Administrative and Maintenance Tools - MonkeyStop - Auto-Moderation of Spammer Keywords and URLs by postcount

Description
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A quick but effective hack that lets you set keywords that will flag posts and set as Moderated, requiring approval from a mod/supermod/admin before they're visible to users. You can also set the number of URLs to be allowed per post to stop flooding from spammers. Additionally, you can configure
the number of posts required to avoid the moderation, so the filter only effects new users to your forum.

Installation
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Import product-monkeystop.xml (ACP / vBulletin Options / Manage Products / [Add/Import Product])

Usage
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Configure the product in ACP / vBulletin Options / vBulletin Options / General Settings. (scroll to the bottom)
New threads and posts containing the offenses will automatically be moderated.
You can view moderated threads in ACP / Moderation / Moderate Threads. You should also see an icon in the thread postbit and forum display if the post is moderated (see screenshot).

Since most spammers register then spam your board while their post count is low, it may be effective to leave the default values (0 URLs allowed until post count is 3) or even up the post count requirement. If you wish to allow some links, change URLs to 1 or 2 for example.

!!! Warning !!!
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If you allow keyword auto-moderation, your users will receive an "Invalid Thread" message when they use a flagged word on new threads because it's a moderated thread. However this error can be customized here:
Admin Panel / Phrase Manager / phrase type: Error Messages / invalidid (page 15 or so of the errors)
I added:

<br/><br/>If you received this message immediately after posting a new thread, there's a good chance your message was flagged as spam. Please read this thread for more info.

... and supplied a link for my users explaining why their post was moderated.

Credits
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This is a hack of the "Auto Moderation by Keywords" mod by Andreas (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/member.php?u=47102)
Thanks go out for his great mod -- if only I could PM or e-mail him to thank him directly! I only made minor changes to the mod to allow it to work with vBulletin 3.6.0 (by default it wouldn't work on new threads) and to auto-moderate posts URLs.
So give him credit if you think it's cool, but his PM box is full.
Dan "Tweak Monkey" Kennedy

History
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v1.0.1: Added minimum post count option
v1.0.0: Initial release

[Sal Collaziano]

Originally Posted by cashpath

Could someone tell me how to stop this from moderating RSS feeds? (The feeds are being posted by admin)

This is a legitmate complaint.. Most of my RSS posts (by my admin account) are being moderated.. This is a bug that needs to be fixed... I run this on several busy message boards and it really would be nice to have a fix for this...

Thank you...

[Sal Collaziano]

Bump! Any hope for a fix for this bug? Please?

[adwade]

Originally Posted by tweakmonkey

Ideally I'll mod it to give the same message given when a user posts a message that is flagged as moderated, but I don't know where to do this yet...

Any luck with discovering this yet? LOVE the MOD, only wish it gave some sort of indication to a moderated user when they REPLY to a post.

[Adrian Schneider]

Check out my hack here,
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=131568

It does essentially the same thing, but uses a different hook so it will only catch new threads/posts that are done through the new post/thread editor rather than RSS feeds too. Also, if the post is set as awaiting moderation, they will get the expected redirection message instead of the error.

[adwade]

Originally Posted by SirAdrian

Check out my hack here,
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=131568

It does essentially the same thing, but uses a different hook so it will only catch new threads/posts that are done through the new post/thread editor rather than RSS feeds too. Also, if the post is set as awaiting moderation, they will get the expected redirection message instead of the error.

Will do, Thanxx for the HeadsUp!

[adwade]

Originally Posted by tweakmonkey

If you allow keyword auto-moderation, your users will receive an "Invalid Thread" message when they use a flagged word on new threads because it's a moderated thread. However this error can be customized here:
Admin Panel / Phrase Manager / phrase type: Error Messages / invalidid

This works just as described, but the redirection is so rapid a user can't read it. Is there any way to have it pause (i.e. like click to continue) so the user would have time to read the error message and then be able to Click on the explanation post as to what's going on & why?

[koolasia]

can we have a feature so that after posting the spammer can see his/her thread but others cant

[adwade]

Originally Posted by adwade

...the redirection is so rapid a user can't read it. Is there any way...so the user would have time to read the error message...

Short of having this, I rememberd I had installed Cyb - Prevent Newbies from Posting to Wrong Forum at one time and I just happened to remember it has a feature wherein the new user MUST click on a CONTINUE button before their new post is processed.

Since Cybernetec allows one to customize the phrases used for that MOD I was able to put a NOTICE in there to New Users that they are not able to have LINKS in their posts right off the bat. Not perfect, but it serves my needs for now.

[Cyburbia]

This is a great mod, but I'm finding that some spam posts with URLs slipping through. If it doensn't have the http:// prefix, it bypasses moderation and is posted immediately.

Suggestion: use a custom phrase, instead of the standard vbulletin invalidid phrase.

[DiverTree]

I have the post count set to 3, the url set to 3, and a whole slew of keywords seperated by a comma without a space. When a new user registers ... ninty percent of the time it places them into the moderation queue even if there are no flagged keywords or url's in the post. i just upped the url option to 10 in hopes that it fixes the problem im having ... if not then ill have to uninstall it. its really discouraging to a vetran poster joining a new forum to have there non offencive posts placed into a moderation queue. any suggestions? i really like the concept of this hack and appreaciate the work you put into it ... thank you.