Spammers Beware!
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: General Forums
Forum Name: Forum comments and feedback
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URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=138039
Printed Date: 19 Jan 2025 at 6:13am
Topic: Spammers Beware!
Posted By: MB
Subject: Spammers Beware!
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2023 at 8:25am
| This forum is nearly dead as it is with maybe a dozen regular posters. Happy to be corrected. The relentless spamming is going to finish it off which would be a shame. No disrespect to the forum moderators who work hard to keep things going, but it's going to need a serious upgrade. Alternatively, just call it a day and shut it down? |
Replies:
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2023 at 8:42am
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Most forums of this era struggle against the modern social media platforms. FWIW spam, imposters and scammers are rife everywhere. There are lots of people reading these forums still. I'll carry on doing my bit. ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2023 at 9:28am
| I'm grateful for your efforts Smudge, but I could point you to multiple forums where this just isn't an issue, at least not at the user end. I'm sure there is a lot going on behind the scenes to prevent spam posts from appearing. |
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2023 at 9:54am
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Yeah I'm sure there would be some that can filter it out.
------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: Pcj
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2023 at 9:58am
------------- "Times up" |
MB wrote:Posted By: Uncle
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2023 at 10:08am
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Todays spam was touting "genuine, real live witches" & black magic spells that were guaranteed to dispose of anyone that didn't fit into your life anymore. Overnight action in the death dept, for a fee. 
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Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2023 at 10:09am
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Both! I've sent some dude in Nigeria my credit card details, but he sounds honest
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Posted By: Mc Tool
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2023 at 11:49am
ha ha , probly wasn't even a dude ------------- I wish I was young again .... Id be heaps smarter than this time |
Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2023 at 1:46pm
| Damn, fooled again! I'm still waiting on my Russian bride and the payback from the investment I made with the Saudi prince in exile. |
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2023 at 2:55pm
I have some passports if anyone wants one  ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: Reel Deal
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2023 at 10:03pm
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This forum has to be the most in-depth collection of info on nz fishing there is. What I have learnt from searches and good buggers sharing is unmeasurable. Many contributors have passed on and left some of their knowledge as a legacy to nz fishers. Crazy good. ------------- The gods do not subtract from the allotted span of men's lives the hours spent on fishing - Assyrian Proverb |
Posted By: Uncle
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2023 at 10:26pm
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yep, you got it dead right there Scott. About 25 years of in depth fishing info at any members fingertips. Is so sad that the other social media sites have overtaken us, but as smudge has indicated, it's well worth digging in.. I'm with him & will endeavour to do my bit to keep it rolling. |
Posted By: shaneg
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2023 at 10:33pm
| Keep going smudge, I love this place. |
Posted By: Schecter
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2023 at 4:38am
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I agree. I’ve learnt so much from this forum. It’s usually my “go-to” if i need information. The old kayakfishingnz website was another fantastic website in its heyday with trip reports, etc. I spent days scouring through trip reports and the like, learning about rigs, locations etc. Like most websites, it’s coming to an end as most people have moved on Unfortunately with facebook I see a lot of fish pics and videos, but not much technical information. |
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2023 at 8:37am
Yes, lot's of content, very little susbstance. It's easy for some of us to wade through fb and pic out the gems but the newbies will find it hard to separate good posts from misleading ones. ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: jpfishingnz
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2023 at 8:57am
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There
are certainly some challenges facing the forums, as noted above, and billions
of dollars of investment into social media platforms have delivered them better
UX. The
advantages of the forums are the great localised content and the people - no
****-for-brains, mouth breathers like on Facebook! Looping
back to the original point, spam is a pain in the ass, and we're hoping to get
on top of it. The hurdle we face as a small business is the resource required
to do this (both time and $$$).
Internally,
we've been discussing how to revitalise the forums, which would likely involve
a significant cleanup. All of the old content would still be viewable, but we'd
streamline topics based on the current demand/engagement.
So
question - would you be willing to pay to be a forum member, let's say $10 per
year?? This would provide "member access" and allow you to post content. If you aren't, you would only be able to view topics and posts. Placing
a value on content provides a qualified audience and would stop the spam. I'd be interested to hear
everyone's thoughts ------------- NZ Fishing Media |
Posted By: Pcj
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2023 at 11:34am
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Have followed NZ fishing community and a few good posts but then it turns in to sh#t fight or a few non worthy comments. Here you can have an opinion,right or wrong but without the sling match. Lack of time to actually fish or the weather is against most. Like lets repair the ramp mid spring KKB Grr mis the spawning session. ------------- "Times up" |
Posted By: waynorth
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2023 at 11:39am
Not sure where you are going with this post MB. It would be nice if the spamming never appeared, but it seems to be clobbered pretty quickly by the mods - seldom lasts more than a day, and pretty easy to ignore until is is gone. Nearly dead ? I read way more than I post, and I suspect many others do the same. The point is I keep coming back, and keep getting value from the site. If you or others don't, alternatives are available. The membership may take a hit, but the content remains. Call it a day and shut it down ? What would that achieve other than conceding to the crooks & anonymous keyboard warriors, and leaving us with only unmoderated dribble. That's probably unfair on sites like NZFC, but even there a standard post involves yet another fish ID request showing a picture of the same fish (normally a snake eel, hiwihiwi, or pigfish). Of the 10 replies, 3 will call it a marlin, 3 will say its a fish, 3 will ask why you didn't release it, or say its great eating, or get it wrong. Finally, someone will identify the fish and Ben will close the thread down. Rinse, repeat. Some may be satisfied by this 10 second entertainment-focused Tik Tok world, but the usefulness of sites like this remains unchanged. Hang in there mods you're doing fine. ------------- treat fish like fish |
Posted By: Grunta
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2023 at 12:27pm
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Some good points raised folks and here's a few thoughts. Certainly the number of posts on the forums has dropped and the comments above are spot on - it's largely thanks to Zuckerberg and his scaly mates.
The difference is the quality of the posts on these forums seems to have risen. It's a fine line between the right to free speech and the right to be a complete bottom-feeding, mindless dickhead and ruin a good topic - there's a lot of that on social and that behavior is not welcome here. The sterling job from Smudge, Uncle and other mods on here keeps a high standard.  As far as spam and spam bots are concerned the Fishing.net.nz Mod team are very handy with the Spam Nuker they have access to, so as soon as we know it's there, it's gone. Credible, informative fishing info from people who know what they're talking about is something to be treasured and preserved at all costs. Social influencers with brand alignment are obviously compromised and their content has to be viewed with that in mind. This website it now 23 years old and stacked with helpful info. We get over 150,000 unique visitors a month (Google almost anything relating to fishing and you'll find Fishing.net.nz pop up usually in the first one or two organic listings) thanks to you folks sharing your thoughts, experiences and advice and it's helped many of us pursue our passion with more success. Having NZ Fishing News and Fishing.net.nz under one roof makes the site even stronger with well-written content flowing through to this online platform from NZ Fishing news contributors and our own writers. Massive thanks to SMUDGE & UNCLE (they really deserve a big shout-out) for keeping the forum on an even keel and they've both been active on here since day 1. Bloody legends you lads and many thanks. And a huge thanks to all of you who share your knowledge and assist others - that's what makes these forums work so well and quality will always trump quantity. So MB, nope, we're not closing up shop and in fact Nick Jones, Josh Williams and I have plans to take a quantum leap with our platforms in 2024. Here's to some settled weather and good times having fun with friends and family over the summer.  ------------- Online... |
Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2023 at 12:51pm
Great news
 |
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2023 at 2:21pm
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Thanks Waynorth, Uncle and I will be hanging in there, no worries there. You said pretty much exactly as I was going to say re Fish ID but as a moderator I don't like to knock other fishing sites. But yeah, moderating a monster like that would be a biggie
------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: BananaBoat
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2023 at 4:43pm
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Totally agree to your words Reel Deal When I started kayak fishing the Manukau, there was buggar all info freely available for me to make good use of then apply that info in action on the water for my general area I share all my spots when I meet others at the beach when heading out (non gps of course) & shamelessly my curiosity will ask "them" where do they go & so on Having said that, all the needed info for me to get started, was already on here. Most of it is hidden away in other peoples replies to topics posted & faark theres some good stuff on here if you can be bothered browsing the entire forum. The best forum learning the muddy for me was "The Briney Bar" Took a few weeks to go thru it & plenty of beer.... Good info in there, hidden away in replies from replies, shared from those who were genuinely interested in helping another fala out to put food on the table.... good buggars eh Oh yeah Smudge, I have 4 of your gps marks you shared on here many years ago for gurnard & snaps...... its safe with me mate, completely out of range for my kayak
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Posted By: DIY
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2023 at 5:51pm
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This is the only ‘social media’ I do as from what I can work out the likes of Instagram and Facebook are a complete time waster scrolling through pictures of someone’s dinner or where they have been on holiday. There may be some useful fishing info but seems like it’s more about increasing someone’s profile or selling stuff. I may be completely wrong but I’m more than happy with this site and I have learnt a lot about all sorts from outboard maintenance to catching carrots. I probably don’t post reports as much as I should and I would be happy to pay a small fee for all this info. ------------- Oh what a smasher - two eggs and a rasher! |
Posted By: DIY
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2023 at 5:54pm
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I do find some of the spam entertaining, but the fact it is there indicates that it must work to some degree. That’s a worry for the human race. ------------- Oh what a smasher - two eggs and a rasher! |
Posted By: Mc Tool
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2023 at 6:30pm
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I like it here ,and I'd be happy to cough up tenner or so ------------- I wish I was young again .... Id be heaps smarter than this time |
Posted By: lawabidingpoacher
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2023 at 9:07pm
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I read a lot on here , some excellent info available. I'd like to post more but talkin bout work would b pretty boring ! . One day.,..... |
Posted By: Uncle
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2023 at 9:14pm
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If we all thought like that Scott, there wouldn't be buggar all to read, lol.. Post away mate, tell us what's happening in your fishing world
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Posted By: kitno
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2023 at 11:42pm
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I went fishing yesterday, biggest was a 4.88kg snapper. |
Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 24 Nov 2023 at 8:53am
Pretty simple. If the site can't be maintained and isn't being used, better to let it die with dignity than leave it to the spammers. It wouldn't mean that posts/information would be lost, that could be archived. My opinion. Luckily, it seems there is some interest in keeping the forum going in a functional format. I'm looking forward to seeing the changes.
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Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 24 Nov 2023 at 8:55am
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Posted By: Kandrew
Date Posted: 24 Nov 2023 at 7:43pm
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Great site still enjoy the read and still visit every day, you got to remember been a crap year for weather so I don’t think anyone has done as much fishing this year as we normally do. Mods do a great job but smudge needs to get away from the lion brown and learn how to tie better knots. I finally signed up to FB this year after many years to look at the fishing posts, but most of them are just rubbish and no better than the posts on here. To be honest they should turn FB off it’s just crap and there’s plenty of scammers on there. |
Posted By: krow
Date Posted: 24 Nov 2023 at 9:29pm
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I'm here to stay too. |
Posted By: yknot
Date Posted: 24 Nov 2023 at 9:38pm
Same here  ------------- Those that say it can't be done are being overtaken by those doing it. |
Posted By: bigred1
Date Posted: 24 Nov 2023 at 10:08pm
| I read the threads most nights when I go to bed, but my phone is old and I have trouble logging in, then never get around to commenting during the day. I imagine there are a lot of others doing similar things who appericate the fourm but don't contribute a lot. |
Posted By: Titahi
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2023 at 12:48am
Updating " the workup" forum topics to reflect the current game fishing season insetead of 2019 ( 4 years ago) would show a commitment to administer the forum, .....instead of blaming a juggernaut social media platform Otherwise the forum..... "appear 4 years old, like a disused carpark the owner no longer cares about" Me July... 2023 ( 4 months ago) In reply to a question admin possed but possibly didnt bother to read any replies in? Im a fan of what Smudge and Uncle have and contrinue to do for the forum, but it appears after selling to NZFN the "Admin" have concentrated on living in paradise ------------- "I love standing by the ocean and just knowing what its for" |
Posted By: jpfishingnz
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2023 at 10:45am
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Updating the game fishing topics is on the list of things to do, as we expect to have far more content this season having partnered with the NZ Big Game Fishing Facebook groups. Smudge and Unlce are amazing - but what do you mean by the Admin have concentrated on living in paradise...? Would you like to be a moderator too? Or just winge like a little girl? ------------- NZ Fishing Media |
Posted By: Titahi
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2023 at 11:37am
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It was tounge in cheek remark , Grunta is shown as "admin" location paradise...... Your time might be better spent fixing the forum, than making snide quips. Look forward to seeing what ya can achieve. ------------- "I love standing by the ocean and just knowing what its for" |
Posted By: Grunta
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2023 at 11:40am
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Crikey that was bloody close Jason. My hackles were well up right there for a minute. We all live in paradise and I wouldn't live anywhere else in the world. Just straightening up a couple of points though, Fishing.net.nz wasn't sold to NZ Fishing News. I bought NZ Fishing News from Fairfax in 2016 and we've put max effort into both the magazine and Fishing.net.nz in a pretty tough gig over the last few years. I can tell you first hand it's been the complete opposite of paradise so maybe I should update my avatar! I'd be the first to acknowledge that neither Fishing.net.nz nor NZ Fishing News magazine are perfect and there's always more to do, but then life isn't perfect either when there's only 24hrs in a day. We're giving it a good crack and will continue to do so and with awesome contributions from legends like Smudge and Uncle and the team at NZ Fishing Media - Nick Jones our Editor and Josh, our Commercial Director.
Just out of interest, the Workup topic traffic steadily declined over the years so rather that create a new topic for each season we've just let it run on which came from a suggestion on here. Easy enough to archive the topics off and start new ones but the rationale was it was easier to scroll back and look at historical data. Both are options and both are no problem so open to input on that. We'll always happy to take constructive, helpful suggestions and you've made many worthy contributions over the years - apologies if your reply to a question Admin had posted was overlooked, point me in the right direction if it's still relevant and I'll get that sorted.
------------- Online... |
Posted By: Pcj
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2023 at 12:57pm
Surely its up us users to add content on Gamefish threads? ------------- "Times up" |
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2023 at 3:24pm
Titahi, you're a great contributor and I don't want to get offside. That's a tough call. But gracious as always Grunta has acknowledged your comments. There are many people that have been really influential to me but none more so than Grant Blair. Not all, but certainly most of my fishing mentors come from here. Strangely enough I've never met Mark Zuckerberg but he is one smart cookie. Look what he's done to this place. Keep up the good work though Titahi & please stay with us  ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: JustAnotherSpearo
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2023 at 6:55pm
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I have enjoyed the knowledge and met some real good buggers from this form (MB is one of those) I certainly don't get out on the water anywhere as much as I used to due to a variety of reasons but I read most of the posts and will chime in when I can. Have seen some people get a hard time on here which is always a shame. Will continue to read on my lunch break and before work. It's a habit now and enjoyable |
Posted By: Grunta
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2023 at 8:44pm
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Kind words indeed Smudge - too kind maybe but thank you. Now, let's talk about catching gurnard and no-one better for gurnard catching tips than Smudge. Anyone heading out tomorrow? ------------- Online... |
Posted By: Pcj
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2023 at 9:01pm
------------- "Times up" |
Posted By: jackel
Date Posted: 08 Dec 2023 at 8:51pm
| I definitely agree, with previous posters this forum has much more to offer in most instances than most of the other social platforms. A short story about a forum member (who became a good mate) who has just passed. PT (Paul) posted looking for crew for fishing over the Manukau Bar, I answered and what followed was 5-6 years of Game Fishing/Snapper Fishing, fishing tournaments, trips to Gt Barrier/Mokes and last but not least, my first Marlin caught. I was introduced to a club through Paul, and had a lot of great times, I even secured a nick-name of Junior, short for Carls Junior due to the weight I put on over that period. A good bugger gone too soon, when I hear the words 'get the net' I will remember the good times we had. RIP Paul. |
Posted By: mozz
Date Posted: 16 Dec 2023 at 3:22am
I now work in the Bahamas but still like to know what's being caught at home from time to time.
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Posted By: Pcj
Date Posted: 16 Dec 2023 at 5:37am
------------- "Times up" |
Posted By: Pcj
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2024 at 6:49pm
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Seems there is a lot more spam this weekend,have the firewalls been lowered? ------------- "Times up" |
Posted By: Grunta
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2024 at 8:10pm
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No they haven't Paul. I think it's been cleaned up unless there's still some we're not aware of? ------------- Online... |
Posted By: Uncle
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2024 at 8:33pm
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Been a busy ol' day, smashing the spammers Grunta. Reckon I've nailed + 6 of the pricks. Wonder why they can't find better things to do ..
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Posted By: Grunta
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2024 at 9:18pm
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Nice work Uncle. I got a couple too but you're just too quick off the mark. Benefit of a black belt I guess! ------------- Online... |
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2024 at 6:17am
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I got one who put up 4 or 5 posts yesterday. Uncle's been smashing them!
------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: Pcj
Date Posted: 18 Apr 2024 at 7:06pm
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How does it keep getting through?? Edit Grunta: All gone Paul - I've removed the links as they don't go anywhere but thanks for the heads-up The reality is that there's a lot of people in the world who have Fark-all else to do other than try and make other people's lives a misery. They won't last long on here.
------------- "Times up" |
Posted By: Pcj
Date Posted: 27 Dec 2024 at 8:06pm
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Another big night for spammers, ------------- "Times up" |
Posted By: Uncle
Date Posted: 27 Dec 2024 at 9:43pm
| ..he gone Paul, cheers |