Question

OS - A Medal Market

Answer 1

You know the best best way to earn medals is by helping people? Oh not to forget medals mean nothing. They are only there to make you feel achieved after helping someine but guess what really counts? The help.

Answer 2

Did OS notice that Friends are creating Temporary accounts to solve Homework ? Why no Action Is taken against them ? @pooja195

Answer 3

I do not know what you mean but if you see that there is a problem you can always report it or pm a mod.

Answer 4

@Abhisar Opinions appreciated.

Answer 5

@pooja195 Why not check out Biology session> you can find numerous accounts in closed question as well as open questions. Can this help Student learn and respect OS?

Answer 6

What does this have to do with a medal market???

Answer 7

@Koikkara Please clarify your Point

Answer 8

As for multiple accounts how do you know that its them? You aren't a mod, nor can you ip check ._.

Answer 9

@Abhisar Sure, Look in here, what user says.... Does This Action Appreciated By OS ?

Answer 10

That is one scenario. How do you know they didn't pick up what you taught them?

Answer 11

You aren't their brain. :P

Answer 12

No it is definitely not acceptable. But the user seems new to me. They might not know the rules. But anyway, the point is whenever you see this happening or any other breech in the CoC/TaC, kindly report it to mods. It's well written in the CoC that any form of medal gaming is not accepted.

Answer 13

\(I~found~another~interesting~fact\) If you use Firefox and Chrome together, you can use both at the same time with different accounts, making \(\small\rm\color{red}{OS~ a~ fool~!}\) to identify the Medal Game.
\(\small\rm\color{Blue}{Browser~Game~!}\)
Create one account post question, from Firefox : Write Answer from Chrome with another account, make one more account through another browser and tag medals.. Is what happening Here... !!

@Compassionate @ganeshie8 @thomaster @Abhisar >> \(Great~Game,~Isn't~it~?\)

Answer 14

But your IP will be the same and Mods can check IP

Answer 15

I am not getting the point of this whole post.

Answer 16

I thought u wanted to suggest a medal market

Answer 17

Kindly explain the agenda of this post :)

Answer 18

While your at it, suggest a way the fix the problem. Everyone knows that it is already happening.

Answer 19

@pooja195 Simple, we need to set up IP filter for OS to stop spamming with Use-n-Throw accounts. through which OS should let access to the site only from a single IP address per user., regarding place and location. \(Does~that~help~?\)

Answer 20

No matter what they do, theres always a way around it.

Answer 21

Yeah, "incognito" allows users to create new accounts regardless of an "ip ban"

Answer 22

That's not possible @Koikkara , Many genuine accounts are origined from same IP

Answer 23

You're best bet is just to report/pm a mid. Although this is a problem theres not much openstudy itself can do to stop it.

Answer 24

Suppose, what if there are more than one siblings in a house?
They must be using different accounts.

Answer 25

*mod

Answer 26

\(\color{blue}{\text{Originally Posted by}}\) @iGreen
Yeah, "incognito" allows users to create new accounts regardless of an "ip ban"
\(\color{blue}{\text{End of Quote}}\)


Going Icognito doesn't masks your IP

Answer 27

I know, but my IP is "banned" from creating new accounts..I can create new one's using "incognito".

Answer 28

@pooja195 Well, according to indian time right at 01:00Am, users will appear on OS with multiple accounts.

Answer 29

Do you keep a log of this?

Answer 30

@iGreen Ofcourse, i understand that as I experimented To login OS with softwares, it works... Well, Can there be any other option to stop or reduce such actions ?

Answer 31

@pooja195 Ofcourse, and so you found one in the attached file.

Answer 32

Is it really that hard to just report it and move on? Medals aren't money nor do they have a value of any kind if people wanna do it let them do it , they are only hurting themselves.If/when you see it the report it.

Answer 33

I don't know, that's beyond my understanding.

Answer 34

Wanna know a solution?

Answer 35

Stalk every user on OS :P And check their medal counts

Answer 36

@pooja195 If medals mean "nothing", they wouldn't be here..and Moderators/Administrators wouldn't care about "medal spamming"

Answer 37

By nothing as in they dont have a value in real life

Answer 38

They are just a special achievement on OS

Answer 39

Exactly.

Answer 40

Btw you mever know when someone is medal spammung unless you get the person ip checked. There are users who ask mutliple question and give a medal for each you cant assume that the asker medal spammed the person who answered

Answer 41

@pooja195 Medal spamming doesn't happen between the same person..it sometimes, if not most of the time, happens between two different people.

Answer 42

Actually at times its the same person :P if it happens between 2 people then i guess its hard to figure out

Answer 43

@pooja195 No..just look at their medals..one person gives the other 50+ medals..and they do the same..it's so obvious..

Answer 44

Medals, smart cents are here to encourage users to help more and more people and also get help from other users. It represents the level of user's activeness on the site. Like every society, OS community will also have some people who want to make their way out of cheating and forgery. To stop them like every other society we have moderators and ambassadors. But some how like every other society there is always be gonna some loop holes. So it requires a general involvement of every user in this. Whenever you find something suspicious, report it to the mods. They have appropriate tools which they can use to investigate the matter and take proper action. That's the best practical way I can suggest you to do.

Answer 45

^exactly what i said =_= but in simpler terms just report it

Answer 46

If you see such users, then simply report.

P.S - When there is no bad, it's heaven. We live in this World comprising of all kinds of people. Good and Not Good ;) Spammers and Helpers.
Report the doubtful ones and moderators will eventually check the issue out.

Answer 47

@iGreen Unfortunately, the same person can use OS in two ways from the same system. Check the above posts, you will find how they do it.

Answer 48

Bottom line: Report it and move on.

Answer 49

She has got a point ;) ^

Answer 50

@Abhisar I applaud that unfortunately, by the time mods appear, these users might have found answers and logged out. Next day, another account is created. Then, How does that help ?

Answer 51

@Koikkara , We have moderators from different time zones. It's quite rare when there not a single mod present online.

Answer 52

Not every system is perfect ;) @Koikkara The mods try their best. In the end, it's honestly ethically wrong, and karma will catch up to them sooner or later.

Answer 53

They have ip checks and if they change their ip then their loss they will get caught one day.
@Abhisar its not rare it happens everyday

Answer 54

There are always some thieves left no matter how huge/strong your police force is. ;)

Answer 55

@pooja195 It's a great idea but before you report, you may find another user answering the question and within seconds mass medal, then question gets closed as well as user logged out.

Answer 56

\(\color{blue}{\text{Originally Posted by}}\) @mathslover
There are always some thieves left no matter how huge/strong your police force is. ;)
\(\color{blue}{\text{End of Quote}}\)
\(\color{blue}{\text{Originally Posted by}}\) @Aureyliant
Not every system is perfect ;) @Koikkara The mods try their best. In the end, it's honestly ethically wrong, and karma will catch up to them sooner or later.
\(\color{blue}{\text{End of Quote}}\)
They will get caught eventually.

Answer 57

Some people are going to find a loophole. Some people are always going to get around the system. No matter what we can do, some problems can't be solved.

Answer 58

@mathslover Ofcourse, but God gave Intelligence to every human being not only thieves.

Answer 59

You cant keep thinking of different scenarios. I think your question has been answered

Answer 60

@Koikkara Amen

Answer 61

Finally, people who cheat or simply exchange answers are doing more harm to them than they are doing to us. OpenStudy is trying hard to provide everyone a global platform to learn and teach but we can not guarantee ypur learning if you are not willing to learn yourself.

Answer 62

Wait, you're saying, moderators are not intelligent? :O

Answer 63

^sometimes they arent :P

Answer 64

@pooja195 Only you think, but I didn't find a good way to sort out the problem yet.

Answer 65

There is a solution

Answer 66

And thats to report it and move on

Answer 67

lol Pooja.. ;)

This is like, digging with all the tools. Why are you looking at all the negative points? The points you've raised are already known to the administration as well as to the moderators. And fyi, they all are doing their best to get this situation under control.

Answer 68

@mathslover nope, intelligence is a part to be used when the angles of ideas coincide. means... planing and moulding OS in group helps it to overcome any effect from a single user or upcoming brains.

Answer 69

The problem is, OS has thousands of users..and only, what? 20 active moderators/administrators?

Answer 70

Ye we need more mods :P

Answer 71

121 Crore - Indian Population
Only one Prime Minister? Why? :'(

Answer 72

@pooja195 Next day same thing happens, again report it and move on ?.....If it happens daily, what is the point in it ?

Answer 73

Why does it bother you so much?? Keep reporting it and moving on

Answer 74

If you care so much then just pm a mod it is very unlikely you will catch someone everyday.

Answer 75

First day - You reported 3 users. The next day, they were banned
Second Day - The same users made new accounts. They were eventually reported again and got banned
..
..
..
nth Day - Congratulations! They were tired of making accounts, and decided to go to bed.

That's it! You did a great job in helping OpenStudy in clearing spammers.

To be very short - Success doesn't come in a day.

Answer 76

@pooja195 Honest faces appreciate a direct path in helping and teaching.

Answer 77

@Koikkara now you are stating the negative points. (like mathslover said) Be a bit more positive

Answer 78

@mathslover I wonder yo make good stories from folk tales. But, Os can stop it if OS could develop this much.

Answer 79

Anyone can do anything… but not all in one day.

Answer 80

@Koikkara OS has better things to do than stop what they cant stop

Answer 81

Ok, None of the proposed ideas have convinced me that they will help to cure the original problem. There will happen nothing by increasing the number of Mods. How can yo predict that some random user is trying to medal spam?

Answer 82

@mathslover

So you're saying that the prime minister does everything?

That's like saying Preetha moderates everything..no. She has help from Moderators, which we don't have enough of.

Answer 83

@Abhisar Who said anything about predicting? Once they do it, it has to be dealt with immediately.

Answer 84

Did I say that? I was just stating a fact that sometimes it is not the proportion that matters.

Answer 85

.-.

Answer 86

@iGreen , How will you find that they Medal spammed?

Answer 87

^Thats what im saying
\(\color{blue}{\text{Originally Posted by}}\) @pooja195
If you care so much then just pm a mod it is very unlikely you will catch someone everyday.
\(\color{blue}{\text{End of Quote}}\)

Answer 88

Just a brainstorm:
If medal spamming is truly such a huge problem, can mods have a tool that helps them moderate the amount of medals coming to users? i.e they get notified when a user gets an abnormal amount of medals in a short span of time, which doesn't necessarily mean they're being medal spammed, but just for precaution the mods can moderate that through that tool..

Answer 89

@Aureyliant , that can be done.

Answer 90

I dont know why you people care so much about medal counts i guess they added dont game the system to be fair .-. but other than that i really dont see a point to make a huge deal out of it

Answer 91

@Abhisar Check their medals and the posts they got medals on..if they've gotten 50+ from the same person, check their IP to see if it's the same person. If not, they could be doing it with someone else. Check that other person's medals, see if he gave him a lot of medals. You might also want to check a few of their posts they gave medals on.

Answer 92

IP check is not a sound proof to determine this. As i said you earlier that many legit accounts share the same IP and even spammers are able to mask their IPs.

Answer 93

The ip checks seems to be a bit messed up :P