenser microphone with two switchable polar patterns
2) A type of recording tape
3) A popular high-end compressor

And so forth, with 5 choices each and 10 such questions.

Or whatever. You get the idea.

[elambo]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

The cheaper it is for spammers to spam, the more spam there is.

If only Eric Idle had considered that line when writing Spamalot - I'm sure it would have been the source of some great inspiration. Has a nice rhythmic cadence, too.

[Marjan]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

The solution is simple. Before anyone can get an account at Gearslutz they must answer a simply audio multiple choice question. Or better, write a one-paragraph "essay" explaining their involvement in audio. Spammers are morons who likely bought into a work-at-home scam themselves. Not one of them could answer correctly if a U87 is a dynamic or condenser microphone.

It gets worse...
I was talking to a young 'hip-hop engineer' the other day... when I said something about the Beatles he went... "who? the Beatles? what's that...?"

[corruptmary]

Originally Posted by Marjan

It gets worse...
I was talking to a young 'hip-hop engineer' the other day... when I said something about the Beatles he went... "who? the Beatles? what's that...?"

AAAHHH!!! what the......

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by Marjan

It gets worse...
I was talking to a young 'hip-hop engineer' the other day... when I said something about the Beatles he went... "who? the Beatles? what's that...?"

Perfect - that's the sort of riff-raff we don't need asking beginner questions.

(I'm kidding. Newbies are okay.)

[vin-gear]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

I envisioned a multiple choice with more than two choices. How about this as one of the test questions:

U87 is

1) A condenser microphone with two switchable polar patterns
2) A type of recording tape
3) A popular high-end compressor

And so forth, with 5 choices each and 10 such questions.

Or whatever. You get the idea.

Uh. None of the above...How about 3 switchable polar patterns?

Good idea none the less. I come here to waste my day, not buy an iPhone.

[emkay]

That's not spam, you must have stumbled into the Rap Hip Hop forum!
Just kidding!

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by vin-gear

How about 3 switchable polar patterns?

Yeah, that would have been my next multiple choice answer.

Just shows how long I've been out of the loop! The last time I owned a U87 was in the early 1980s. I also had a U47, and that's what I was thinking of with the 2-position switch.

--Ethan

[malaclypse]

are these spammers actually making any money for their efforts? i completely disregard all spam or anything that looks like spam, and i'm sure most people do the same(or am i overestimating the intelligence of the average person?). of course we've all gotten those "work at home and make $10billion per day by posting ads" in the mail, but do they work? i don't think so. so i wonder how long these guys do it before they realize they're not making any money. now you may argue: "well if they're not making any money, then why are so many people doing it?" well, if you really made the amounts of money they claim, then it would be nearly impossible to get such a gig by now. i think the spam itself, perpetuates the buisiness.
for instance, a common one:
"send me $14.95, and i'll show you how to work from home and make $1000 a day!"
well, you send them $14.95, and they show you how to post the very ad that you responded to in the first place.

[malaclypse]

so ummm.... if any of you guys want to make biblical-assloads of money by working from home, send me $14.95 and i'll show you how...

[John Willett]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

U87 is

1) A condenser microphone with two switchable polar patterns
2) A type of recording tape
3) A popular high-end compressor

None of the above - the U87 is a condenser microphone with three switchable polar patterns.

You fail.

[lpuma]

I know forums where you cant post before something like 20 post on the "generic" part of the forum, it would be so much gear so lil time in here.

Usually spamers give up or try to post whatever to get the 20 posts so the mod can see who's a potential spammer and delete their posts. Dudes usually give up.

I know why ppl try to spam gearslutz, this forum have a good google PR and there's a lot of traffic.

[author]

Originally Posted by Knastratt

• Will there be another free upgrade of Cubase 3.x ? (trick question)

Sure, Steinberg said so, and they wouldn't lie to you, would they?

Did I pass the test?

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by malaclypse

but do they work? i don't think so.

Exactly, and that's what makes the whole situation so exasperating. The spammers are suckers who lost whatever they invested, and the rest of us have to put up with the nuisance. The same for road-side and telephone pole spam signs selling insurance and work-at-home jobs. It's a blight we have to look at, and they lose too.

I'm generally opposed to capital punishment, but I gladly make an exception for spammers.

--Ethan

[cl516]

i wasn't gonna post this 'cause there's enough crap on forums lately...
but
i don't know what's considered spam (like is it only selling stuff?), but lately on a lot of forums not just gearslutz, lots of mysterious 'new users' posting really beginner obvious questions, almost like 'trolling'. i'm sure this crap happens all the time, but past 2 weeks i saw almost a deliberate and concentrated effort on multiple places online asking chewy questions that seemed designed to start arguments. wtf.

[The Beatsmith]

that's not spam, that's the hiphop forum

[malaclypse]

Originally Posted by cl516

i wasn't gonna post this 'cause there's enough crap on forums lately...
but
i don't know what's considered spam (like is it only selling stuff?), but lately on a lot of forums not just gearslutz, lots of mysterious 'new users' posting really beginner obvious questions, almost like 'trolling'. i'm sure this crap happens all the time, but past 2 weeks i saw almost a deliberate and concentrated effort on multiple places online asking chewy questions that seemed designed to start arguments. wtf.

prolly just trying to increase their # of posts count, in a futile effort to be taken seriously.

[Stitch333]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

Not one of them could answer correctly if a U87 is a dynamic or condenser microphone.

I've encountered many here, already, that couldn't answer that one...

[narcoman]

Originally Posted by Stitch333

I've encountered many here, already, that couldn't answer that one...

yes, but do you want to buy some viagra?

[triez]

Originally Posted by narcoman

yes, but do you want to buy some viagra?

Don't do it, I already bought some off him and it didn't work.

[joelpatterson]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

... Spammers are morons ...

Ain't that the truth!

If I was a spammer, here's what I'd do...

Pick some kind of clever screen name, like "eric clapton" and title the thread: "Let me tell you about when we tracked "White Room", and then, you open it up, it's the cell-phone offer or whatever.

I mean, use your noggin!

[narcoman]

Originally Posted by triez

Don't do it, I already bought some off him and it didn't work.

I'll give you a refund - gimme your bank details and I'll transfer the cash from my bank in Nigeria......

[azwun25]

Originally Posted by The Beatsmith

that's not spam, that's the hiphop forum

yikes lol

[triez]

Originally Posted by narcoman

I'll give you a refund - gimme your bank details and I'll transfer the cash from my bank in Nigeria......

OK, no problem, do you need me to send you a some cash first so that you can release the funds?