Can a person get flagged as a spammer if ....

Jump to Last Post 1-12 of 12 discussions (46 posts)
  1. profile image0
    sheilamyersposted 9 years ago

    Stupid question, but here goes. Can we get flagged by HP as a spammer if we report several spammers or spam questions/comments/etc within a short period of time. When I was going through the "answer" section, I found tons of spam and started flagging them, then decided just to go to the member profiles and report it that way. Should we limit the number of flags during any given period of time? I'm asking because I want to help keep HP cleaned up, but don't want to get myself into trouble.

    1. Christy Kirwan profile image89
      Christy Kirwanposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Hi sheilamyers,

      The short answer is nope! It's very helpful to us when you report spam, so we don't penalize Hubbers at all for doing it. Thanks for letting us know when you come across those pesky spammers. smile

      1. Venkatachari M profile image86
        Venkatachari Mposted 9 years agoin reply to this

        Thanks Christy Kirwan. And do one more favor. To get around pranksters who belittle or humiliate fellow hubbers with their abusive words.

      2. profile image0
        sheilamyersposted 9 years agoin reply to this

        Thanks Christy. Usually I don't see that much, but yesterday there were probably a couple of dozen spams in the "answers" section and posted within about 5 or 10 minutes.

    2. Sed-me profile image80
      Sed-meposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Ive started reporting spam too. I have no idea why. I think Im hoping they'll start a new category for the hub awards and I want to win "Sheriff of these here parts."

      1. DrMark1961 profile image95
        DrMark1961posted 9 years agoin reply to this

        Do you think you even stand a chance against Sheriff Relache?

        1. Sed-me profile image80
          Sed-meposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          I hadn't even thought of that. Maybe she would let me be her deputy. I could get her refills and stuff.

          1. DrMark1961 profile image95
            DrMark1961posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I was thinking about applying for deputy too but get nervous around her! I wonder if there is a hub award for King of the Hermits?

            1. Sed-me profile image80
              Sed-meposted 9 years agoin reply to this

              You wouldn't win... you have wet dogs to keep you company. That's better than 40% of us.

        2. relache profile image73
          relacheposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          I am in hysterics here.  I'm talking Tumblr-class hysterics.  That's priceless.

          1. Phyllis Doyle profile image93
            Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            This is great reading. Sheriff Relache -- I love it !

        3. janshares profile image93
          jansharesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Lol, so funny DrMark. yikes

      2. Millionaire Tips profile image90
        Millionaire Tipsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

        I am pretty sure there is an accolade for that.

        I have a question though - for those hubs that are coming from Squidoo that are under the grace period, will there be a way to identify them so we know that we just need to give them more time?  I'd hate to keep reporting hubs before they have had a chance to fix them.

        1. relache profile image73
          relacheposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          The lenses coming over that get the grace period are all content that has been vetted on the Squidoo end so as to be Featured, which meant the same thing on that end as it does on the HubPages end.

          What do you expect that is so fearful about this pre-approved content that you have to brace yourself and get ready to flag it?

          Everything else that comes over will go through QAP automatically.

          1. Millionaire Tips profile image90
            Millionaire Tipsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I was thinking about hubs with more than two links to the same source. Since that wasn't a rule on Squidoo, I expect to see more of those.

        2. Sed-me profile image80
          Sed-meposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          I don't police ppl's work, just spammers. Then I go around yelling, "Citizen's arrest! Citizen's arrest!"

      3. profile image0
        sheilamyersposted 9 years agoin reply to this

        ROFL!!!! If they gave out that award based on votes, I'd vote for you.

    3. Venkatachari M profile image86
      Venkatachari Mposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      A good job sheila myers. I hope you will report genuine cases, where no honest hubber may  get involved in such cases due to the spam commenters. Go ahead with the job and wish you all the best.

      1. profile image0
        sheilamyersposted 9 years agoin reply to this

        I don't flag anyone if it's only because I don't understand the question or if the same person posts multiple questions. All of the ones yesterday were statements and, when I clicked on them, the additional information was either an ad for some program or a few sentences making it sound like a mini-hub. I love when people ask all types of questions because it makes me sit there and think about many different topics and, most often, I learn something new.

    4. Phyllis Doyle profile image93
      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      We should have a contest to see who can flag the most spammers.  Seriously, Sheila, this is not a stupid question -- I have often wondered about this myself.  Thanks for bringing it up.

      1. relache profile image73
        relacheposted 9 years agoin reply to this

        Community policing and reporting work great but only when a site's payouts are running really high, and the users who shoulder all the work, spending hours per day reporting spam, feel their efforts are worth it and rewarded.

        But take away that money, and suddenly the site users aren't into doing work that they feel should be done by an employee.

        That's the reality of the spam situation on this website.

        1. Phyllis Doyle profile image93
          Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          I agree. Let's face it, we are all "Spammer Dammers". 
          Relache, what are those weird messages that make no sense at all? Are those Bots? What is a Bot?

  2. firstday profile image60
    firstdayposted 9 years ago

    Please do help her out since she is going to be really busy.  Are you going to have it delivered to her house?  Seriously, what kind of things are people spamming?  Was it long ago?  I have not seen any, however I am a newbie.

    1. Sed-me profile image80
      Sed-meposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Well, they spam their ware basically. Usually with a link or email address.
      They start out with a cut and pasted, or nonsensical post, or a heart wrenching story where they pour out the most personal details of their life and when someone responds, they wait a while... up to a few months... then send in another spammer who responds with the "solution to their love problems" or dry skin or what ever their product solves.

    2. profile image0
      sheilamyersposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Sed-me gave a very good explanation. The reason you might not be seeing that many spams in the "answer" section is because the people who work for HP usually remove them within minutes of them being reported.

  3. LindaSmith1 profile image60
    LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

    Again no.  I see they are sneaking in again.

  4. lisavollrath profile image93
    lisavollrathposted 9 years ago

    I LOVE flagging spam! I feel like the Spam Avenger every time I visit the answers section.

    1. profile image0
      sheilamyersposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      So now we have a Spam Sheriff and a Spam Avenger. Sounds like an interesting plot for a comic book.

  5. firstday profile image60
    firstdayposted 9 years ago

    DrMark1961 that's funny..LOL …however on the other flip side thank you Sed-me  so I don't fall for it. I don't think I would however now I know not to.  I am new on the street so it is good there is a sheriff also out there.  I miss Mayberry and Andy.

  6. LindaSmith1 profile image60
    LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

    When a hub, etc is reported, they are reviewed by a human.

  7. BritFlorida profile image71
    BritFloridaposted 9 years ago

    I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I read that it's assumed that work from Squidoo is inferior and reportable.

    I know, I'll just grin smile

    1. Venkatachari M profile image86
      Venkatachari Mposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Do neither. But you can pity.

    2. Millionaire Tips profile image90
      Millionaire Tipsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It is not assumed that the hubs coming over from Squidoo will be inferior and reportable, at least not by me, and it doesn't seem to the case for the OP.

      We already regularly report hubs that are inferior - it is a way to keep the quality up on the site.  There aren't a lot of employees, so when we come across something that doesn't seem right, we simply report them.  When we report something,it doesn't automatically get unpublished or whatever. The report gets sent to the moderator.  The moderator looks at it to see if there is a TOS violation, and if so, will take some action to inform the Hubber.

      My concern was that I didn't want to waste the moderator's time on hubs that are in the grace period when there are probably plenty of other hubs that they can moderate.

      1. Venkatachari M profile image86
        Venkatachari Mposted 9 years agoin reply to this

        Good thinking. We should not overburden the moderator. What we can do, and in our hands is that we can deny inappropriate and abusive comments appearing on the hubs or forums by simply disapproving them so that they will not appear to public on there. Through this means, we can clean much of them instantly and that is a good job too.

    3. profile image0
      sheilamyersposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I've read a lot of hubs lately and don't which ones are written by long time HP members and which are written by people coming over from Squidoo. There are good and bad no matter where you go or where you're from. I hope no one who has transferred their writing to HP ever gets frustrated by the few bad apples (previous HP members) who may be putting down the quality of writing only because they know the author is from Squidoo.

  8. LindaSmith1 profile image60
    LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

    LOL! BritFlorida

  9. profile image0
    LisaKeatingposted 9 years ago

    If relache is the Spam Sheriff, can I be the Grammar Police?

    1. Rochelle Frank profile image91
      Rochelle Frankposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Big Sister is watching you.

    2. Venkatachari M profile image86
      Venkatachari Mposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      And what about moral police? Shall I be the one?

    3. DrMark1961 profile image95
      DrMark1961posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      A lot of us could use a visit by the Grammar Police. I will vote for you if you promise to visit my hubs and point out the dangling participles.

      1. Writer Fox profile image31
        Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

        If your participle is dangling, I think there is a pill you can take for that.

        1. profile image0
          LisaKeatingposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Hmmm. Perhaps you just misplaced your modifier.

  10. misterhollywood profile image86
    misterhollywoodposted 9 years ago

    I've had that happen plus some know it alls.

  11. LindaSmith1 profile image60
    LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

    I don't hit spots like the hub hopper to look for spam.  But when it does pop up and staring me in the face, it only takes a few seconds to report it, so I report it.  Not long ago someone was spamming the forums.

    1. Writer Fox profile image31
      Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      People spam the forums everyday, especially in the hours before California wakes up.  It's reported everyday, but they keep coming back.  The links on the forum used to be followed links, so some people in the third world still don't know that they are no longer posting followed links here and that they are wasting their time.

  12. LindaSmith1 profile image60
    LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

    It has been awhile since I have done anything on here.  I am use to seeing the fake accounts, as I call them, that are for spam only.

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)