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Truestar
Moderator
Joined: 10 Sep 2005
Posts: 807
Location: New York, United States
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 Posted: 5/6/2007, 10:19 am Post subject: Marking as Troll versus Banning |
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I've installed a Troll Modification in which you can mark a user as a Troll. This MOD does various things as described below:
| Code: |
## MOD DESCRIPTION
## This is a combination of Miserable User Mod and extra features plus a
## cookie system, basically to make life miserable for trolls.
##
## What happens (adaptation of the Miserable User Mod):
## In all cases everything is really slowed down. I've chosen between 5 and 30
## seconds but that is already infuriating. You can easily change that time.
##
## 50% of the time the forum software "messes up", by sending them mysteriously
## to the index page, giving a blank screen, "hanging" the computer or
## giving strange error messages.
##
## The other 50% of the time they can do what they want (still delayed of course)
##
## The Troll Mod adds extra trouble within the 50% of pages that do work:
## Login: This only succeeds half the time, the other half of the time error
## messages are shown (i.e. only 1 in 4 logins succeed)
## Posting, PM and Email: This gives error messages half the time, the other
## times it only appears to succeed but in fact nothing is posted or sent.
## (i.e. only 25% of the attempts seem to work)
##
## Cookie system
## A troll who logs in will get a cookie.
## If there is a cookie, that person is a troll, whether that person is logged
## in or not.
## If the cookie no longer matches the database (i.e. the admin has re-set the
## troll flag) the cookie is removed.
##
## * A troll who is just browsing as guest, is still treated as a troll
## * A troll who comes to your house and uses your computer to log in, will set
## the cookie, so the next time it will look like he messed up your computer
## * A troll who has made a new account will still be seen as troll based on
## the cookie of the old account
## * The ADMIN can un-set the troll flag to remove cookies when the ex-troll
## (or misfortunate friend) visits the board. They do not need to log in
## for the cookie to be removed, a visit is enough.
##
## The only way to get round the system, is to remove cookies, and make a new account
## and behave (to prevent the ADMIN from setting the new account to troll).
##
## Usage
## Users can be marked as Trolls via the User Management in the ACP. Further,
## Trolls are identified on the ACP Index (names and total number) below the Users
## Online table. |
Now, I had a member who started causing some trouble on my forum, so I marked him as a Troll in place of banning him. I visited another forum and found him posting and expressing his anger about how he couldn't get on my website, and how he tried 3 computers etc.
So I know this MOD is very efficient, however, would you rather ban, or mark someone as a Troll? In which times do you think one is more efficient than the other?
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Truestar
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Patrick
Administrator
Joined: 28 Aug 2005
Posts: 2212
Location: Harbinger, NC, U.S.A.
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| Posted: 5/7/2007, 9:41 am Post subject: |
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I am considering installing a similar hack (or maybe it's that one... could very well be) on my sites in the future. My procedure for using it will be something like this: everyone will first be straight banned (although, I have to give this thought, in extreme cases, I might use it on the first occurrence - for example, if I run a Bad Boy fan site and someone joins and their first post is "Bad Boy sucks" and that's it). But, if they come back and create a second account to get around the ban, they will then be a candidate for marking as a troll. I'm thinking about it, anyway.
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Thoul
Joined: 14 Sep 2005
Posts: 169
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| Posted: 5/7/2007, 11:25 am Post subject: |
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Honestly, I don't see the point of it. If someone has been a troll, I don't want to get into it with them by calling them names. I would just ban them and be done with it.
Now, with that said, I have to say that the description of the cookie feature looks interesting. I would be interested in using something like that with the banning system. I may have to look into that.
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Truestar
Moderator
Joined: 10 Sep 2005
Posts: 807
Location: New York, United States
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| Posted: 5/7/2007, 12:11 pm Post subject: |
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Hey Thoul,
I think I may have not cleared up enough, when marking users as a troll its not to the community, its more of an administration thing. Instead you have a list of trolls, its not posting publicly and saying, "Here are some trolls."
Hope that clears it up. 
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Truestar
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bonelifer
Joined: 12 Sep 2005
Posts: 44
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| Posted: 5/9/2007, 7:15 pm Post subject: |
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Basically this mod makes using the site a nightmare for them. They could have a FIBER internet connection and it would seem to them that they were connecting to your site via 28.8 modem. They never get to the screen they want because of all the fake errors. No one but Administrators know that the person is set to troll. Also there isn't a description field. You're mistaking this for a BANLIST mod. The purpose of this mod is to make trouble makers go away after thinking the site doesn't work for them anymore.
That being said, it's a technique that should be used wisely(sparingly). If the person you mark as troll keeps their cookie completely culled then this one isn't going to be effective. They'll eventually figure out that every time they login it's putting a tracking cookie. That being said it should work for the majority of bad users. The great thing is that if they move to a different computer and login it will set a cookie on that computer and they will never know the difference.
Therefore it really is down to the way you use the mod as to its effectiveness. |
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Dog Cow
Joined: 28 Mar 2007
Posts: 90
Location: USA
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| Posted: 5/29/2007, 1:52 pm Post subject: |
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It's a fun mod. I installed it on a test board at home and amused myself with it for a few minutes.
I'd never install it on my site, though.
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