Comments on: About those links

By: jay

jay — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:58:14 +0000

How should I report the multiple account spammers- they ASK a question, and then answer with a second account providing their spam link. Ex- where can I watch live NHL games on my computer? And then they answer with another account providing a link to their own site. I type in the report box that it is ‘Spam using multiple accounts to ask, and then answer with a second account’, but they are appealing the violation notices after I report them, and ****you are reinstating their spam answer****.

What is the proper way to report this so you as the yahoo answers team are aware that it is spam and don’t reinstate their answer?

By: AvGass

AvGass — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:41:48 +0000

I can’t stand it when people answer questions with a link to theirs.

So annoying.

By: Matt

Matt — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 19:13:21 +0000

A link blacklist is sorely needed – anyone that does any spam reporting could probably give the same “deadly dozen” of stefsclothes, ioffers and all those garbage dataing site redirects.

Come on Y!A, a bit of proactivity please!

Also, possibly using one of the honeypot or spam reporting systems to bar known abuse IPs would be good.

By: someone

someone — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 09:58:27 +0000

@ Joe:

That would pwn them.

Also, adding a spam blacklist prevents posting links to specific sites (and would stop spammers who post links to the same site over and over again.)

By: Oh Really!

Oh Really! — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 08:50:44 +0000

Disclaimer:
I don’t agree with that staff’s ruling on “Answer Manufacturing” at all, but there it is.

By: Oh Really!

Oh Really! — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 08:46:35 +0000

@ JG2

http://suggestions.yahoo.com/detail/?prop=answers&fid=144248

Question:
“Is Answer Manufactring Acceptable within the TOS and Commmnity Guidelines”

Answer:
by Yahoo! Answers employee Yahoo! Answers Team | 4 weeks ago

“This behavior is indeed a violation and is reportable.”

By: Joe

Joe — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 01:24:20 +0000

I think that level 1 should be disallowed somehow from posting links. This would pretty much end all spam on Y!A, since no spammer is going to want to labor their way to level 2. You already have limitations on users based on their level, adding this one would be a huge deterrent.

By: amblinal

amblinal — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 20:33:16 +0000

I have only recently begun reporting “Self promoting” references. I glad to know I was doing the right thing, since it was beginning to irritate me.

You have installed a new function that I do enjoy. It is the suggested questions. However, it has a few glitches in it. 1) already answered questions are given 2) deleted questions are given. The function has no purpose if these type of questions are delivered.

By: Ken E

Ken E — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:25:56 +0000

Recently I was suspended for a few days for an answer that included a link to Astrogeek’s site, which carries no advertising nor offensive material. Thanks to quick action by Lars I was back on board soon after. (Astrogeek’s comment is two or three above mine.)

Yes, I’m one of those trying to debunk the 2012 scare. I’m one of those who has been consistently thumbed down by an operator of multiple accounts. I’m one of those who has been suspended, almost certainly as a result of this holder of multiple accounts abusing the community moderation system. At one time I believe “he” had as many as 15 accounts and at least eight, which “he” consistently used to vote for his own answers.

Astrogeek and I are not the only ones to notice this fraud, other users in the science pages have noticed within a few days of opening accounts, a few have known about him for eight months or more.

I believe that this abuser is the person who impersonated me by leaving a comment on Astrogeek’s site. Astrogeek was good enough to contact me with this person’s IP address. A quick search revealed that this person lives in South Carolina or close to it, uses Bell South in Atlanta as an ISP and that “he” has associations that are not inconsistent with the answers given by the Y!A abuser.

I would suggest very strongly that you check the IP address, not the screen name of any person consistently reporting answers that are appealed and restored, particularly in the science and religion pages.

Happy Daze

Ken E

By: joreel

joreel — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:54:11 +0000

If you post a link that is not related to the particular topic.. it can be considered as a spam