Forums → The Tavern → Nasty, Nasty Spammers!

Comment spammers. *shudder* What a horrifying topic. We've all seen them, we've all been annoyed by them, and I'd be very surprised if we didn't all hate them. (Well, aside from those of you out there who ARE spammers. In which case, please promptly stop reading and delete your account. *smiles*)

It is hard these days to find a game that doesn't have _at least_ 5-10 spam messages. (To those of you who for some reason are unsure as to what spam is, I can tell you with certainty it is NOT the snack that looks like under-processed meat! Instead, it is an unwanted post: whether it be a chain message, a flaming comment, a random link, or whatever else is out there that is flooding our site.) This spam would not be as big of an issue, though it would still be extremely annoying, if these people were not REWARDED for their abuse of comments. These people get a rather hefty sum of Armor Points for each and every spam message they spew out, and usually they are just copied from elsewhere without the "authors" giving any thought themselves.

Additionally, it puts a stain on our image as a community. When people newly join, they get something that is really nice: they can post and read the comments of other gamers as they work their way into the ArmorGames community! Yet, after being flooded with nothing but inflamatory remarks and mindless posts, the casual gamer would likely lose any interest in joining the community. One can still play the games without being a member; they just can't read posts. Frankly, it has lately been almost incentive not to register.

I definitely feel something needs to be done about this other than writing something next to the comment box reminding users of the rules. As we all know, such messages do worlds of good to those trolls who just couldn't care less. The question is... What should be done? We currently have a basic system that allows users to "Vote up" comments or "Flag" them. However, I don't see anything being done, nor do I see how the "solution" is solving anything. If there weren't still so many spammy posts, I wouldn't be writing this right now.

[b]I think there should be a very strict and harsh system, or no one will care. I agree with the idea of second chances. However, if someone constantly abuses their priveledges, chances are that they aren't going to have a change of heart any time soon. I have made a list of what I have come up with, and I hope people reply with their thoughts. (And if someone gets the bright idea to spam this thread, you've proven my point far better than I could ever do myself.)

Flaming:
Flaming is the use of excessive cursing or badmouthing a game (or worse, the author) without any foreseeable benefit. (I am not talking about cursing, though excessive curses shouldn't be acceptable either. I am talking about talking negatively about the game without giving any suggestions. I am definitely talking about negative comments against the author him/herself! There is no reason at all to talk badly about the person just because of your opinion of their game. Just switch games?) Not only is this insulting, it's pointless, as the best response you will get is being ignored. This is perhaps the worst type of spam, as it can offend the developer. Some really great games lost their chance of getting a sequel because too many people flooded the comments with firey remarks. If our developers leave, we might as well just be soley a forum that talks about online flash games. As such, I feel the punishments for this offense should be exceedingly unforgiving; especially since there is no reason to do so in the first place!
First offense: 250 AP removed from the account, and a temporary ban.
Second offense: Permanent from comments. It's just unfair to the developer and those that have to scroll past it to get to a legitimate comment. It shouldn't be put up with.
Third offense: Deletion of account without warning and ban from making a new one. Why should it even have to get this far? Besides, you were warned. Twice.

Flooding or One-Liners:
Flooding is a post of excessive length for no real purpose. A great example is copying something over again. copying something over again. copying something over again. copying something over again. (See how annoying that can get?) The opposite of this is what I call "one-liners", though "one-phrasers" would be a better name. This is when no real point is being made. What is really bad, and unfortunately the most common, is when you have a post like "gay" or "stupid". One word, and is flaming. (These should probably be punished on both counts. Boy would that make people stop!) If you are taking the time to write something, why make it pointless? No one should have to scroll through it, and it is unfair t hat you get AP for it. Although positive one-liners are nice, I still feel the same applies. I'm sure any developer can take heart in the points that have been made, and don't need a bunch of one-liners backing them up.
First offense: 15 AP removed from the account.
Second offense: 25 AP removed from the account.
Third offense: 50 AP removed from the account, and 50 for every offense after.

Inanity:
Though there are many more out there, this post has gone on quite long enough, so this will be the last that I discuss. (Does that make you happy? I bet it does!) An inane post is one that is not at all relevant, or is a copied image etc that might be relevant to the game but is still pointless. This is perhaps the most common and most annoying of any of them. This would be the category where chain mail, random links, etc fall in. (Yes. These are the ones we all hate.) This one, much like flaming, is pointless. However, it is nowhere near as malicious, so should be dealt with less harshly.
First offense: Immediate call on the local gang for a drive-by shooting. (Just kidding, though it might make a good point! )
REAL First offense: 30 AP removed, and 30 AP for each offense after.

Okay, wow. I'm amazed you made it through all that! Looking forward to hearing responses, and let's get rid of all this spam!