We were offline for a few days because the website hosting company blocked us due to high traffic. Our legit traffic is well within the allowed amounts, but the spammers have been going nuts the past few weeks and flooded the server. So I had to make some changes:
- New accounts now need to be approved by an admin
- New accounts can't post a link to an outside website until they've made >15 posts
I'll be monitoring the site for the next few days to see if these changes bring down the traffic as needed.
I hate to make it any more difficult to sign up and score fights, but I think these changes were my best option. (I'll also add, because I occasionally get asked about upgrading to a better hosting package that I pay for the hosting, the site doesn't make any money.)
-z
I just added a silly question to the sign up form. The spammers can't post their spam anymore, but they're still creating accounts like crazy! I'll be monitoring for a few hours to see if this change gets in the way enough to stop them.
Were the spammers those scorers with no scored fights or posted comments but say 40 points? names like hjjcccccnggggghttnnnnnhhhhhhh
Yes. Most legit people who sign up at least score one fight. The spammers were filling up the forums with nonsense and links. I just hope that the extra steps don't keep people from signing up.