Registration Requirement

Posting Rules and Registration Requirements
Post Reply
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21419
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1293 times

Registration Requirement

Post by Gaybutton »

Folks, I'm forced to ask new registrants to send an Email to me, letting me know you're for real, before I can approve new registrations. What's been going on is a company based in Russia actually hires people to sit there and try to place multiple registrations on boards such as this. I spoke with Michael (formerly GayThailand) about this and he told me he has been plagued by the same problem. I really didn't understand the reason why they do this, but that's what they do. I get between 5 to 15 such registration attempts every day, sometimes even more than that.

Obviously, I don't approve them, but I have also had people who were trying to register legitimately here end up having to go through a rigmarole to get me to approve the registration.

The solution is for anyone who wishes to register here legitimately to go through the registration process. Once you're done, please send me an Email telling me you're legitimate. That way I'll know and won't delete the registration attempt.

The Russians never send an Email. That's why I am asking that new registrants do send me an Email.

[email protected]

It's always something!
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21419
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1293 times

Re: Registration Requirement

Post by Gaybutton »

After you register, make sure you log in at least once, even if you don't post anything. Otherwise, when I periodically do a sweep to rid the board of the phony registrations, your own registration will also be deleted. However, if you've logged in at least once, your registration will remain intact.
Moses

Re: Registration Requirement

Post by Moses »

Gaybutton wrote: I really didn't understand the reason why they do this, but that's what they do. I get between 5 to 15 such registration attempts every day, sometimes even more than that.
Ah, it is very easy to explain: it is about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) spam - they want links to their website from profiles at your forum. It is not human, but automatic registration: your forum is in their DB. 10-20 is normal and easy to filter. You are lucky - your forum still isn't in Chinese's or Indian's databases. They will register "members" by hundreds every day.
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21419
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1293 times

Re: Registration Requirement

Post by Gaybutton »

Moses wrote:You are lucky - your forum still isn't in Chinese's or Indian's databases. They will register "members" by hundreds every day.
Just what I need! I wish I knew what I could do besides what I'm already doing. At the moment I've got the board set so that I have to personally approve all registrations. I don't approve any registrations unless the registrant sends an Email to me confirming he's for real. I'm banning IP addresses. I'm banning specific Email sources. I'm doing "sweeps" of people, including the phonies, who registered, but never logged in after registering. The phonies can't get into the board, but they do end up in the database until I do a "sweep."

Despite all that, they're still coming in. Again, I apologize to those who were inconvenienced by what I am trying to do, but it does seem to be working fairly well. I started the IP address and Email bans last night (August 20). That day I received over 100 phonies and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Enough is enough. Since taking those additional steps, today I've received less than a dozen phony registrations so far, and that's dramatically less than usual.

Those who got caught up in this and received a "You've been banned" notice have been sending me messages to let me know they were among the victims. Every member who notified me has already had his access successfully restored.

Any member who did get the notice, please make sure to notify me by Email, and make sure to include your User Name in the Email. If you don't notify me, I won't know you were banned.

[email protected]
Post Reply