Hi Community site administrators, Moderators, Community users,

Over the past months I see a worrying increase in the amount of posts that are most probably created by bots. This is imho becoming an issue as the posts are of course not contributing to the forum or any legit members but as of recently they are also not containing any obvious text or links to unrelated sites or topics and use wording that is more and more from related subjects and therefor are not violating community rules or being deleted by moderators.

I'm not sure what can be done. But today I saw this:

(moderator deleted this image)

Wondering what kind of post this is I end up at what looks to be a legitimate post but from Marianna or Douglas from 2010 with the latest post in 2013?

Is this a case of the moderators removing a post in this old thread but it still being reflected on the main page? Or have the bots found a way to edit links on the main page to 13 year old posts?

Avid, I think the time has come to upgrade the avid (community) account registration process using some kind of 3way verification process similar to what google and microsoft are doing.

Nothing new, Jeroen. We've been battling posts like these for years, and we have an entire IT team who is aware of these issues and working with us. Just ignore them. We're on it. 

Jeroen

Aware as Chris indicazted and we are doing all we can to find ways to block the creative spammers.  We just had a production issue with the nodes which caused the site to display and error but that is fixed now.

Keep us on our toes and as you see things, send them along to us.

Marianna

Chris Bové:

We've been battling posts like these for years

Chris, Marianna,

This site always had the occasional spammer. But nothing in the way we see now AI is in fashion. I can start reporting every instance I see if that is what you want but I think a real 'non artificial' intelligence solution is needed.  

And it is always by a new account with only 1 post, maybe the solution is to check every first post or reply by a new community member. I don't know.

Hi Chris, Marianna,

To either of you that moderated the screenshot in my original post. I can of course understand that any information of a sexual nature is removed in this forum. I want nothing less.

But if 4 days after I posted the screenshot and its deletion by a moderator, the content of the screenshot is still vissible on the main page of the forum, I'm starting to doubt you care more about dealing with those shouting 'Fire!' than putting out 'the Fire'.

Jeroen van Eekeres:

But if 4 days after I posted the screenshot and its deletion by a moderator, the content of the screenshot is still vissible on the main page of the forum, I'm starting to doubt you care more about dealing with those shouting 'Fire!' than putting out 'the Fire'.

I hadn't seen the preview, not because I don't care, but because I go straight to 'Active Topics' and rarely see the giant list of forums/previews on the main page.

Anyway, I replied to the thread to force the preview to update.

Hi Carl,

Thanks for checking the preview and updating it. 

camoscato:

not because I don't care

I'm not interested in accusing any individual forum members, moderators or Avid representatives of not caring or anything else. I'm just a long term forum member that cares about this forum and the Avid products he supports at his customers. And from that perspective I see a pattern that has increasingly been getting worse.

When you describe the way you use the site

camoscato:

I go straight to 'Active Topics'

you don't question if that can cause a violation of the terms and conditions of this forum to 'slip through' and part of its content staying visible. It's just 'muscle memory' we all use and fully understandable. But in the post I made I wrote:

Jeroen van Eekeres:

Is this a case of the moderators removing a post in this old thread but it still being reflected on the main page? Or have the bots found a way to edit links on the main page to 13 year old posts?

But that information isn't processed. And this combination of site architecture, normal human behavior and this increase in bots/AI is exactly why I suggested:

Jeroen van Eekeres:

Avid, I think the time has come to upgrade the avid (community) account registration process using some kind of 3way verification process similar to what google and microsoft are doing.

But instead of getting a response that shows engagement in the form of 'we are going to look into what can be improved' the response I get from Chris while being partially moderated is:

Chris Bové:

We've been battling posts like these for years, and we have an entire IT team who is aware of these issues and working with us. Just ignore them. We're on it.

From where I'm sitting, 'you' (not personally you Carl) Avid, are not 'on it' anymore. At least not in the way the changes in this forum, audio/video editing and media management marketplace (and this world in general) are taking place and require you to be. And not because of an indidual post, 20 year old community site design, individual bug or product development path, LTM policy or any individual response to any feedback in this forum, support cases, etc... But the sum of it all... collectively only taking the feedback you get at 'face value' and no longer spend the time and resources to actually get involved and engage with your customers and resellers in finding a mutually better way forward!

Chris Bové:

Just ignore them.

That's what 'you/Avid' are doing. Please don't start asking your customers and resellers to do the same!

Hi jereon,

I have asked the PTG team to come up with a plan to help us curtail the bots and see if they can moderate posts where links are included.  Not sure what the administration of the site can do sicne it is very old.  

I trust them to come back to me with a plan and they will......  for now I will check every morning to see what needs to be removed and do so. If I miss any - please ping me.

I will update this thread when i hear back from PTG.

Thanks for the nudge on this.

Marianna

Hi Marianna

Marianna:

If I miss any - please ping me.

. I will. 

Like these??

Like these!

And this one.

https://community.avid.com/forums/t/209541.aspx

I can't give exact numbers, but I must have seen around 50 posts over the past months and I guess there are more.

Hence the creation of this thread.

How about 1,000s or maybe 10,000s of posts just this morning.

Sad to see you where right.