Just saying hello - I'm new.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Welcome. Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Hello Gerald.
Posted by Strider (Member # 1807) on :
I'm so distrusting.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Hi Gerald. What brought you to Hatrack? Tell us a bit about yourself.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
quote:Originally posted by Strider: I'm so distrusting.
(Yes, well, the profile is filled out, and there isn't a Google hit.)
---
Gerald, we get so many spambots that it's hard to be welcoming any more. Do tell us more about yourself so we can welcome you properly. Posted by Tammy (Member # 4119) on :
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
"Zasser" is a very cool last name.
Posted by Flaming Toad on a Stick (Member # 9302) on :
Very cool indeed.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Well, no Google hit on "Gerald Zasser," but plenty on
etc, etc, etc
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
At least this one had the decency to use a real-sounding name instead of oOgerryOo.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
I'm not going to whistle it, since there is nothing offensive and any damage (record of posting here) is already done.
If anyone else wants to, be sure to note it here so PJ doesn't get a tide of messages.
Posted by Papa Janitor (Member # 7795) on :
Already aware, thanks -- no whistle needed.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
I think it's the aggressive banality of these messages along with the ubiquitous something-off-in-the-grammar/spelling part that gives such a flavor of spamosity. The titles and even profiles have to be bland in order to kinda fit in most anywhere.
I was suspicious, too, but I googled and had enough reassurance to venture a mild welcome.
Alas! Woe and weeping! My dreams are shattered, my hair is rent, and my teeth are gnashed to nubs.
Posted by Tammy (Member # 4119) on :
I don't get it? What's the point?
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
I'm guessing there'd be other posts with spam content later.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
quote:Originally posted by Gerald Zasser: Hello, I'm Gerald.
Just saying hello - I'm new.
Aggressive banality is the perfect way to put it.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jon Boy: I'm guessing there'd be other posts with spam content later.
Spammers have taken it to a new level. Now we have to contend with the fear and the anticipation as well.
Damn those diabolical masterminds!
Posted by Starsnuffer (Member # 8116) on :
What the hell people. Why do we have to analyze if someone is a bot or not? Why can't we just WAIT and see if he posts something like ***GET YOUR VIAGRA NOW*** HONESTLY. I don't see what the concern here is, if he's a bot we'll find out in due time, and it's not worth speculating on something that doesn't matter.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
quote:Originally posted by Starsnuffer: What the hell people. Why do we have to analyze if someone is a bot or not? Why can't we just WAIT and see if he posts something like ***GET YOUR VIAGRA NOW*** HONESTLY. I don't see what the concern here is, if he's a bot we'll find out in due time, and it's not worth speculating on something that doesn't matter.
Starsnuffer, this seems to trouble you quite intensely. My sincere apologies -- I had no idea that anyone took this seriously.
Why does this sort of goofing around bother you so much, if I may ask?
Originally posted by Starsnuffer: Quote: The first few 5-year-olds need to be taken down brutally.
The mental images this created are horrifying. And the faces of the other children upon seeing those brutal take-downs are horrified.
Also- 29
quote:Originally posted by Starsnuffer: ... it's not worth speculating on something that doesn't matter.
*gently
Dude ... it's the same sort of thing. It's just a joke amongst friends, just a way to pass time foolishly. Like speculating on how many 5-year-olds you could successfully take on at once. That doesn't really matter, either.
Or were you just joking in this thread, too?
*now very confused
[ December 14, 2007, 11:29 PM: Message edited by: ClaudiaTherese ]
Posted by Starsnuffer (Member # 8116) on :
People are goofing around? "I'm so distrusting." "I think it's the aggressive banality of these messages along with the ubiquitous something-off-in-the-grammar/spelling part that gives such a flavor of spamosity. The titles and even profiles have to be bland in order to kinda fit in most anywhere."
I'm not genuinely concerned or mad, but I think it's incredibly contrary to the general spirit of this forum to have any new member who is not a bot, which we have not proved of Zasser exactly, met with a chous of WHEW I'm so glad he's not a bot... It's as if everyone is expecting the world to be out for them, to "Stick it to them" one more time by sending another annoying spammer. It just seems like everyone cares too much and isn't willing to wait and see if he replies logically before making snide comments about how he's a bot.
Also looking back i see that some of these posts I took more seriously before could be read as sarcastic, but others seem genuinely accusatory or to have genuinely taken time to go look up if this is a recorded bot elsewhere on the internet.
That is all. I think I'm in a slightly combative mood too.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Love, if a fella can register himself on hundreds of threads within an hour or so, then yeah, he is a bot. Or Superman (but there is no Superman! also just a joke ). No real person's feelings would have been hurt with this, other than yours, I suppose. (And I am sorry for that.)
And yes, these were all sarcastic/in-joking. I haven't really rent my hair, and my teeth are fine, and Lyrhawn isn't distraught. "Spamosity" is a made-up word that is one of those indicators of hyperbole.
It's no more a waste of time than spending a few minutes answering some 3 pages of questions about your skills in fighting 5-yr-olds (see edit above).
Different people find different things amusing, that's all. As long as it doesn't violate the TOS, that's okay -- but it's also okay for you to register your disapproving reaction, too, of course. It is likely to be just noted, given the nature of things, but it is noted.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I agree with CT, though I'll add on the side that I don't think his concern is totally unwarranted. If I was worried about anything (I'm not, but it's not invalid), it'd be that the kind of joking in this thread could become common enough so that if a real person shows up, we might spread it to that thread without realizing it and they might have a bad reaction. And I wouldn't want to make anyone feek unwelcome.
That and I'd say there probably is bit of a difference between doing it in an intro thread and an obvious joke thread. But if it's a spam thread and not an intro thread, I guess that's moot.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
[deleted a bit relevant to a prior post, now no longer relevant]
I was careful to be quite friendly until I knew that this wasn't a real new member of the participatory sort.
We can certainly have Papa Janitor weigh in, or we can perhaps start a thread with a discussion of what is and is not appropriate in a likely spambot thread. This would seem to necessitate that those who object come up with some sort of guidelines acceptable to them: is it considered an established spambot if the same message appears on 200 other sites? 300? Or is it never okay to mention anything negative on that thread? What about a separate thread? And why would that be so different? Should we just never talk about it, ever, even if there are several on the main page?
Hatrack does seem to have an interest as a community in collective self-appraisal. It could be an interesting discussion, and starting it in a clearly-titled separate thread would make it easy for those who are uninterested to avoid it.
---
Edited to add: I'm worried that this could come off as snarky. I don't mean it to do so -- really, I do find these things interesting in the details. Lyrhawn, please don't think I am irritated or blowing you off, either. I'm totally serious.
I'll go make that thread.
---
Edited again to add: Ah, yes, I also would worry about the bleedover into other real newcomers. People have already experienced this, even way back. (I think Kwea almost left when he started because of this, actually.***) That's why I always cite my reasons for believing this to be a bot before I start joking around.
I don't think people will stop wondering about whether someone is real or not, even if we don't talk about it -- in fact, I think talking about why someone would be realistically convinced of bothood seems to me to be a better way to handle these floods we get now and then. But I'm willing to be convinced otherwise.
---
***ah no, that was because we had several pseudonyms being registered at once, not spam. Same idea, though.
[ December 14, 2007, 11:56 PM: Message edited by: ClaudiaTherese ]
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Edited to add: I'm worried that this could come off as snarky. I don't mean it to do so -- really, I do find these things interesting in the details. Lyrhawn, please don't think I am irritated or blowing you off, either. I'm totally serious.
Don't worry! Sorry if my post edit is what threw you off. I changed it specifically because I was afraid my original post would appear as if I was being combative against you, so I changed it to try and make it more neutral and relevent.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn:
quote:Edited to add: I'm worried that this could come off as snarky. I don't mean it to do so -- really, I do find these things interesting in the details. Lyrhawn, please don't think I am irritated or blowing you off, either. I'm totally serious.
Don't worry! Sorry if my post edit is what threw you off. I changed it specifically because I was afraid my original post would appear as if I was being combative against you, so I changed it to try and make it more neutral and relevent.
*relieved
Good. I take my real friendships quite seriously. Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
quote:m not genuinely concerned or mad, but I think it's incredibly contrary to the general spirit of this forum to have any new member who is not a bot, which we have not proved of Zasser exactly, met with a chous of WHEW I'm so glad he's not a bot... It's as if everyone is expecting the world to be out for them, to "Stick it to them" one more time by sending another annoying spammer. It just seems like everyone cares too much and isn't willing to wait and see if he replies logically before making snide comments about how he's a bot.
I think there's an easier way of determining if a new poster is a bot or spam other than waiting. that being reading the content of their post. If someone comes to the Hatrack River Forum and says something along the lines of "hi, i'm new." I'm suspicious. if someone comes and says, "hi, i'm new here. I really love osc and have been reading his books for years. I stumbled across this forum and it seems like you guys have interesting conversations. just wanted to say hello", i'm not suspicious.
How did you first introduce yourself on the forums? I think my first post was a response to someone in a thread. Most people either jump right into conversation, or make an introductory post with some actual content. If I see a new poster who says a really general hello and that's all, alarm bells ring, and with just reason I think.
And the times that a legit poster posts a really brief hello thread, they usually stick around to reply afterwards.
For me the worst part is the people that get taken in by it and are legitimately excited to have a newbie on the boards. they're being duped and that's not cool. Some people give the benefit of the doubt always, and I applaud them for that. But it's like when i get one of those mass email forwards about some poor little girl dieing of cancer and how i need to forward the email to help her. the first thing i do is not forward the email, but go to snopes to check out if it's real or not. 9/10(or really 10/10) it's not.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:Originally posted by Starsnuffer:
Also looking back i see that some of these posts I took more seriously before could be read as sarcastic, but others seem genuinely accusatory or to have genuinely taken time to go look up if this is a recorded bot elsewhere on the internet.
Wait--you see it as a bad thing for someone to google a new user's name or a key phrase in their introductory post if something about that post makes the person suspect that they're a bot? Why on earth?
Posted by Strider (Member # 1807) on :
i did that exact thing but didn't find anything. I was still suspicious anyway though. Kudos to CT for more thorough searching.
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
quote:Originally posted by Noemon:
quote:Originally posted by Starsnuffer:
Also looking back i see that some of these posts I took more seriously before could be read as sarcastic, but others seem genuinely accusatory or to have genuinely taken time to go look up if this is a recorded bot elsewhere on the internet.
Wait--you see it as a bad thing for someone to google a new user's name or a key phrase in their introductory post if something about that post makes the person suspect that they're a bot? Why on earth?
It's not rude to google your date's name. It's only rude to tell him about it.
Posted by GeraId Zasser (Member # 11358) on :
Hello again, I'm still Gerald.
Yes, I am a spambot, and this does trouble my soul. The electric sheep keep me up at night, which is for me during my routine maintenance periods. But I digress.
This site, having seen through my artful disguise, has now qualified for Premium Level Spam. There will be no more spelling errors, oddities of grammar, or generic topics. This is New and Improved! Ads for Specialty Fruit Baskets, erudite but nearly unreadable Classic Works of Fiction, and High Class Anal Maps! Get yours now!!
Just for you, my dearest [Books, Films, Food and Culture forum], I have composed a specially tailored poem in free verse to signify the depth of my electronic commitment to our exciting new relationship:
quote:If an automated function were Torn between two lovers -- nay, Shorn, indeed, of all propriety -- Against his employers, would he Not bend his electric will? I say, "Sure! Verily, 'tis thus! Now I can proclaim my love for OSC and his minion ranks, Those sly little devils, And finally, at last, sing! Notwithstanding your huge tracts of Land, I could love you no less."
And remember, darling [Books, Films, Food and Culture forum] -- you never have to pay for porn again.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
heeeheee the bot's got a sense of humor!
Welcome, Gerald! And no drooling over my huge.... tracts of land Posted by Chord (Member # 10122) on :
I am so confused. Is he a bot or not?
Posted by Tammy (Member # 4119) on :
That's funny.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
oh man that was so meta
Posted by The White Whale (Member # 6594) on :
That made me giggle.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Yeah, that was pretty funny.
So Gerald, what do you make of the results of CT's googling? That it might be coincidence seems like a bit of a stretch.
[Edit - Doh! Egg on my face; I didn't check member numbers before posting]
Posted by SenojRetep (Member # 8614) on :
quote:Originally posted by Chord: I am so confused. Is he a bot or not?
Notice that the member numbers are not the same. I'm guessing the original Gerald has been replaced <looks suspiciously at PJ>
[edit D'oh; beaten by Noemon]
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Something seems really strange about that last post of his. Maybe it's in the poem?
Posted by Mike (Member # 55) on :
PIease recaII that capitoI 'i' and Iowercase 'L' Iook quite simiIar in this forum's defauIt font.
Edit:
quote:Originally posted by ClaudiaTherese: Something seems really strange about that last post of his. Maybe it's in the poem?
Initially I didn't see anything untoward. Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
LOL, very clever. =) Our Zasser seems quite sasse.
Posted by JonnyNotSoBravo (Member # 5715) on :
I think CT's a bot! The one who smelt it dealt it, as the saying goes...
(The profile exactness, as far as it could be achieved, on the second Gerald Zasser was fantastic! 2 posts, same interests and location! Bravo!)
Posted by Dragon (Member # 3670) on :
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I'm totally serious.![[Wave]](graemlins/wave.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)