[TheForge] Effectively filtering the offensive.

Thu Nov 13 19:46:00 2003

Jerry,
Thanks for the info. The only problem I have had with effective filtering is
that the subject lines don't get changed and some things get missed.
Darrell

http://www.machinemaster.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jerry Frost" <[email protected]>
> Okay, I can help you with this. Simply "blocking" a sender isn't enough.
On
> another list there is (or was I don't get anything recognizably from this
> "person" anymore) a particularly shrill and evidently bored woman who's
only
> contribution (I've noticed anyway) is strife with malice of forethought.
In
> her own words as she pitched fresh fuel on the still smoldering embers of
a
> recently fading flame war she initiated in the first place, "the list
seemed
> a little dull".
>
> I'd already used the block function against her and as you say all the
> outraged replies, pro and con came through anyway. Almost worse were all
the
> folk complaining about the inappropriate topics, ultimately these added up
> to as much or more wasted bandwidth.
>
> What I ended up doing was setting multiple filters. I specified her: name,
> nicknames, aliases and her Edresses in the: "from", "sender", "subject"
and
> "message body". I now have more filters set against this woman than the
> worst porn spammer, from the days before our ISP installed anti-spam
> software. I now don't recieve anything from her, firsthand, replies, nor
> responses. At least nothing recognizable anyway, which is good enough.
>
> The only downside being her "names" make it really unlikely I'll see any
> posts about a certain city in Switzerland or any recipes using certain hot
> spicy vegetables. Fortunately this applies only to the other list as the
> filters only apply to said list.
>
> Regardless, she stirred things up so badly I ended up unsubbing anyway, at
> least till the smoke cleared and so far the other list has passed
probation.
>
> If Andy really bothers you so much his posts will be easy enough to
filter,
> his name and nickname are unique so you won't even miss out on a good
> recipe. Set your filters for the: "Sender" line, "From" line, "Subject"
line
> and "Message Body", using: "Andy Vida", "Andy V." (some folk use his
initial
> in responses and you don't want anything getting through) And "Demon
> Buddha," lastly, use ALL his Edresses. Remember to specify all these
> parameters in all four areas, Sender, From, Subject and Body.
>
> Just remember, though Andy is opinionated in the extreme and often just
> plain wrong he's one of the good guys. Andy never fails to jump in with
help
> when he can, not just online either. He helps people in the real physical
> world to the point of severely taxing his own life and well being. Put
more
> simply he's demonstrated the willingness to make substantial personal
> sacrifices to help other people.
>
> Whether or not you filter someone is a judgement call everyone has to make
> for themselves. For myself I've been tempted on more than one occasion, on
> this and other lists. For myself a person has to be more than annoying,
they
> have to be more than disruptive, they have to be malicious and in addition
> non-contributers. Whether or not I agree with them isn't a criterion.
>
> The one and only person I've ever filtered from one of my lists had
> contributed nothing of use. Not one single bit of help, list related nor
> otherwise. Nor have I ever seen or heard of work she's done. Her ONLY
posts
> were deliberately inflamatory, malicious and often calculatedly insulting,
> designed for no other purpose than to spread strife and conflict. She's an
> extreme case though I must say, she contributed one thing. I now know what
> it takes to qualify for my filter list.
>
> It took me a few tries to effectively eliminate her from my mail. It
> would've taken maybe 10 minutes had someone listed the parameters I needed
> to use to effectively filter her for me. I didn't ask anyone, that wasn't
a
> complaint. What I didn't do however was waste bandwidth and contribute to
> the flaming on the list by bitching. It wasn't and isn't MY intention to
> make things worse.
>
> Hope this is of some help.
>
> Frosty
> ------------------------
> If it ain't forged
> it ain't real.
> Wrought iron is.
> The FrostWorks
>
> Meadow Lakes, AK.
>
> _______________________________________________
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
> theforge mail list group photo site is
> http://www.photoaccess.com
> Login:  [email protected]
> password:  anvil
> ___________
>
>