Maybe It's Time to Have a Blog Delay Function
I hate to say this, because it goes against the way TPM has always worked, but today's spam posts make me think that perhaps the way around them is to have a review of blog posts before they actually appear on the site. I know it would mean someone would have to take on that job, but the mess we have today will only get worse if there isn't a little problem-solving to counter-act it. So as to allow those who blog late at night, I have a suggestion. A committee of "Trusted Users," (which was a feature when I first came here several years ago). But those users could take shifts, doing the work of checking out the legitimacy of blogs vs spam -- obviously I am not talking about censorship; only spam elimination.
I don't know how many legitimate blogs go up in a typical day, but it really would only require someone checking the title, which would eliminate most of the tripe. Once they would get wise to that, a review of a para or two would let the management know if the blog was real or spam, and put it out there.
Any ideas on this?
I don't know how many legitimate blogs go up in a typical day, but it really would only require someone checking the title, which would eliminate most of the tripe. Once they would get wise to that, a review of a para or two would let the management know if the blog was real or spam, and put it out there.
Any ideas on this?
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I don't have any suggestions, but today's spam posts really are ridiculous and annoying. I've never seen them this bad before.
Hope your post stays visible long enough for people to see it...
July 24, 2009 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's already gone. I even rec'd it myself, which I don't normally, but I was hoping it would get seen. Thanks.
July 24, 2009 12:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Lately, it seems to me, the CAFE site hasn't seemed to be garnering much attention and/or consideration from the TPM overseers.
July 24, 2009 12:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed. I sent emails to talk@ and help@, and the spam is still there. I was only able to comment on one to report abuse -- they've now learned to disable comments, the mofo's. Pardon my language but I'm a tad bit pissed off.
Well, actually, I'm more than a tad bit...
July 24, 2009 12:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am seriously considering posting my angst over this issue on Josh's comment space on his main TPM page story.
I am beyond pissed - especially since this has been an issue that has been main topic for months - yet nothing done. Takes hourse to remove which is bizarre, since they can delete the posts and maintain the programming for follow up. Doing this is quick and easy. But no one can even get response ot acknowledgment from TPM.
July 24, 2009 1:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
In TPM's defense, once this blog appeared there were about 8 of the spam right AFTER it. It might look like the same ones, but I think they are continually blasting the site faster than they can stop it. That's why I'm thinking it might be better to have a filter where all the spam can pile up rather than be automatically published.
July 24, 2009 1:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're right about the posts appearing very fast. When I emailed TPM there was an entirely different list of spam posts by the time I sent the message. But Versha replied within a few minutes saying they'd been having internet problems at the office this morning and were now back in business. I see spam has been disappearing, but they haven't gotten all of it yet.
Late Breaking News: I just got another email from Versha. She's unpublished over 100 posts so far and disabled several accounts. They're considering disabling site registration again.
July 24, 2009 1:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is an attack that cannot be fixed manually. I've asked a Web producer pal for his opinion. Stay tuned.
July 24, 2009 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Versha says they might disable the auto-signup feature again, which may help.
July 24, 2009 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Your post is still on the list for TPMDC....
July 24, 2009 2:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Personally I don't really care that much since I built up a large list of people I follow and I mostly access the site that way, and no longer look at the Reader blog list very often.
But I gotta say that if they want people to spend time contributing quality content, they haven't really fixed the main problem since the primary.
That is: that relatively recent posts disappear into a neverland and are completely unaccessible if there is too much churn of new posts because their All Reader Posts page can only hold a limited number of posts and the ones that slip away past that arbitrary limit don't roll over to their weekly archive properly.
I just looked at the page for July 19-25 Reader Blogs, and it only has posts from July 24 11:07 am through 6:34 pm today:
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2009/07/19-week/
Where are all the other ones? That's the real problem.
If nobody was deleting the spam, you should still be able to see at least all of today's posts (including the spam) from today on the All Reader posts page, from the whole week there, but you can't.
If I was interested in reading and promoting Reader Blogs, that's where I would go to check out everything posted since I last visited, vote up stuff missed because of the churn caused by the spam (or churn on one topic.) But I can't because the system here is still screwy.
Back during the primary it was Hillary and Obama posts pushing other content away in nanoseconds and everyone whining about getting recommends so their stuff didn't disappear into the neverland. Now its spam. There isn't any difference as to the effect on getting new people to post quality things that take time.
The only people they'll attract to do thoughtful posts that take time is people cross-posting from their own blog, because the posting here is secondary. Nobody with a brain or a life that hasn't already gotten a fan base here is going to spend time writing up a good post with this system, they'll instead use it like Twitter to post quick unedited thoughts.
They were told that was a main problem by many people during the primary. One just has to presume that they aren't that interested, seeing that there's been no fix. Certainly I'm not, now that they offer a tracker in the dashboard, I'm happy with that, as I was never a big booster/believer in citizen journalism and prefer discussion with people interested in similar discussion. But just sayin', the money hasn't been put where the mouth is as far as pushing Reader Blogs is concerned. Churn is going to happen from time to time, whether it's spam or everyone wanting to put in two cents on the same hot topic. If they want variety and quality from Reader Posts, they have to build a place where people can see them if they want to, not a place where they threaten to disappear if not voted on by the small audience that is checking them every hour on the hour.
July 24, 2009 8:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
The loss of reader posts into the ether on a heavy posting day is a serious problem. I usually start my perusal of the day's blogs at the bottom of the list for that reason, as sooner or later, those are going to be the first ones to slip into the ether. I too, would really like to see a button to access 'older' posts at the bottom of the daily list of 30 or so most recent posts.
July 24, 2009 9:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. Maybe a daily list, (not including spam) that would include all blog-posts for the day, for those of us who have to come and go, and don't want to miss some perhaps, esoteric blogs that might interest us, but might not make it onto the recommended list.
July 24, 2009 10:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
As for the All Reader Blogs section, if they would put a character limit on the "above the fold" front page of posts more could be seen. (Some post pages long tomes that take up too much space. It doesn't take a paragraph or two to get the gist of an article.
July 25, 2009 1:03 AM | Reply | Permalink
I hate being a thick-head, but could you tell me which entries are spam? I have emailed versha about some of my posts that disappear within say, 8 hours or so, but she said, no, it had been 24 hours. I was half afraid they were being deleted for complaints as to content. Which ones are the spam? Thanks.
July 24, 2009 11:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Usually spam posts link directly to one or more commercial websites that sell products or services. I've seen spam for jewelry, gold, debt consolidation, and mortgages among these.
July 25, 2009 12:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
Most of the ones yesterday were for drugs - Viagra, various pain medications, anti-anxiety drugs, etc. They were very obvious. No one here advocates censorship. Here is a blog that showed some examples:
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/spiegelman/2009/07/im-new-here-is-this-a-hazing-r.php
July 25, 2009 8:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Two Observations:
First, on the page, below the masthead, there is what looks to me to be about 20 column inches of whitespace... (Just a guess). There were an additional seven entries of the big guys on the left. So, methinks, what would be so difficult about modifying the softwear to fill those c. 20 column inches with headers to reader blogs? I don't think it would take a Cambridge Degree.
Second, from the business model, I don't think it makes a lot of difference to TPM, sad to say. Every click generates ad revenue--and if people click because they're angry, and then blog because they're angry, and then write comments because they're angry, more clicks, more revenue. When legitmate advertisers begin to complain that others are shilling products for free we're likely to see more proactive work.
End of rant..I now return you to your regular channel. :-)
July 25, 2009 11:42 AM | Reply | Permalink