So - spam. It is very much out of control.

Here's why:

These aren't just bored individuals spamming the forum, they're highly organized companies.

Each time they come to the site, they change their IP address, and PURCHASE a new domain for their e-mail address. Every spammer has a perfectly accessible, valid e-mail address that they are able to validate and then post from. It's not an automated process, it's an actual person being paid pennies in a sweat-shop somewhere.

We're not the only site they're spamming, they've developed systems to work around every traditional measure that can currently be taken by any major forum software.

There are many, many other sites in the same predicament we are right now. We're currently in touch with a group of developers working on a mod for the board that may help dramatically - and we'll implement it as soon as we get our hands on it. We hope to have something in the next few days.

We want to avoid putting e-mail validation back in place. We received a lot of criticism when we did it the first time, and we've established that it will not help us in this particular situation.

Thank you all for your patience.

So, what are we doing different than all the other web forums that I read?

I read a handful of forums pretty much daily and this is the only one with this problem, at least one of them
is running the same forum software as drawspace.

Have we done something to %!$$-off someone that we're being targeted like this?
Or do the other sites have enough resources, around the clock, to delete it before I see it?

Admin, I agree with Darus. I surf a bunch of forums as well and I cannot find half of this situation on any of them.

They simply have anti-spam auto filter running (this eliminates lots of messages explicitilly obscene), a confermation request by e-mail (for new user. You're are right, there are people being paid to register and submit valid e-mail address. But it is just one more hurdle they have to pass) and finally, I know I repeat myself but it's so simple and so useful, a CAPTCHA verify on the form.

I see no spam on the forum armoured this way. Hope in future good news here, or Jeanette just showed the way to follow for lots of us.

You have all my support and if I am too critic is just because I care of this place.
Thanks

maybe because of the traffic here ....or maybe they get hits .. more then we think .

I thought the same some days ago. But I cannot imagine that (or I don't want to) - and the risk to catch a dialer is very high.
Maybe it is someone who is jealous for the popularity of this forum. But this is a stupid thought, I know.

Well, I am glad we are at least doing something about it. I have found it to be very annoying. I thought we were just trying to ignore it for some reason.

I find the spam to be a major annoyance but I delete it as is one of my duties to Drawspace and Brenda. its take a little time from time to time to delete it all but admin is right it has only gotten seriously out of control in the past few weeks. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they come up with a solution soon and keeping the faith as I work hard to make sure it is not on the site.

Admins and Brenda, just do what you have been trying to do and I for one will continue to help out with the spam. I think you all are doing a great job trying to figure out how to rid us ALL here at Drawspace from it.

Alright, who's clicking on those links, darn it!

Actually, whether anyone clicks on the links or not, I think it helps improve their google ranking by having a lot of links out there. Then if "people" do search google for certain keywords, their site shows up closer to the top of the list.

Thats why deleting the posts is important.

And again, a HUGE THANK YOU to Brenda, the admins and the mods for all the hard work they do in running this site.