Spam & Junk on HubPages - Do You Actively Fight It or Just Say 'Meh'

1. 73

   Kangaroo_Jaseposted 13 years ago

   I have come across a **itload of spam in the forums recently, and a few as Hubs, now obviously its not anything new, and it most likely comes in ebbs and flows.
   
   But what do you do about it Hubbers?
   
   Do you zing it and nip it in the bud? Or just say 'meh' and float on through to the next hub / forum post?
   
   What say you....

   replyreport
2. 63

   SunSevenposted 13 years ago

   Use the report button when you see them.
   Best Regards

   replyreport
3. 94

   Susana Sposted 13 years ago

   If I see it I report it because I think too much spam on HP would devalue the site. I especially like that you can flag a hubber profile now, so those that sign up just to spam can get dealt with sharpish.

   replyreport
4. 73

   Kangaroo_Jaseposted 13 years ago

   Heya ladies,
   
   Oh I do I do, if I hit that button anymore, its going to go into meltdown.
   
   I know I haven't been here that long, but have seen a heck of a lot of new profiles pop up recently just to spam the forums.

   replyreport
5. 80

   Uninvited Writerposted 13 years ago

   I flag it when I see it.
   
   If someone...like this morning...posts several spam posts HubPages will notice the pattern and delete them all, and hopefully the user...

   replyreport
6. 95

   thooghunposted 13 years ago

   I fight them with every inch of my being. I will prevail.

   replyreport
7. 0

   Website Examinerposted 13 years ago

   I report them too.

   replyreport
8. 74

   lorlie6posted 13 years ago

   Absolutely report the cr*p, every time.

   replyreport
9. 74

   Richieb799posted 13 years ago

   Its Phishers I hate, and viruses..spammers are like the scoundrels of online crime

   replyreport
10. 73

    relacheposted 13 years ago

    I fall into the "actively fight it" category.
    
    I also alert admin to site users who are younger than the TOS requires, which is clear a lot of others don't do given how many answers the kids get in the Q&A section or followers on their profiles.

    replyreport
    1. 0

       ralwusposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I'm with you there girl!

       replyreport
11. 0

    Nelle Hoxieposted 13 years ago

    I actively fight it. And I also report underage Hubbers.
    
    I don't check out the Q&A section often, so I wasn't aware of the kids showing up there.
    
    I try to spend a bit of time every day hub hopping and checking out new hubs. And I report all spam emails and spam comments.

    replyreport
12. 63

    Mishaposted 13 years ago

    Depends on my mood

    replyreport
    1. 63

       Mishaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Jam and spank, jam and spank

       replyreport
    2. 63

       SunSevenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Often

       replyreport
       1. 63

          Mishaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Hi SunSeven, it's nice to see you back on forums

          replyreport
          1. 63

             SunSevenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             Thanks Mishka, Its weekend here, so I am free. Lately, I was thinking about sending you a mail regarding some online stuff.
             
             Best Regards

             replyreport
13. 80

    LeanManposted 13 years ago

    I Report comments and obvious hubs that are spam.... Seen quite a few hubs that are borderline spam, just a few long paragraphs of information and a "this is my website" link, not sure sometimes if they are spam or not and tend to have a look at a couple of other hubs by the same author, if it repeats then I report, but sometimes I just pass by and assume it is just poorly written and maybe the author will improve..

    replyreport
14. 85

    KCC Big Countryposted 13 years ago

    I actively report spammers and underage profiles.  I think it's our duty to help keep HP clean.  It should be a team effort.

    replyreport
15. 0

    SirDentposted 13 years ago

    I report all spam that I happen upon. It is the best way.

    replyreport
16. 90

    Pcunixposted 13 years ago

    I flag it if it is plainly spam.
    
    If it's just MFA junk, I vote it down but don't flag it, though sometimes I'm tempted.
    
    It's hard - one man's poison and all that.   I don't like being negative, so what I look for is some excuse NOT to object to it.  If the author injected just a little personality or humor, I'll just pass it by.  No Up vote, but no Down either.
    
    The things I have the hardest time with are the very badly written hubs that plainly represent someone trying hard.   They should be voted down, but I just can't help feeling badly for them.
    
    Slightly related:  my wife used to type resumes for people.  She worked at a head hunting firm but did this work on the side.  We would get some pretty awful stuff, but she and I would try to fix it up so the applicant didn't look completely illiterate.
    
    One day we received one I wanted to frame.  In the Objective section, this person hopefully stated: "I want a job where my real good communications skills will be to my great advantage" (or something very close:  I definitely remember the "real good communications" part).
    
    I felt that we should leave it just like that, reasoning that the prospective employers needed to know his aspirations just as he wrote them.  My wife insisted that we sanitize it some.
    
    That's the dilemma I sometimes feel with bad hubs.   Punish honest effort or just move on.

    replyreport
17. 73

    Kangaroo_Jaseposted 13 years ago

    Hey folks,
    
    It seems I am not alone here. I am getting the gist that people here (and a few other places I haunt) are very protective of their work, their community, and actually newbies to, whom are trying hard to establish themselves.
    
    Spam is spam, its an outright attempt to solicit interest in having someone who knows very little about scams to part with their money.
    
    With what Pcunix mentioned, I do give the benefit of the doubt for folks who are new and trying to gain a foothold. They need guidance, and help, they make mistakes, thats OK.
    
    But its entirely different to those who know what they are doing and their intent is as clear as mud. Its a simple case of nefarious people trying to get money out of people who don't know about these types of illegal shenanigans, especially since the internet is a festering ground for this type of activity.

    replyreport
    1. 0

       Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       It would be interesting if you could elaborate on how that works. I understand the links posted on forums - but how about spammy Hub accounts; how do they operate?

       replyreport
       1. 73

          Kangaroo_Jaseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          I've noticed a few posts that are spammy, when I have looked at the hubber in question, it is usually the the same spam in their profile as links to other sites, all spam sites.
          
          Ive noticed their hubtivity is also listing their spam forum posts, they join, don't write any hubs and actively start dropping spam forum posts within minutes of joining.
          
          I have even noticed one hubber who has written BOTH a forum post AND a hub, with EXACTLY the same spam, word for word.

          replyreport
          1. 65

             wingedcentaurposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             Good Evening Kangaroo_Jase
             
             I don't understand. What is their purpose in doing what you say? Is this a tactic to increase traffic to their own native site? Can this be called guerrilla bloggging?

             replyreport
          2. 0

             Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             Thank you.

             replyreport
             1. 73

                Kangaroo_Jaseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                The basic nature of any type of internet spam is to solicit money from naive people. In any way shape or form possible.
                Using blogs, emails, forum posts, and sites such as HubPages. Some spam info is as plain as day for what it is, others are a little harder to define on first glance.

                replyreport
18. 84

    rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

    I almost always report spam in the forums and hubs. also underage and the 'call girl' hubs. hub hopping can be interesting or watching the hubfeed. there's a lot of junk that flows through.

    replyreport
    1. 65

       wingedcentaurposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Good Evening rebekahElle
       
       Excuse me, but what are 'call girl' hubs? Surely its not what I'm thinking?! And how are we able to determine a hubber is underage? As for spam, would all the meaningless questions, posted in the Q&A section -- that are ill-conceived at best (some hubbers, who shall remain nameless post dozens of questions a week; they can't possibly want to know all those things), qualify?
       
       And come to think of one hubber had the nerve to ask about the size of.... male genitalia (sorry). Is spam just inappropriate material, or material that is so empty its obviously written strictly for Adsense?

       replyreport
19. 70

    Beth100posted 13 years ago

    Flag, flag, flag, report, report, report.  These days, I could spend a majority of my time doing that.  Spammers devalue the site and have no place here.

    replyreport
20. 72

    thisisoliposted 13 years ago

    I fight it, Hubpages is too valuable to see it go down the drain.

    replyreport
21. 84

    kerrygposted 13 years ago

    I report spam when I see it, but don't generally go actively hunting for it.

    replyreport
22. 84

    rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

    yes, they are what you're thinking. I've found call girl hubs with pics, phone numbers, and that's all they are. usually posted by the same person. now we can flag their profile if all their hubs are against TOS.
    
    the underage hubbers state their age in their profile.
    meaningless questions are spam imo.

    replyreport
    1. 0

       Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Why would they state their age?

       replyreport
       1. 84

          rebekahELLEposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          they're young, not thinking. I've found a 12 year old before.  they're usually writing journal/diary type hubs.

          replyreport
          1. 0

             Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             I've seen that too, pretty cute but HubPages is not a good place for them.

             replyreport
23. 77

    frogdroppingposted 13 years ago

    I actively fight spam - though I stumble on it more than look for it. I doubt it's worth looking for in one sense - there's enough of it littering the sight it's not hard to spot.
    
    A new version that appears to be occuring of late is a new hubber (pure internet marketing types) appears then searches for specific hubs topics - leaves a comment and a link back to their own sites. They do this over and over again. I've had four site links dropped on four hubs within a matter of minutes y/day. The hubber that did it had been on a spree around the site doing the same over and again.
    
    So be aware that your older, better ranked hubs that you rarely visit or check on may well have a bunch of spam dumped on them.
    
    @rebekah and Website Examiner - I have come across lots of underage hubbers and have been struck on several occasions by the quality of the writing. Pity they're not old enough and TBH, I hope they return when they are

    replyreport
    1. 73

       Kangaroo_Jaseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Aye, agree with ya Frog, always a good idea to approve and moderate comments before releasing them to the 'wild', Cheers

       replyreport