Why aren't the forums behind login / password?

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Master of Master Baiters Joined: 26 Aug 2006 Posts: 577

I just double checked they're all accessible w/o login

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:09 am

Because a certain minority of 90% wanted it that way.

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:16 am

The idea is that by allowing the forums to be readable without login (and consequentially indexable by search engines), it makes them a useful point of reference for anyone (e.g. potential victims) looking for information about scams.
For example, if someone was suspicious of an email, put a chunk into google and found a copy in Surplus Letters, they'd probably have a look around the site/forums and realise that it was a scam.

If you want to make it so that something you write (such as a scammer's name) isn't searchable by google, you can do so with the mask tag, like this:

Code:

[mask]Charles Soludo[/mask]

Resulting in the following text (view the page source to see why it's not searchable):

However, mask only the bits you need, since masking consumes system resources.

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

Pointless, we might as well just send the lads a link to eater with every email we send out now, come on lads, come and see what's going on at eater without having to log in

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:20 am

It was the decided that the educational value of this site for the public in general and (potential) victims in specific greatly overwhelms the needs of individual baiters.

The 0.00001% precent of lads that might take 3 minutes to browse this site really don't matter.

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 26 Aug 2006 Posts: 577

I should have made this a pole. I'm w/ SP

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:25 am

I really don't think that we need to hide what's going on here. It's not like that the very few lads who find this site understand what we're doing.

If a baiter doesn't want to have their bait messed up by lads having access to the forums, I'd say it's up to them to either mask the appropriate details, or not post the bait until it's completed.

Anyway, it's not like there's any vetting procedure on who can register an account, so lads who want to see what we're doing can log in anyway.

If you think the forums should be log-in only, please outline the advantages in this. An advantage to having them open is that we might stop someone falling victim to a scam, and that's good enough for me.

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:27 am

Gotta agree with SP, the lads do sometimes talk and each one that finds the eater increases the chances of a current bait going sour. Goodbye lad, off to scam an unknowing victim. I know only a minority of lads do find this site but there is a large amount of anti 419 stuff online for victims/knowledge searchers anyway. Besides, how difficult is it to sign up to the forums anyway. I'ts free and for every new baiter that one less victim and another PITA for the lads

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:30 am

Before people talk their heads off, most of our forums where open to the public for almost three years without the lads catching on, bar exceptions.

They were slowly closed out, one after the other, for various other reasons, not lads.

The mods had a long internal debate about this. The re-opening of the forums is the result.

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:33 am

I think its better to stay with public access. Even if one potential victim is saved it will have been worthwhile.
If you don't want a bait ruined then either wait until its finished before you publish it or just use a different name each time with the scammer

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:36 am

A pole wouldn't have helped. Nor would a poll. It was a group discussion and decision by mods and admin. It was decided a bait was not worth a vic losing money. It's that simple.

As KD said, the information here is more important that a spoiled bait. If members publish their baits prematurely and the lad does a google, then that's the baiter's problem and not ours.

This site is suppose to be educational, as it is entertaining. Victims google lads names and fake banks which links here. Published baits is for general viewing because it's assumed it's finished. If you don't want to be busted, then wait until the bait is completed.

There is a mask button which you can use to hide particulars of your bait from prying eyes. You can also request word filters for specific modalities. There are alternatives to the narrow minded view of what's more important here.

kleindoofy wrote:

Before people talk their heads off

Not fair. I went to the bathroom and hadn't finished typing.

Edit: Here is the other discussion.

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:45 am

^^^^^

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 1:07 am

NN said

Quote:

A pole wouldn't have helped. Nor would a poll.

Now THATS educational........ Laughing

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 1:56 am

This is the best day of my 419eater membership. All the forums can be seen without logging in, except for the help and support forum. It's even more discreet than using the 'hidden' option. I'm so happy. Laughing

Poor scam patroller, now all the scammers will find out he is the 419eater resident grump Laughing

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

I think I may have been one of the 10% majority, but maybe I just count as a waffler- a few forums I wanted open, the rest closed, but not for the reasons stated.

I'll paraphrase the sentiments above- if you're publishing/posting something don't use the baiter name or use the mask function- if you lose a bait because of you did either of those two things, tough.

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:21 am

And don't mask the whole post just because you're lazy.

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 2301

Even if some lads find this site, it won't change the fact that they're still going to keep scamming, and we'll continue to bait them. For the small minority of lads who find this place, we won't get trophies, but the straight baiters will still have the same success. The risk is very small compared to the help these forums could provide for potential victims.

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 5:12 am

I can see both sides (waffler?). If we do what we do to help vics and having the forum "open" and it saves one vic, then we have done what we say we are doing this for.

Now I have to check all of my posts and see if I left anything on here that I don't want seen.

Don't mind me, I am just...

ParaNoid Shocked

I followed the advice given when I joined and I am only ParaNoid on this forum! Laughing

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 5:15 am

I can see both sides of the argument, and I tend to agree more with the open policy.

BUT.......It would be a bit of a choker if of the Sick Children thread found out what was going on. Is it possible to mask a whole thread like this until the bait is over? Maybe it could require mod permission, so it gets vetted first.

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 5:26 am

^^^
It would probably be easier to just move the thread to the Help forum, if a mod is inclined to do so. Wink

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 5:35 am

Or, even request a few word filters to hide specifics.

I'll move it to the help forum... leave a shadow here.

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 5:47 am

So, a question. If you didn't want the name of Allen Robert to be found, and you imply that it can be easily in other places, why would you post it here and mask it?

First, why post it here and add one more location were it is available?
Second, why mask it if it is visible elsewhere?
Third, if you are all so worried about lads in here, why mention it here at all. It means to me you aren't really that worried about it.

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 5:56 am

@ Dr Who

I masked it here just in case a mod/admin did mask the whole Sick Children thread, then the pond scum in question would not be visible here. Rolling Eyes

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 7:45 am

Rodus Longus wrote:

Besides, how difficult is it to sign up to the forums anyway.

A search-engine bot will find it rather difficult to sign up. But it's easy: If you don't want your lad to find out why not keeping threads like "W00t! Anyone else baiting Charles Soludo?" to yourself? Also you could read up on some baits and threads instead of posting your lad's scripted responses asking either "Am I cool or what?" or "What do I do next?" That would sort out 90 % of the cases. For the rest you could use the mask function (or why not even omit the name even if it's as hilariously funny and unique as "Heywood Jablowme"?).

Sorry, but while I can see that the occasional bait might be spoilt (we're talking less than 1:1000 here) open forums mean potential victims coming to this site, people visiting us just for a laugh who later spread the message to their friends and family. And educating the general public in my opinion has a faaaaar greater impact than any baiting activity. So the advantages outweigh the disadvantages a couple of times.

And TSnerd just wants to be different, that's ok, we still kinda like him. Very Happy

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 7:51 am

ParaNoid wrote:

I followed the advice given when I joined and I am only ParaNoid on this forum! Laughing

Very good point Wink

That was just shitty advice.

Unlike some of the comments here, I don't believe it was a mod/admin decision. I believe it is really a decision that shiver makes as he see's fit.

The important thing to note here people, is that the permissions of the forum may change from time to time, and change without notice. This could be because one person has requested it, or influenced by peoples comments or even influenced by data contained in the web logs.

It's good to see that people are still posting their own opinions and making some valid points. Wether or not this will influence any change in forum permissions, I don't know. I am certain that all things will be taken into consideration.

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