Re: One way to combat spam in sci.math ...

In article <2u6go3l301u30ptn4pf8796bu08n81c1hs@xxxxxxx>,
quasi <quasi@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Fri, 11 Jan 2008 17:17:17 -0800, The World Wide Wade
<aderamey.addw@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

In article <oj4eo3pjv5pkho8brtroe7uaathvkgp2ie@xxxxxxx>,
quasi <quasi@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:53:31 -0800, The World Wide Wade
<aderamey.addw@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I'm happy enough with the prefix "-- ". It's easier to remember to put
something at the beginning rather than at the end, it scans OK, and
gives a visual clue that something is up. Let's go for it.

As for the subject of our reminder post, let me get the ball rolling
with

FIGHT SPAM IN SCI.MATH! Please start new topics with "-- "

A few suggestions ...

I would remove "FIGHT SPAM IN SCI.MATH!" from the title.

That could be in the body of the message.

I would keep the title simple and to the point.

Something like ...

ALERT: Please prefix subject lines of new threads with 2 hyphens and a
space.

Then, in the body of the message, a short explanation plus a few
examples.

Also, I wouldn't use the mark symbol anywhere in the advisory message
title, otherwise the advisory message gets through the filters.
There's no need for those who already use the symbol string convention
and have filters in place to always have to see that message.

Lastly, I would put the following in the body of the message:

This is an automatically generated message.

Please do not respond.

That way, hopefully, the advisory message won't attract replies, but
if someone does reply, they already know not to expect a reply in
return.

quasi

Rough draft:

Subject: ALERT: Please begin subject lines of new threads with "-- "

Message body:

When posting a new subject to sci.math,
please include the three characters "-- " (two hyphens and one space)
at the beginning of your subject line. For example, instead of
"Topology Question", write "-- Topology Question".

This will help greatly in eliminating spam from your screen when
reading sci.math. Here's how it works: Your newsreader allows you to
create filters. Set up a filter for sci.math that kills all articles
not containing "-- ". That's it (although the procedure will vary from
newsreader to newsreader). With this filter on, almost every spam
message will be gone from your screen.

Thanks for your cooperation.

---------
This message will be posted to sci.math periodically. Please do not
respond to it.

Looks fine.

Well, there is the issue of the title containing "-- ". I agree it
makes the message clearer to the intended readers, but then the
advisory message itself gets through the filters.

Let's see how it goes for a while as is. Having "-- " in the subject
line seems to me a good idea, certainly at the outset. It's easy
enough to set up a filter that kills "ALERT: Please begin subject ..."
for those who don't want to see it.

I think I'll start one last thread for final comments, beginning with
"-- " of course, summarizing our anti-spam proposal. (Thanks to the
spam inundating this group, our conversation here is getting buried at
the end of my sci.math listing.)

Question: How often and who will post the alert?

Another question: There will of course remain people posting bona fide
math threads without "-- " in the subject title. What's a good
response when this happens?

I would sacrifice the brevity of the title so that we don't have to
see those messages once the filters are in place.

Thus, how about this instead ...

Subject: ALERT: Please begin subject lines of new threads with 2
hyphens and a space

A little more wordy, sure, but a definite benefit for those who are
filtering.

Other than that, I think your draft is perfect.

quasi
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: One way to combat spam in sci.math ...
    ... quasi wrote: ... leading single character symbol, use a 3 character symbol sequence. ... --- (3 hyphens) ... The one disadvantage is for those who don't use kill filters. ...
    (sci.math)
  • Re: One way to combat spam in sci.math ...
    ... quasi wrote: ... I wouldn't use the mark symbol anywhere in the advisory message ... otherwise the advisory message gets through the filters. ... Subject: ALERT: Please begin subject lines of new threads with "-- " ...
    (sci.math)
  • Re: One way to combat spam in sci.math ...
    ... quasi wrote: ... I wouldn't use the mark symbol anywhere in the advisory message ... otherwise the advisory message gets through the filters. ... Your newsreader allows you to ...
    (sci.math)
  • Re: One way to combat spam in sci.math ...
    ... quasi wrote: ... I wouldn't use the mark symbol anywhere in the advisory message ... otherwise the advisory message gets through the filters. ... Your newsreader allows you to ...
    (sci.math)
  • Re: One way to combat spam in sci.math ...
    ... gives a visual clue that something is up. ... I wouldn't use the mark symbol anywhere in the advisory message ... otherwise the advisory message gets through the filters. ... There's no need for those who already use the symbol string convention ...
    (sci.math)
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