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Shadowban users posting obvious spam instead of just banning them. Banning accounts just leads to more spam accounts, and we have no account creation restrictions in place. If they are shadowbanned, they might not create new accounts and they will carry on posting with their shadowbanned spam accounts.

If we are going to implement this, I think it is important to have a clear definition of what we mean by spam. I am not talking about people posting off topic things in the wrong sub, or people making a one off spam post trying to plug their youtube channel on /s/gaming or something, I'm talking about users like mallow and jacknight that are constantly posting stupid shit and not contributing at all.

Reddit's policy on shadowbanning is fucked up, but I think it could clear up any potential spam problems if it was used in the right way.

Edit: If this is implemented, I would suggest not putting this in the TOS or anywhere else. Don't let the shadowbanned spammers know that they have been shadowbanned, or it undermines the effect of shadowbanning.
Shadowban users posting obvious spam instead of just banning them. Banning accounts just leads to more spam accounts, and we have no account creation restrictions in place. If they are shadowbanned, they might not create new accounts and they will carry on posting with their shadowbanned spam accounts. If we are going to implement this, I think it is important to have a clear definition of what we mean by spam. I am not talking about people posting off topic things in the wrong sub, or people making a one off spam post trying to plug their youtube channel on /s/gaming or something, I'm talking about users like mallow and jacknight that are constantly posting stupid shit and not contributing at all. Reddit's policy on shadowbanning is fucked up, but I think it could clear up any potential spam problems if it was used in the right way. Edit: If this is implemented, I would suggest not putting this in the TOS or anywhere else. Don't let the shadowbanned spammers know that they have been shadowbanned, or it undermines the effect of shadowbanning.

12 comments

[–] InnocentBystander 3 points (+3|-0)

I'm sure it wouldn't trick every spammer, but it's going to catch some of them.

Agreed. But if it's only going to catch a few, I'm not sure it's worth the effort, considering it's history of abuse at other sites. Other means will still be required.

I'm not sure about posting restrictions. People weren't happy when Voat started that 10 posts per day thing.

It would only be a one-time restriction for brand new accounts. Once they get a couple votes, it'd be gone forever.
I know it's not ideal, but I believe it would be highly effective against spammers and it's the only idea I'm aware of that hasn't been tried yet. It could be made a sub option so that subs for introductions can still be submitted to by new accounts. And any other subs that choose to disable it.

It wouldn't have to be always in effect. Subs could turn it on when the spam volume is high, and turn it off again when things are better.
[–] PMYA [OP] 2 points (+2|-0)

I think it could be problematic for a couple of reasons. One is it's going to be difficult for new users to figure out where they can post to stop the posting restrictions on their account. Another one is there are going to be a shit ton of introduction posts flooding /s/all if we get even a small amount of traffic.

It's hard trying to come up with a restriction that is not going to be irritating for new users and stop spammers at the same time. Ideally, someone should be able to create and account in a few seconds and immediately start posting, which is why I am more in favour of shadowbanning persistent spammers rather than placing restrictions on posting. I wouldn't like to have anything similar to Voat's negative CCP restrictions either, because it's far too easy to use brigading to shut down someone's account.
[–] InnocentBystander 2 points (+2|-0)

It's hard trying to come up with a restriction that is not going to be irritating for new users and stop spammers at the same time.

That's the core of the problem right there.
I don't see any solid way to combat spam that doesn't irritate some new users.
I think we need to find a balance that people can live with.

It's not an either/or thing. Whether new account restrictions are the answer or not, I don't see shadowbans being a significant deterrent to spammers. Some other means will be needed, so if we can find something that doesn't have the stigma of shadowbans, I think that would be preferable.
[–] PMYA [OP] 1 points (+1|-0)

I think the hierarchy system has some potential for reporting posts. A private sub for junior admins and above, where all reported posts got sent to, could be a good idea for spam removal/illegal content removal. A better log to view who removed certain posts would also be a good idea, for transparency. We don't have enough users to have moderators on all the defaults who are going to be readily available to delete spam when it appears.

Voat tried the janitor mod thing, which I suppose is a kind of similar idea, but it was not centralised like the idea described above, which meant that a lot of users suddenly had the power to delete any post on default subs. Instead of appointing people to individual subs, just appoint people to all reports from all subs, and maybe order them by importance, so flagged illegal content on a default is more visible than spam from a small sub, for example. I actually think spam would be removed far more quickly using this method.
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