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Yacht Trivia Questions: Battle the Bots!

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by YachtForums, Feb 26, 2009.

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  1. YachtForums, Feb 26, 2009
    #1
    YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    To reduce the number of bots signing up YF, we just installed a script that poses random questions during the registration process. Thought it would be fun for everyone to come up with questions that only a human can answer.

    The answers can be a letter, a number, or a word. Numbers can be spelled out as well. Here are some examples...

    Q. 1 + 1 equals...
    A. 2 or two

    Q. How many letters are in "GPS"?
    A. 3 or three

    Q. What is the first letter in the word "Yacht"?
    A. Y

    Q. Bots are dumb. People are...
    A. Smart (that's a questionable answer!)


    Anyhow, you get the idea. So... any ideas?
  2. YachtForums, Feb 26, 2009
    #2
    YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    I should clarify... math questions are a more international language. Best to stay with questions that don't require a native tongue. Come to think of it, if we choose the right questions, we can probably eliminate some stupid humans! :D
  3. Marmot, Feb 26, 2009
    #3
    Marmot

    Marmot Senior Member

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    Is the proposed system easier to implement than the usual jpeg interpretation exercise or is it meant to be more interesting or engaging?
  4. YachtForums, Feb 26, 2009
    #4
    YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    Hi Marmot,

    Interesting & entertaining is always good. It sends a message from the outset that membership will be fun. Hopefully, this overcomes the drudgery of the registration process.

    I don't want to make registration difficult, but up until October 2008, I was deleting over 50 bots a day. Some days were over 70. This was taking an hour or two each day. The vast majority of these bots were using g-mail extensions, so I disabled g-mail registrations and this cut the number of bots to about 10 a day. That's manageable!

    Unfortunately, it also cut the number of human registrations too. The new script will allow g-mail account holders to register at YF, while keeping bots at bay.
  5. nas130, Feb 26, 2009
    #5
    nas130

    nas130 Member

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    I hate when you have to type in the random sequence of letters and numbers because sometimes they are impossible to read.

    Do you prefer power or sail?

    You can paint it any color as long as it is ?

    How many letters is SOS?

    What color is teak?

    Sailors favorite drink?

    What color is yachtforums written in on the top of the page?

    Favorite boat builder that sponsors the site? Might increase click troughs?

    nas
  6. Marmot, Feb 26, 2009
    #6
    Marmot

    Marmot Senior Member

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    I concur with that. They drive me nuts sometimes too. I was just wondering if part of the objective is to automate the process. It is amazing that there are that many bot attacks ... shouldn't be surprising though. That kind of takes the fun out of providing a service.

    Too bad there isn't such a thing as a destruct code to respond to the $#%*^%^$% who control the bots.
  7. K1W1, Feb 26, 2009
    #7
    K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    Hi,

    1, What do you call the sharp end of a boat?

    2, What do you call the blunt end of a boat?

    3, Can you have a propulsion plant burning fossil fuels that self regenerates while functioning?

    4, Are you a bot signing up for Yacht Forums?

    5, Who do you see when you look in the mirror?
  8. Arniev, Feb 26, 2009
    #8
    Arniev

    Arniev Senior Member

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    Carl,
    Yes, this will drastically reduce "bot incursions" into YF.
    You'll have to change the random questions as often as possible.
    Arnie
    :)
  9. PropBet, Feb 26, 2009
    #9
    PropBet

    PropBet Senior Member

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    I've implemented the same thing in another forum I admin using basically the first 3 of the type questions you have listed and cut BOT's down all together.

    The other option you can consider is using a human only ID of a picture, as in:
    The picture below is a 1) a flower, 2) a boat, 3) a telephone.
    Give them a radio button of each option.
    I've seen this method used, and apparently gets very nice results.

    May be something to consider. The latter requires a little more setup, where as the prior is a 10 minute task in the ACP.
  10. Yacht News, Feb 26, 2009
    #10
    Yacht News

    Yacht News YF News Editor

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    .......:D
  11. Fishtigua, Feb 26, 2009
    #11
    Fishtigua

    Fishtigua Senior Member

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    Darn, I got all the questions wrong. Do I have to step back almost 30 years and become a steward again? :D
  12. YachtForums, Feb 26, 2009
    #12
    YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    Thanks for the feedback everyone!

    K1W1 - the pointy-end and the rear-end was one of the first questions that came to my mind too, but this means potential members would need to speak English to answer the question. Love the "what do you see in the mirror" question!

    Arnie - With the right math equations, we may not have to change the questions. An example: What is the next number in this sequence: 4 8 16 32 64 128 ? And it just occurred... I should let YOU come up with the math questions!

    PropBet - If we use a picture of a telephone, will AT&T charge me? They charge for everything else.

    nas130 - I like your suggestions, especially the sailor's drink; giving the questions a nautical flavor. Yes, 'rum' is the definitive sailors drink. But what if someone answers 'grog'? We need one-answer-only questions.

    For now, I'm going to use some basic math questions to test how effective the script is at keeping bots outa the boat. If they Get Smart, I'll call Don Adams. (was that his name?)
  13. PropBet, Feb 26, 2009
    #13
    PropBet

    PropBet Senior Member

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    The math question works well, and is easy to set up.
    Should take care of 98% of them.

    Is it a script (mod) you are adding from vb.org or is it the manual template edits in the profile / reg. page (also featured at vb.org)

    I've not seen a packaged mod per say, but am familiar with the edits if you need any assistance.
  14. YachtForums, Feb 26, 2009
    #14
    YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    NoSpam! ;)

    Let's keep code/scripts/hacks separate from the forums. Nobody wants to know this stuff. (just you & me!)
  15. PropBet, Feb 26, 2009
    #15
    PropBet

    PropBet Senior Member

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    okidoke / agreed.
    you have pm
  16. Seafarer, Feb 27, 2009
    #16
    Seafarer

    Seafarer Senior Member

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    Bots get past the Captcha stops regularly.
  17. K1W1, Feb 27, 2009
    #17
    K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    Hi,

    Carl- You make this too easy.

    Final question to register......

    What is the state of the Global Economy?
  18. revdcs, Feb 27, 2009
    #18
    revdcs

    revdcs Senior Member

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    Go for the visual option

    How many dolphins can you see?

    Attached Files:

  19. K1W1, Feb 27, 2009
    #19
    K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    Hi,

    .......Which one is in a Big Mac?
  20. NYCAP123, Feb 27, 2009
    #20
    NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    A lot of people will answer "terrific". Not anyone I know of course.
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