Category Archives: Webmaster

Preventing Spam on MyBB

Posted by on November 27, 2011 1 comment

Running a forum can become tedious if your time is sucked up deleting thread after thread of spam.  I’ve found the following combination of plugins invaluable and wanted to share them with you.

Akismet

Chances are, if you run a blog, you’ve already heard of this website.  The plugin checks all new posts against Akismet’s database and if it detects a post it deems as spam, it’s placed in a queue for you to approve or deny.

Plugin Url: http://mods.mybb.com/view/akismet-(spam-protection)   Still works with 1.6.* –  Changing the version number in text editor is required.

 

StopForumSpam

StopForumSpam is a very fitting name for this plugin, as for me, it’s stopped an insane amount of spammers signing up.  The plugin works by checking a new signup’s IP address, username and email against their spam database.

To give you a small idea of the effectiveness of this plugin; here’s a screenshot of my logfile:

StopForumSpam

StopForumSpam Log

Plugin URL: http://mods.mybb.com/view/stopforumspam-com-for-mybb

 

Registration Security Question

This plugin allows you to set your own security questions to ask on signup.  This is a great way to combat bots as the questions can be literally anything you choose.

Plugin URL:  http://mods.mybb.com/view/registration-security-question

 

Other steps to take:

Bots may try to stay under the radar by PMing members instead of posting.  I combat this by making new members unable to send any private messages.  Their accounts are automatically upgraded and provisioned at 15 posts, by which time I hope to be able to tell their intentions.

 

4 Things You Should Look for When Choosing a Host

Posted by on September 23, 2011 No comments

Choosing a host can be a daunting task.  With so many providers out there, it can be hard to sort the good from the bad.  This article will hopefully help you make the right decision when it comes to choosing hosting.

 

Search for reviews

Before purchasing anything at all you should look for reviews.  Since the advent of the internet, it’s never been quite so easy to find them.  You WILL find bad reviews; it’s inevitable as you can’t please everyone all the time and there’s nothing stopping a competitor trying to smear the companies’ name with a bad review.   If the bad reviews are numerous and frequent, it’s probably safe to say you should avoid the host.

 

You get what you pay for

I love a bargain as much as the next man, but hosting is the most integral part of your online enterprises and therefore should get a decent budget.  At the time your $1 a month “unlimited” hosting may seem like the deal of the century, but it won’t seem such a bargain after a week of downtime.

That’s not to say all budget hosts are bad, not at all! But if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

 

How long have they been in business?

Over the years it’s become easier and easier to setup your own host.  It’s as simple and buying a domain and a reseller package.  Personally I’d rather choose a host that has stood the test of time.

There are a few things you should check for.  For starters I’d do a WHOIS search on the domain and see when it was registered, but do bear in mind this isn’t bulletproof, the domain could be aged and have been purchased recently.  Another way I like to check is by searching for when reviews started, or failing that checking the “waybackmachine”.

 

Technical support

Unfortunately problems with your hosting wont confine themselves to office hours, so it’s important to know there’s someone there to answer your query or problem fast.  You want a host that offers 24/7/365 support!  This can be by phone, ticket or email as long as they are fast to respond.

 

This is far from a complete list, but it should provide some insight for when you next pick a host.

What things do you look for in a host?  Let me know in the comments box below!