Thank you for Spamblock (bayes)

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Stosh
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Posts: 75
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:47 pm

Thank you for Spamblock (bayes)

Post by Stosh »

Hello,

I recently installed the "Spamblock (Bayes)" plugin and just wanted to report here that it works great.

I don't fully understand all of its options yet, but, right out of the box, it is catching most of the previous rivers of spam.

I have the old spamblock, which is still installed. It doesn't seem like I really need it now. Any advice regarding this?

Also, I see some folk here also sing the praises of the "bee" honeypot component. I'm having trouble determining how a honeypot is used to deter spammers. They seem to be automated, one-and-done (for a while) for the most-part. No?


Thank you again for a great plug-in.

-s
Timbalu
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Posts: 4598
Joined: Sun May 02, 2004 3:04 pm

Re: Thank you for Spamblock (bayes)

Post by Timbalu »

First the Bee sorts out all bot dummies, which trap into something only filling forms without any further intelligence. Then it has a math or individual Captcha by question, which does only hit non-javascript users and bots. This is very quick and sorts the human from the dummies. Keep the Spamblock (recommended in my eyes!).

Taken from another post ... I answered in there:
yellowled wrote:Install Bee as your "first line of defense" (also as your first event plugin overall), install Bayes to clean up the (probably few) spam comments the Bee doesn't catch (recommended to be your second event plugin overall). If you need its features, keep the "standard" Spamblock plugin, but position it after the Bee/Bayes duo.
I just found this answer again and wanted to state, that I prefer and recommend a bee, spamblock, bayes plugin order, while else the bayes database can get quickly very big and misfilled, since being overflooded by non-bee-rejected API generated SPAM comments, please see http://board.s9y.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=19431
So my conclusion was the bee rejecting all dummy bots, the spamblock using all its individual options & filters to reject and sort all others, and at last the learning bayes database for all the HAM, but less SPAM, which should prevent to learn too much HAM words as SPAM.
Regards,
Ian

Serendipity Styx Edition and additional_plugins @ https://ophian.github.io/ @ https://github.com/ophian
onli
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Re: Thank you for Spamblock (bayes)

Post by onli »

Stosh wrote:Thank you again for a great plug-in.
Thanks :-) If there are any questions regarding the plugin options left, feel free to ask them here.
Stosh
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Posts: 75
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:47 pm

Re: Thank you for Spamblock (bayes)

Post by Stosh »

Onli, Timbalu,

Thanks. I'm still very hazy on the whole thing, but figure this will dissipate with more hands-on experience. I'll take your advice and add the bee.

Timbalu, Your ordering conclusions seem well-based in reason, so that is how I will set them. Based on your reasoning, it seems like I should also set the traditional spamblock to delete, rather than moderate.

I have a question as to the learning function. There is a setting that reads

"Learn
Comments strongly regarded as spam are learnt again as spam. That way, slight modifications are caught automatically."

Being as this is bayes, after all, I am assuming that even if this function is set to "off," it will still learn from my hitting the "Spam" button on those messages that weren't initially caught? Is this correct?

-s
onli
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Re: Thank you for Spamblock (bayes)

Post by onli »

Yes, that is correct. The "learn"-function is an autoloearn: If activated, the plugin would learn automatically from those spams initially caught. I recommend not to activate it, most blogs get too much spam and not enough ham to get good results from it.
Timbalu
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Joined: Sun May 02, 2004 3:04 pm

Re: Thank you for Spamblock (bayes)

Post by Timbalu »

Stosh wrote:Timbalu, Your ordering conclusions seem well-based in reason, so that is how I will set them. Based on your reasoning, it seems like I should also set the traditional spamblock to delete, rather than moderate.
No, I would recommend to mix them, eg like this:
Content Filter
Activate wordfilter - reject
Activate URL filtering by blogg.de Blacklist - none (since not using)
How to treat Akismet-reported spam - reject (since not using)
Trackbacks
Trackback/Pingback: ip validation - moderate
What to do with trackbacks/pingbacks when being auto-moderated? - moderate
How to treat comments made via APIs - reject
General
What to do with comments when being auto-moderated? - moderate

The first one and the last two are essential. (The general one is a listener to others, having set comments into a moderate state.) There also are some more tweaks in the general section to keep your comments clean.
Regards,
Ian

Serendipity Styx Edition and additional_plugins @ https://ophian.github.io/ @ https://github.com/ophian
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