Spambots

[Razanir]

So as we learned recently from the spambot who convinced several of us he was an actual person who needed help, spambots are getting good. (My apologies in advance if we really were wrong)

It concerns me, though. How good are they getting? How do I know I'm not the only non-spambot? How do I know I'm not a spambot? What if we're ALL spambots?! :smalleek:

This would have been a comment on the referenced thread, but I don't feel like risking another infraction for replying

[Killer Angel]

So as we learned recently from the spambot who convinced several of us he was an actual person who needed help, spambots are getting good.

I must have missed it. Is it still around?


How do I know I'm not a spambot?

I don't know, but at least, you're not a solipsist... :smallwink:

[angrymudcrab]

The guy from xkcd has probably been busy. Relevant strip. (https://xkcd.com/810/):smallcool:

[Silverbit]

The mechanical [Censored]s are getting more and more cunning. I think they've started posting images too; that might have been an actual human though. It's hard to tell nowadays. Also, their excuses for posting are improving; help threads and the like. If you see anyone with a suspicious product link in their sig, loads of film download links in their post, and an apparent disregard for all known forms of grammar, they might be a spambot. Just report them and let the mods sort them out.

[Killer Angel]

How is that xkcd got a strip for almost anything? :smallbiggrin:

[Mono Vertigo]

I was terribly weirded out to see what I suppose to be a bot quoting an earlier post of mine in another thread.
Posting the exact same things as I or anyone else doesn't count as constructive content! Go find your own, even if you need an algorithm to do so! :smallfurious:
I'm starting to understand people who put their signature in the body of their post. :smallsigh:

[Deepbluediver]

Some of the Spams I've seen (and unfortunately replied to) post fairly generic, if reasonable, questions/discussion topics about things like comics or movies, with a link in the signature to whatever they are trying to sell.

Although I guess it works, I dislike it when other forums limit features until you've hit a certain number of posts. I think that this forum has a relatively active Mod group, which keeps things under control enough for now.

[Winter_Wolf]

So as we learned recently from the spambot who convinced several of us he was an actual person who needed help, spambots are getting good. (My apologies in advance if we really were wrong)

It concerns me, though. How good are they getting? How do I know I'm not the only non-spambot? How do I know I'm not a spambot? What if we're ALL spambots?! :smalleek:

This would have been a comment on the referenced thread, but I don't feel like risking another infraction for replying

I was totally half expecting this post to be made by a spambot. But you'd have to be a VERY successful bot if you've managed to hang around this long and not get caught out!

Although with a lot of these more "intelligent bots" I wonder if maybe they're not just people with a lot of time on their hands to type something up and then copy/paste/tweak to a gazillion forums and comment boxes.

Last time I looked on the NWN 1/2 vault, they had a really really bad case of Bot Pox(tm) :smallwink:. Like every single module/hakpak/what-have-you with an open comments section.

[Cuthalion]

Of course, I'm not a spam bot. How could I be?

[TuggyNE]

How is that xkcd got a strip for almost anything? :smallbiggrin:

Because Randall Munroe is secretly a robot from the future sent back in time to prevent a terrible disaster in the past.

[Logic]

Because Randall Munroe is secretly a robot from the future sent back in time to prevent a terrible disaster in the past.

Well, Trapper-Keepers aren't still a thing, are they? I'd say mission accomplished.