For a bit there, Google was removing or at least covering up posts reported as spam.
Now, they come right back.
WTF is the point of reporting them, then? I popped a couple on the first page three times, but each time I left the page and came back, there the happy horseshit was again.
I see a lot of people complaining about Google Groups. Technically, there are no such things, since google is simply providing a free web mirror to browse usenet, over which it has no control.
It's like someone stopping to help you change a flat tire, and you start complaining that they're not doing enough of the work. :-)
Not exactly correct, there are google groups which are not part of usenet.
Well, in context, I am correct. Riiiiiight? Considering that it was posted in this newsgroup, which is usenet.
Wow, you guys are hilarious.
It very much does have control over the searching of data on its servers. It used to be google allowed you to look at old archived messages going clear back to the middle 80s. The groups/articles could be searched and crossed ref'd and user/group data could be gleaned using grougle's advanced search engine. Info like number of posts, in which group, in any given month and year, was easily obtainable. No more.
In the last few weeks most of this functionality has disappeared, a click on a users profile bringing up only a few recent posts. Google always did reduce the granularity of user data from the original dejanews, which would even provide all actual IP addresses used by a poster. Very handy for detecting sock puppets, trolls, etc. Google killed that right out of the gate when they acquired dejanews.
I suspect grougle is gearing up for paid access. We'll see.
nb
Providing a search of something isn't having control over it.
All that says it that they treat it like the rest of the internet, they provide searching, with no control over content.
If it sucks so bad, get a real usenet server service and reader.
I think google groups sucked since they first started their mirror service.
If they provided access to it and then stopped providing access it, that damn sure is control.
What the hell are you talking about? I do use a real server and reader.
I think you have no clue what you're talking about.
nb
Ok. You're right. Goodbye.
There's no such thing as a unified "usenet". Google takes a usenet feed, archives it, and then makes it visible via Google Groups.
They could easily run spam filters on the usenet messages and delete the spam.
Chris
In case you didn't notice, notbob is using slrn on linux. I think that counts.
Chris
If Google starts charging for groups that would be a good thing IMO. A lot of the small children and mental defectives and spammers and the rest who post from there would likely go away.
Like a lot of decent news providers do.
Personally, I kill any post originating from Google Groups.
The silly thing is their filters are *very* good on gmail accounts, I get almost no spam in my inbox, but the spam folder is always full.
Why they can't filter google groups, I have no idea. Maybe it is the advertising they get to pop up besides the posts.
Great, then he can quit complaining about googlegroups.
Charlie - not to necessarily defend Google, but I recently saw an interview on a cable show with some of the Google guys that are in charge of their newsgroup/groups department.
They said that the sheer amount of spam mails they get in the newsgroups which require no registering, have no tracking, and are unmoderated is overwhelming.
According to them, it's just like any other autobot spam mailer victim. The bot may send out the same spam (or slightly different) from the same author (ususally not) many hundreds of times a day.
And after a while, the spammers know that their ISP address will simply be blocked, so that finishes them off. They simply set up a new one, and they are off and running in another 30 minutes (or less if they buy blocks).
They literally can't keep up. But they must be doing something; note how we see spams for shoes, purses, watches, etc., and no more about dick disease cures? Remember when this group was overwhelmed with spam trash for extending, prolonging and encouraging penile growth?
And as the guy on the show said, since it is a free service, they only have about 3 folks working on the entire newsgroup situation (as opposed to the formal google groups).
He did allow that there were newsgroups they had simply given up on as they find so many ways to get around their traps such as in the rec.cooking and rec.photo groups they gave up.
Essentially, his message was that if they get enough notices of spam, they pay attention. If they get nothing, they let the auto detect run and handle it. The spams we report (I'm right there with you on reporting) are actually removed one at a time, by a real person to make sure that it isn't an honest post.
I tried this out by reporting a couple of particularly annoying folks on another ng I frequent, and no, their posts weren't removed. So someone reads them!
It is annoying... but not unlivable.
Robert
Google Groups, the usenet access service, is completely different than google groups, the usenet archive service. The usenet access service has much to complain about. In fact, it's a major menace, as pointed out by others in this group.
On the bright side, the google usenet archiving service, of which I was speaking of, is a good thing. Better yet, I've heard in other groups I frequent, google now seems to be aware of a problem, acknowledges it, and is taking steps ...or so I've heard. Time will tell.
nb
You show 'em!
Robert
Google groups is a major source of usenet spam, and Google refuses to do anything about it.
Shouldn't an "archive" archive everything? I could see sticking a spam filter between the archive and their archive "browser", but not between the incoming feed and the archive.
scott
uhmmm... whatever.
Anyway, good news:
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