Hi everyone! Thank you for all of your hard work here. Your reports are so helpful! Spammers don't stand a chance on MyEC.
We have one small problem that we need your help with. On MyEC, spammers' pages are deleted every time you report them. Any links to these profile pages don't work after the spammers are banned. For example, your comments in this group with links to the spammer pages don't work anymore after the spammer is gone. These are called BROKEN LINKS. Search engines (eg Google) doesn't like broken links, and it creates a lot of trouble for EC.
Solution:
1) Always use the Report Member form to report a spammer.
2) Never link to a spammer's page on a public MyEC page. (Your screenshots are fine, if they are just an image with no link.)
If you want to warn other members or spambusters of a spammer, use the exact name of the spammer (it will be searchable). For example:
New Spammer: Rose Grandson [Include screenshot if you want to. Not necessary.]
Reported: June 5th [This will let other spambusters know that you have already reported this person.]
Details: Currently spamming about a hotel in Montreal
You can still put a warning comment on the spammer's page, but don't put a link to the spammer in this group or on someone's wall.
Note: We will be cleaning up the Broken Links to spammer pages, and you may find that some of your comments are removed or edited. Until we get used to this system I will try to replace any new broken links with the word "BANNED".
Replies
If we find spammers via the chatroom is a screen shot a good way to report? Or, should we try to find her/his page and use the Report Member link there?
I understand that we must avoid posting links that will be broken once the page is deleted. I guess if I see the name being used I should be able to find the page and matching photo to be sure it is the right person. I would hate to report someone for chatroom spam and maybe find the wrong sweet janey when I looked for a member page to report. I could always just ignore the spam, but those people annoy me to the point that I feel obligated to report them.
Thanks, Bob. I sent you a message, but I'll add a note here too in case others notice this comment and have the same question.
It can be difficult for me to find these people from a simple name in a screenshot. Sometimes they change their names or there are a few members with the same name. The link should not be placed on a public page, but sent through the Report Member link as you suggested. If for any reason that doesn't work, you can send the link to me in a private message.
Thanks again for helping us get rid of spammers!
Cheers,
Tara
Thank you Tara for alert :)