# Am I considered a spammer?



## reveal (Feb 25, 2005)

I read the thread about the "emergency spam" option and I think I am considered a spammer, although I don't know why.

I created a Dukes of Hazzard thread in Off-Topic and every post I make in there is considered spam. The latest one is at http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=2061282&postcount=29. It's really irritating because, AFAIK, I don't spam the site. Heck, other folks are posting in that thread too.   :\


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## Kelleris (Feb 25, 2005)

Two posts from you in that thread list just a link to RPGnow and the Wizards site.  Don't know what's going on there, is that part of the anti-spam software?


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## Morrus (Feb 25, 2005)

The spam software automatically bans spammers.  Since you've just posted, we can conclude that it doesn't think you're a spammer.


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## reveal (Feb 25, 2005)

Kelleris said:
			
		

> Two posts from you in that thread list just a link to RPGnow and the Wizards site.  Don't know what's going on there, is that part of the anti-spam software?




This thread http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=121497 makes it look like that is supposed to happen if you are a spammer.


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## reveal (Feb 25, 2005)

Morrus said:
			
		

> The spam software automatically bans spammers.  Since you've just posted, we can conclude that it doesn't think you're a spammer.




Well that's good.  Then I wonder what's causing that... It only seems to be in that thread.


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## Darkness (Feb 25, 2005)

Please give us a few more details to work with.

What did you try to do, specifically, and what did happen instead?


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## reveal (Feb 25, 2005)

Darkness said:
			
		

> Please give us a few more details to work with.
> 
> What did you try to do, specifically, and what did happen instead?




Not a problem.

I started this thread: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=122343

If you look at all my posts except the last one, they have all been edited. That is because, starting at around 1:13pm CST, my original post, and every other post I made, was changed to a link to RPGNow and Wizards of the Coast. If I edited the post, I could edit my original text. I just submitted and it would revert back to its original text and stay that way.

The last post I made in that thread still has the RPGNow and Wizards of the Coast links. I figured I wouldn't change those, just in case.

Edit: Apparently, the links have now changed to Google and Sovellior and Sage SRD. They seem to be rotating.


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## Knight Otu (Feb 25, 2005)

reveal said:
			
		

> Edit: Apparently, the links have now changed to Google and Sovellior and Sage SRD. They seem to be rotating.



Just noticed that - which is interesting, 'cause these two are in my "My Links" menu...


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## Darkness (Feb 25, 2005)

Thanks for the clarification. 

Hm. Your last post in that thread now looks like this to me:



> Google
> Sovellior and Sage SRD



 (These are links to these sites, not just text, but I'm too lazy to post the correct code.)

However, if I click edit post, it shows me the post actually consists of this:







> Khayman said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




That's _very_ strange indeed.
Is it possible that the boards just display the information from someone else's post instead of your own? Hm. Still, considering that it's always links, that might not be what's up.


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## Darkness (Feb 25, 2005)

Knight Otu said:
			
		

> Just noticed that - which is interesting, 'cause these two are in my "My Links" menu...



That's an interesting piece of information. Maybe the "My Links" data is leaking into the boards for some reason? Sounds like a job for Michael.


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## reveal (Feb 25, 2005)

Darkness said:
			
		

> However, if I click edit post, it shows me the post actually consists of this:




Hey! Who said you could edit my posts?! 

Seriously though, thanks for looking into this. It's just strange. It really only seems to affect that one thread. Huh...


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Feb 25, 2005)

Maybe posting too many links in a single thread has something to do with it? Just throwing out ideas...


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## reveal (Feb 25, 2005)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> Maybe posting too many links in a single thread has something to do with it? Just throwing out ideas...




It's possible but I only posted the initial link. Maybe one is to many...


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Feb 25, 2005)

reveal said:
			
		

> It's possible but I only posted the initial link. Maybe one is to many...



 Have you posted many threads today that were just with a link in them? Though it seems like the spam killer was only supposed to kick in if you have less than 50 posts...


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## Knight Otu (Feb 25, 2005)

Darkness said:
			
		

> However, if I click edit post, it shows me the post actually consists of this:




I'm seeing the same thing quoting reveal's post, and the Topic Review also shows the correct post.



> That's an interesting piece of information. Maybe the "My Links" data is leaking into the boards for some reason? Sounds like a job for Michael.



Must be something like that - it's the same right down to the double l. Wait a minute, I'll try changing my My Links...


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## Knight Otu (Feb 25, 2005)

Knight Otu said:
			
		

> Must be something like that - it's the same right down to the double l. Wait a minute, I'll try changing my My Links...




Definitely mine...


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## reveal (Feb 25, 2005)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> Have you posted many threads today that were just with a link in them? Though it seems like the spam killer was only supposed to kick in if you have less than 50 posts...




My posts with links in the last 4 days:

The 22nd - Posted 2, one with link and text in the body and one with simply a link
The 23rd - Posted 1 with simply a link
The 24th - Posted 2 with simply a link in each
The 25th - Posted 1 with a link and text in the body


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## reveal (Feb 25, 2005)

I just posted something in the thread and the correct text is showing. Maybe it's fixed now?


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## Darkness (Feb 25, 2005)

BTW, when I look at that thread, IE mentions there are "errors on the page," which is not normally the case in EN World.


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## Michael Morris (Feb 25, 2005)

That was just me testing to see if the rel="nofollow" script would work.  I just using links off the top of my head.  Netscape tester is my test account for times when I need to see what the display looks like to registered users as opposed to admins (yes, there are slight differences).


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## Knight Otu (Feb 26, 2005)

For your interest, (Psi)SeveredHead is having the same problem. The post also first showed RPGNow and Wizards, and after I viewed it in single post mode and refreshed, it now shows my "My Links" again.

Could someone with a "My Links" menu try the same, perhaps?


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## Piratecat (Feb 26, 2005)

Clearly there's a bug in an otherwise very cool anti-spam feature. There's no way that should be happening to you.

I'll alert Michael.


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## Michael Morris (Feb 26, 2005)

The spam routine doesn't edit posts - it kills them outright.  Some other section of the code is responsible for this (though it wouldn't surprise me if installing the spambot is the cause for it's break).

To further complicat matters - I followed the links in question and they appeared ok.


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## Knight Otu (Feb 26, 2005)

This is what (Psi)'s and reveal's posts looks like for me at the moment:



> Wizard's Boards
> Nothingland
> Vbulletin.org
> 8-bit Theatre
> The Admin Zone


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## Piratecat (Feb 26, 2005)

Okay, those are web sites that Michael spends a lot of time at. 

He's off having fun at family things today - he'll tackle it when he's back.


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## Ashwyn (Feb 27, 2005)

Piratecat said:
			
		

> Okay, those are web sites that Michael spends a lot of time at.



Does that mean that he is merging his consciousness with ENWorld? I'm scared.


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## Michael Morris (Feb 27, 2005)

Don't be, and no I'm not.

Back to the point at hand - I'll get to this bug shortly.  Understand that the spambot isn't the cause of this problem as reveal is WELL beyond the check threshhold.


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## Gez (Feb 27, 2005)

I've looked at Psi's posts in Otu's link.



			
				Psi as displayed said:
			
		

> RPGNow
> Wizards of the Coast






			
				Psi as quoted said:
			
		

> If the FX classes are anything like the FX classes in the D20 Modern corebook, no it won't. They'll dominate, just like in Midnight and Wheel of Time.






			
				The whole and full integrality of my 'My Links' menu said:
			
		

> Creature Catalog


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## Gez (Feb 27, 2005)

And now for Reveal's link in the OP:


			
				As displayed said:
			
		

> Battlegrounds






			
				As quoted said:
			
		

> You probably could do a decent job of it using the stunt driving rules from d20 Modern.




My links still only has the CC.


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## Knight Otu (Feb 27, 2005)

Gez said:
			
		

> And now for Reveal's link in the OP:
> 
> My links still only has the CC.



Look at reveal's link again. I'm now seeing a link to the CC in his post.

Apparently, those posts only take over the "My Links" of the one looking at it when he looks at it in single post mode.


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## Darkness (Feb 27, 2005)

Knight Otu said:
			
		

> Apparently, those posts only take over the "My Links" of the one looking at it when he looks at it in single post mode.



I'll have to try that; my "My Links" thingie is empty.

*tries*

Ok, it doesn't display my nonexistant links list. Instead, it links to rpgnow and wotc.


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## Gez (Feb 27, 2005)

Maybe it displays the "My Links" menu of the last person (before yourself) that have seen the post. Hence Otu seeing my "My Links"...

Shoot that, I just looked at it and it displays Creature Catalog.


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## reveal (Feb 27, 2005)

I really appreciate everyone looking into this. 

On that note, it seems to be spreading to my other posts. This thread was started a few days ago and my posts were changed. I edited my second post to get the link back up. 

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=122070


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## Michael Morris (Feb 28, 2005)

Ok, who's experienced this?

Is it in all posts or only in posts that start threads?

Is it occuring after a post is editted?

What are the links that are being inserted?


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## Darkness (Feb 28, 2005)

Michael Morris said:
			
		

> Ok, who's experienced this?



 I've seen it in reveal's and PsiSeveredHead's posts, but it fortunately doesn't happen to my own posts.







> Is it in all posts or only in posts that start threads?



 It's not limited to posts that start threads.







> Is it occuring after a post is editted?



 I think editing sometimes fixes it but I'm not sure if it's reliable.







> What are the links that are being inserted?



 Links from (random?) people's "My Links" section. Knight Otu tested it.


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## Darkness (Feb 28, 2005)

For example:

This post consists actually of the following:







> http://www.super-baris.com/ep3/



 However, that's not what shows up in the thread. If I understand you correctly that you can't see the problem, see attached screen shot for details. (Note: Screen shot is of view single post. The problem isn't limited to that viewing option, though.)


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## reveal (Feb 28, 2005)

Michael Morris said:
			
		

> Ok, who's experienced this?




Not sure who else besides me.



> Is it in all posts or only in posts that start threads?




It doesn't matter whether it's a thread starter or simply a post in a thread. But it seems to only happen to me in threads that I start.



> Is it occuring after a post is editted?




It just happens. If I edit, the post reverts back to normal.



> What are the links that are being inserted?




They change. The posts before this one tell you some of the links.


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## Darkness (Feb 28, 2005)

reveal said:
			
		

> it seems to only happen to me in threads that I start.



The same is not true of PsiSeveredHead, by the way. It happened to him in a thread started by The Shaman.


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## Michael Morris (Feb 28, 2005)

Well, this is one of those damn ghost bugs that is striking for weird reasons.  If I can't figure it out by friday I'm going to have to shut the boards down and rebuild the code base from scratch.  This will take about three days.  Unfortunately, it's mandatory, as a random bug could be indicative of a much larger problem.


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## Michael Morris (Feb 28, 2005)

Ok, I've completely uninstalled mylinks.  This should prompt a parse or mysql error when this bug strikes again.  Please E-mail me IMMEDIATELY if this occurs at Bill.Gates@microsoft.com except you should use mlmorr0 instead of Bill.Gates and uky.edu instead of microsoft.com


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## Cyberzombie (Feb 28, 2005)

Well, that explains where My Links went to.    Weird bug!


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## Michael Morris (Mar 1, 2005)

Cyberzombie said:
			
		

> Well, that explains where My Links went to.    Weird bug!




Yes, very.  I don't remember ever writing in a str replace call that referrenced that field that way, so to say I was stuptified is an understatement.

It's also prompted me to put a freeze on further feature additions until 100% stability (or at least much closer to it than we currently have) is achieved.


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