Newly registered users etc - signatures

[PinkDalek]

I understand that the signature facility has been turned off, such that the signature does not appear in posts (for a number of valid reasons) but registered members can still draft their signature, which then appears on their profile (rather than in their posts).

A quick look here memberlist.php?g=7&mode=group&sk=c&sd=d#memberlist finds the latest new user links to somewhere which may not be safe for family viewing memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2101 (there are quite a number of other examples).

Is it possible to delete the signature facility entirely?

[Maylix]

Hear Hear

[Raptor]

Moderator Message:
Have asked the "boss" to look at this. Will get user blocked anyway.

Raptor.

[mc2fool]

I understand that the signature facility has been turned off, such that the signature does not appear in posts (for a number of valid reasons) but registered members can still draft their signature, which then appears on their profile (rather than in their posts).

A quick look here memberlist.php?g=7&mode=group&sk=c&sd=d#memberlist finds the latest new user links to somewhere which may not be safe for family viewing memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2101 (there are quite a number of other examples).

Is it possible to delete the signature facility entirely?

Oh, I dunno, the signature in that case made the nature of the member clear ... think of it as an idiot spammer trap

[Raptor]

Signature length is now set to 1. Should solve the problem.

Raptor

[PinkDalek]

Signature length is now set to 1. Should solve the problem.

That looks like a neat solution but would appear not to be retrospective:

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2076

[Raptor]

Signature length is now set to 1. Should solve the problem.

That looks like a neat solution but would appear not to be retrospective:

http://www.lemonfool.co.uk/memberlist.p ... ile&u=2076

Asked stooz to do a data sweep. He has now deleted everyone's signatures and based on what he found also some users.

Much appreciated you keeping us up to date so we can act....

Raptor. Moderator hat on

[PinkDalek]

Signature length is now set to 1. Should solve the problem.

That looks like a neat solution but would appear not to be retrospective:

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2076

Asked stooz to do a data sweep. He has now deleted everyone's signatures and based on what he found also some users.

Much appreciated you keeping us up to date so we can act....

Raptor. Moderator hat on

This recent spammer (post already deleted) has managed to include a "Signature" in his profile:

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2159

Having now tested the "Signature" facility, I see it is still available, limited to one character as previously. Presumably the way the spammer formatted the URL allowed a longer "Signature".

[Raptor]

Might be a way round the 1 character but it is not clickable and unless someone wants to cut and paste!

Raptor.

[mc2fool]

Might be a way round the 1 character but it is not clickable and unless someone wants to cut and paste!

Yes, just tried it and it's rather bizarre. If one enters [url]foo[/url] it tells you you're over the one character limit and refuses to accept it.

However, if OTOH you enter [url=foo]foo[/url] it accepts it and sets it as your signature!

[stooz]

Well that's a rubbish bit of coding...
I can hack the dB so it can't even store signatures...

[PinkDalek]

Hi stooz

Well that's a rubbish bit of coding...

Another newly registered user has posted immediately on registration and is about to have his post deleted:

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=2643
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2180

Is it not possible to put a time delay between registration and first post?

[stooz]

I can enable all first posts to be manually approved. But that's a lot more work than clearing the odd spammer.

[PinkDalek]

.

Here's another who has attempted to get around the 1 digit signature option:

Username:MonroCam
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2280

As said previously, it appears somewhat pointless, as it is not clickable and who is going to bother to C&P an obviously spammy or worse link, but thought I'd mention it.

[stooz]

Thanks, I will sort it.

[PinkDalek]

Is it a bore if I report a couple more http://lemonfool.co.uk/memberlist.php?m ... ile&u=2279 http://lemonfool.co.uk/memberlist.php?m ... ile&u=2282 ?

Thanks, I will sort it.
Thank you - russian again... I must sort that sig length...

[UncleEbenezer]

As said previously, it appears somewhat pointless, as it is not clickable and who is going to bother to C&P an obviously spammy or worse link, but thought I'd mention it.

Spammy links are very rarely for human consumption. They're aimed at bots.

There's a whole Dark Art called "SEO", which ranges from borderline-spam to outright-spam[1]. One of its techniques is to use bots that seek out web forms and post links in forms that *might* appear as an actual link in a page somewhere googlebot et al will see them.

My website has a feedback form. It gets visited by such bots, so I added a little check that rejects links in formats popular with the spambots, and tells human readers a very simple workaround if they want to include a URL.

[1] The non-spammy equivalent - provision of good contents that add real value to a site - doesn't generally use that name.

[PinkDalek]

As said previously, it appears somewhat pointless, as it is not clickable and who is going to bother to C&P an obviously spammy or worse link, but thought I'd mention it.

Spammy links are very rarely for human consumption. They're aimed at bots. ...

Thanks for the explanation but I imagine we don't want to feed our friendly bots with such stuff.

[PinkDalek]

Thanks, I will sort it.

MonroCam is back again (previous profile deleted) - advertising closed circuit stuff (in Russian) within the signature:

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2446

Incidentally, I looked at some phpBB support forums and there isn't a facility to put a ! on the "Viewing profile", which you most likely already know. So I'm reporting on here. Do let me know if I shouldn't bother.

I see you've tried mc2fool's suggested [url=foo]foo[/url] method on yours:

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2

[stooz]

Thanks, more than happy to hear about them. I need to edit the database so it can't store any data