Email validation delay (organized spam stopper!)

[Zelos]

I've had problems in the past, where a group of kids find it funny to register on my forum and spam like crazy; rejoining via proxies after they are banned.

What I need is a hack that would allow me to set a delay between when a user signs up and when the validation email is sent out. Spammers would be less willing to attack if there was a three day waiting period in-between signing up and spamming

Suggested features:

• ACP configurable delay time (in days)
• displayed message that tells of the time delay after registering
• possibly a viewable que of people who's emails have not yet been sent due to the delay

To anyone who is willing to take on the development of this hack: You are my savior :D

[Zelos]

bump

[tazB.ca]

Well This Wont Help U Get Real Members

[Zelos]

This is for emergency use. Not constant.

[tm21]

On my forum I attract a disproportionate number of idiots, so I have been using a waiting period for several years now. This system is already built into vbulletin by the “promotions” feature in the usergroups part of the admin control panel. I set all new members to a special usergroup that has no privileges until 24 hours have passed. Once the waiting period is up they automatically get promoted. I also require unique emails and email activation, which wastes the troublemaker’s time. I then moderate (my staff does rather) all newbie posts until they get a few.

Does this discourage registrations? Perhaps, but I am after quality, not quantity. I find it essential to promoting a community of knowledgeable members to ruthlessly weed out all trouble makers. With the riff raff out of sight and out of mind of the established members, they are free to discuss what they will without the “children” interrupting the graduate lecture. Too many idiots will cause your better members to abandon your forum in search of something better. I have seen this happen all too often on poorly moderated, or unmoderated, sites.

[ResaleBroker]

Originally Posted by tm21

I set all new members to a special usergroup that has no privileges until 24 hours have passed.

Great idea. Where did you change the new members default so that it went to a special usergroup?

[tm21]

In the control panel settings, “User Registration Options” I checked the “moderate new members” box to force all new registrations to the “(COPPA) users awaiting moderation” group (ID 4 I believe). Then I set the promotions system to upgrade them to a custom usergroup after 24 hours. I didn’t have to change the default settings, I just automate the mod approval of new members. Doing this automatically is a big reason why I switched to vb from ubb 3 years ago.

[ResaleBroker]

Originally Posted by tm21

In the control panel settings, ?User Registration Options? I checked the ?moderate new members? box to force all new registrations to the ?(COPPA) users awaiting moderation? group (ID 4 I believe). Then I set the promotions system to upgrade them to a custom usergroup after 24 hours. I didn?t have to change the default settings, I just automate the mod approval of new members. Doing this automatically is a big reason why I switched to vb from ubb 3 years ago.

Great idea. Thanks for the tip.