Question

I'd still like to suggest a cooldown on the chat. Spamming is not okay. Like, if a user sends more than 1 chat message every 3 seconds, the textbox in the chat pod is disabled or something.

Answer 1

I think we could make it so that you have to wait a couple of seconds before typing and sending again. This would prevent a lot of spam. I think we could also have more moderation in the chat. I see many inappropriate things sometimes, and also, even though people don't use inappropriate words much, we could have a censor filter to prevent usage of those types of words and phrases.

Answer 2

There is a filter. One poblem is people that 4vo1d th3 f1lters...

Answer 3

As in, all it takes is "creative" spelling...

Answer 4

1nd33d, th4+ c4n b3 4nn0y1ng. But that's the point of having better moderatoration in the chats. To pr3v3n+ th1s.

Answer 5

moderation*

Answer 6

Or maybe we could give ambys the ability to do warnings and 5 minute suspensions from chat boxes (nothing is affected except that the user cannot chat for 5 minutes).

Answer 7

We need more moderatoration xD haha thats my new word...and there are unfortunately other ways in which a user can spam. OS is not a perfect system, but it is minor changes like these that can make this site truly great

Answer 8

I think we could use a few sectional moderators for specific areas in need of moderation. *cough*chat*cough*

Answer 9

They got away from sectional mods and to more general mods so that mods would be less limited in where they could operate.

Answer 10

Then a few more mods would be good for the vulnerable areas of OS. I don't feel there is enough moderation.

Answer 11

All things in moderation... even moderation... You could always suggest people you think would make good mods. Get some conversation going that way.

Answer 12

Shall I make a separate question?

Answer 13

Probably best since ths is a side topic to PD's chat cooldown idea.

Answer 14

Alright, I'll go ahead and make it.

Answer 15

A mute button would be cool, users wouldn't be able to talk in the chat for a predetermined amount of time. If ambies have the ability to suspend for 5 minutes or kick from the chat, I think it would be abused. In that case it should be limited to certain people. Remember that ambies are here to welcome new users, not to moderate the site. You should alert the moderators if something is happening.

Answer 16

We could have sectional moderators for the chats to mute someone, kick them, and also we have an option to ignore certain people. For example, someone is spamming or you dislike their comments, so if you use /ignore user their comments won't appear on your view of the chat. Like a shoutbox basically.

Answer 17

/ignore user being the command:

/ignore thomaster
/unignore thomaster

Answer 18

Well it does exist, group moderators. In the history of OS every section had a group moderator: the user who made the group (in that time users were able to create their own study groups), or the user with the highest smartscore in that group (who is online at that moment). They still have the ability to appoint group mods but global mods are more efficient. @AravindG was the group mod of IIT study group but he recently got promoted to global moderator. But the idea of chat moderators is not bad. Just some people able to moderate the chat and delete/kick posts/users from the chat to keep the environment clean. Something like a whole different class apart from ambies and mods.

Answer 19

So sort of like a Chat Comptroller to make a particular chat more accountable for its content?

Answer 20

Yes, but we would have to choose the most responsible and the one who doesn't say stupid things that get reported >.>

Sectional mods for chats would be good, because right now there is zero moderation in the chats other than reporting.

@e.mccormick Yeah, sort of.

Answer 21

I just reported about ten things in the shoutbox, we need a chat moderator -.-

@Preetha

Answer 22

Oops. Forgot to tag Preetha. Anyways, you guys have some rather good ideas. Also, anyone know why the bump timer is so long for this question? I haven't bumped it once.

Answer 23

There's no timer on my screen, just a bump button.

Answer 24

Bump in 1295:00

Answer 25

Lol it is only visible for the asker but I would love to see a screencap x3

But yes, chat is in need.

Answer 26

A lot of aspects of OS are in need, to be honest. But We do strive to improve of course :)

Answer 27

lol wow

Answer 28

btw, is that Spanish II for FLVS?

Answer 29

Yup. Haven't really been doing anything on it for an hour or two. It's just there.

Answer 30

lol same for me on French II

Answer 31

If you guys are serious to make the environment clean and more serious. remove the chat. I have not seen anything constructive happening in the chat.
It is a good way for students to spend time and make friends. which increases the engagement here. But is it constructive and adds anything in the learning process?

Answer 32

there NEEDS to be a chat limitation, users should NOT be able to send 5+ messages in under 15 seconds, this is the MOST EFFICIENT way to stop spamming.

Answer 33

You can't really stop spamming, you can punish it, but not prevent it.

Answer 34

That's a fascinating assertion. How have you arrived at your conclusion?

Answer 35

No. What needs to happen is that when the ambassador asks them to stop spaming they should stop. But they don't so we cal a Mod... When we call a Mod it should a be a warning then a suspension or maybe just a suspension if their smartscore is over 40 period.

That's my thought..

Answer 36

Yeah, spammers should stop spamming, racists should stop being racist, and sexists should accept all sexes! However, it doesnt usually work out so smoothly.

Answer 37

Exactly BUt the Mods need to start laying down the law right now when it comes to this they ARNT.. Stop being nice when it comes to spamming and do something about it if you start doing something about it and peple start realizing Mods arnt messing around with this they WON"T DO IT ANYMORE...

Answer 38

@EvonHowell You should see it from the mod side. 200+ incidents and actions many days. Not that many mods for much of this. Also, the true problem ones are people that have had actions taken against them. Then they generate more accounts and keep doing it, wait until their "favorite" mod is off and do more, etc.

There is never going to be a perfect system, but the number of unaddressed incidents that are reported is actually pretty low.

Answer 39

Guys this is the internet with a chat room... there is nothing that will stop people from doing what they want to do. xD then if you ban them they can just make another account.

Answer 40

Alternate accounts are not allowed. Mods and Admins can IP track them or block them.

Answer 41

Then why do I see people continuously coming back on alternate accounts?

Answer 42

Because it takes some time to track them down. And it only takes a few seconds to create a new account.

Answer 43

Because you don't have to verify your email in order to use the chat. So people just fill in aodfijo@diofj.odf as their email adress and they continue to spam.

Answer 44

True, Spam def needs to be dealt with but cracking down on being vulgar unless its ridiculously out there I don't really needs to be addressed (just my input) but what do I count xD

Answer 45

There are a few solutions to these problems:

- a chat limitation of let's say 20 messages per minute. This way when someone spams, he'll get a warning message after he sends the 20th message within 10 seconds.

- when people get suspended, creation of new accounts from that IP should be blocked for 15-30 minutes.

- randomization of the language abuse filter and adding new words. when someone uses foul language, users can easily recognize what that person said by looking at what the words are changed to. We all know what feather is and wingspan. So when these words are randomized, you'll never know what this person was saying and you won't know what names people call you.

Answer 46

Or, instead of the filter, we could just make it so that if their message contains a bad word, it just doesn't get sent.

Answer 47

So when I am in history and I ask about John Hanwingspan it should not be allowed to post? AKA: The filter hits a bit wide at times.

Answer 48

Well, I meant for chats, because people don't tend to curse much in questions.

Answer 49

Yes, I agree @poopsiedoodle

Answer 50

@poopsiedoodle means like in math chat for example the keep posting questions that are suppose to be in the math section not chat and keep posting the link multiple times in less than 1 min

Answer 51

Well, I mean, I'm more aggravated about the stuff like when people do this in the chat:

asd
fsad
g
asdg
a
gh

rt
y
a
ds
f
sad
gqwe

rsad
fs
a
ew
rw
er
asdf
sdaf
a
f
sa
df
sadf
sad
f

Answer 52

It is ok to link the question in the chat, but not ask it.

Answer 53

OMG YESH I HATE THAT

Answer 54

lol ikr i know the link is ok but multiple times posting it in less than 5 seconds

Answer 55

i think open study should be more strict on spamming

Answer 56

@poopsiedoodle and that stuff is also no fun to try and delete to clean up chat.... I mean, everything in chat is forever. You can scroll back to the very start of chat because the database has the entire history.... it would take a long time, but is possible. So cleaning it helps.

Answer 57

like this?:

http://openstudy.com/study#/updates/52534064e4b006c9e48b0dac
http://openstudy.com/study#/updates/52534064e4b006c9e48b0dac
http://openstudy.com/study#/updates/52534064e4b006c9e48b0dachttp://openstudy.com/study#/updates/52534064e4b006c9e48b0dachttp://openstudy.com/study#/updates/52534064e4b006c9e48b0dachttp://openstudy.com/study#/updates/52534064e4b006c9e48b0dachttp://openstudy.com/study#/updates/52534064e4b006c9e48b0dachttp://openstudy.com/study#/updates/52534064e4b006c9e48b0dachttp://openstudy.com/study#/updates/52534064e4b006c9e48b0dac
http://openstudy.com/study#/updates/52534064e4b006c9e48b0dac
http://openstudy.com/study#/updates/52534064e4b006c9e48b0dachttp://openstudy.com/study#/updates/52534064e4b006c9e48b0dac

Answer 58

lol ya thats it ^ just in less than 1 min.

Answer 59

And yeah, the database should really be cleaned up. I think that'd also probably help the website go faster as well.

Answer 60

ya thats probably the thing that makes us loses connection

Answer 61

Actually, the size of the db does not change performance much. They do it in small chunks and MongoDB is good at that. It comes down to having proper index keys to look things up.

Answer 62

they should do like the history on normal computers delete it with all cookies

Answer 63

noSQL databases work off a very different principal than that.

Answer 64

wow lol u guys are making the database look techy

Answer 65

That's because it is techy :I

Answer 66

Let me put it this way... Google does not go out and find web pages every time you search. Instead, they catalog information in a database. Through a properly formed hash mapping between search keys and results they generate a list of links. That is how large and powerful a properly formed database can be.

OS is not running anything near that huge and is still ironing out certain stability and scalability issues. They are also migrating or just migrated to new servers. That sort of causes disruptions. Before I was a mod they invited me to test the new servers because I happen to talk them about technical issues a lot. hehe.

Answer 67

>techy

Anyway, deleting stuff from the database would also delete questions, chats, and maybe even accounts from the website, which would give it considerably less stuff to load.

Answer 68

And it would delete smart scores....

Answer 69

All that hard work and memories . . . phwoosh

Answer 70

Yah, I have suggested a way to "archive" some topics for faster subject access. That would have less potential damage.

Answer 71

Hmm... you have a good point there with the smart scores.

Answer 72

A backup would be good if everything is cleared. To restore most of the things that were deleted and to restore smart scores, accounts, certain questions, and maybe we could have a chat archive that holds everything from what was in the chatbox. Have the chatbox reach up to 1000 messages before moving them to the archive.

Answer 73

They are actively archived all the time. Like I said, you only see more chat if you scroll up and up and up. Then it goes into the archive. Ever seen how scrolling up chat causes a delay before it loads? That is the archive opening.

Answer 74

Oh yeah good ideas, let's just wave the magical wand and make them happen :3

Answer 75

*waves*

Nuthin' (; ;)

Answer 76

You need the right wand.

Answer 77

I have it, buy only mods and Preeths can activate it D:

Answer 78

Mainly Preeths, she got dem powahs ; ;

Answer 79

http://www.abctoy4me.com/images/EleventhSonicScrewdriver.jpg

Answer 80

OMG THAT'S THE ONE ~(*O*)~

Answer 81

I have that Sonic.

Answer 82

I can hardly imagine how you can put that in the indentation at the top of a screw.

Answer 83

That's why it's Sonic ;)

Answer 84

Tisk, tisk. You need to understand sonic technology, PD.

Answer 85

I've got some ideas.
How about:

- Limit of 25 chats a minute on the chatbox.
- Only allow access to chat with people with 40+ SmartScore.
- If rude language is used more than 2 times in chat, even if it's filtered it will alert a mod and he/she can warn the user.

Answer 86

Something like this would not be extraordinarily hard to program; however, OpenStudy doesn't really seem to have active, programming admins so virtually every suggestion in the past year has gone unnoticed.

Answer 87

@e.mccormick
Just read your last post; a new database, really?
And you tested it?
Thats cool; I was hardly aware that such a thing was in place or was being put in place.
Do you happen to know if any other update is planned for OpenStudy?

Answer 88

And right this moment, I'm noting rude profanities+GIFs in chat *sigh*

Answer 89

PSA:

Attention openstudiers, as of now any and all request and or ideas will be placed in the ever expanding blackhole known as the "hackathon todo".

Answer 90

Why. @JA1

Answer 91

@dumbsearch2 New servers. They did/are doing a migration. Dunno where it was in the process where they had a bunch of us look at it.