Re: [dita-fa-edboard] Is nothing to be done about spam?

[Don Day <dond@us.ibm.com>]

Bob, I am in agreement. Our policy of moderating all new subscribers to
dita-users is not much extra work, especially considering that the process
1) nails miscreants at the door and 2) selectively grows the body of bona
fide citizens as they prove themselves, usually a few per day.  We don't
have to review lists--everyone on it has already been a validated
contributor. Turning away one bad egg at entry time is a whole lot easier
than cleaning up his messes the next day if he's simply allowed in
unchecked.

Is this policy rule simply not possible with the current administrative
software?  I appreciate what Bob is trying to do to keep our site rankings
and trustworthiness high; if this activity continues on the site, I fear
dita.xml.org's brand value will drop and the community we've been trying to
build will go to other sites.

Regards,
--
Don Day
Chair, OASIS DITA Technical Committee
Chair, IBM DITA Architects Board
Email: dond@us.ibm.com
11501 Burnet Rd. MS9033E015, Austin TX 78758
Phone: +1 512-244-2868 (home office)

"Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
 Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?"
   --T.S. Eliot


                                                                           
             "Bob Doyle"                                                   
             <bobdoyle@skybuil                                             
             ders.com>                                                  To 
                                       "Carol Geyer"                       
             09/27/2007 07:20          <carol.geyer@oasis-open.org>        
             PM                                                         cc 
                                       "DITA Editorial Board"              
                                       <dita-fa-edboard@lists.xml.org>     
                                                                   Subject 
                                       [dita-fa-edboard] Is nothing to be  
                                       done about spam?                    
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           




Hi all,

I am getting very discouraged logging in to DITA.XML.org.

Today the Boston DITA User Group and the Vancouver Group have long porn
comments with dozens of porn links. As Su-Laine said, there appear to be
hundreds - too many to remove by hand. Surely a script can be written to
eliminate those of johnrookie?

And please, please immediately stop automatically accepting new
contributors!

When I proposed this a month ago, Neil said we would try the new Drupal 5.2
and act only if there was a problem.

Isn't it now obvious that we need a vetting procedure for new contributors?


I volunteered some time ago to act as gatekeeper and implement a policy
like that suggested by Don Day.  I will vet the email address and name and
if necessary contact potential contributors before allowing them on the
site.

We also need someone to read through all the current contributors and
remove ones with names like Polly Poon.

I could take a stab at this too. But not without some feedback.

Is anyone there? We have had no response to my email or Su-Laine's.

Is the staff - and Board members too - in "kill the messenger" mode?

Bob.

--
Bob Doyle
Editor In Chief, CMS Review - http://www.cmsreview.com
Founder, DITA Users -  http://www.ditausers.org
Former Technology Advisor, CM Pros -
http://www.cmprofessionals.org/membership/cm-profiles/bob-doyle
Contributing Editor, EContent Magazine -
http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/ArticleIndex.aspx?ContextSubtypeID=71
President and CEO, skyBuilders - http://www.skybuilders.com
77 Huron Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
Tel: +1 617-876-5676   Skype:bobdoyle