Spam is a constant battle. We could increase security, but that places a lot of barriers to posting. We could monitor everything before it goes live, but that would put a damper on the conversation. Our approach so far has been to put reasonable filtering in place, then try to clean up the stuff that gets through. I am not a tech guru, but am following the counsel of someone who is.
Having said that, if others have suggestions of better technology or practices that can help I would love to hear about it.
On a related matter, we do struggle with what is sometimes posted. If someone posts a message asking everyone to buy a timeshare, we know that is spam–easy call. But the situation is different when someone who has posted on a variety of topics over a period of time puts in a message saying, "Hey, I tried this supplement and it really helped me." We tend to have a rather light hand in pulling down such posts, prefering to keep this an open and free community. Perhaps we need to reconsider that approach.
Again, your thoughts and suggestions are welcome and encouraged! Feel free to contact me directly: tturnham@melanoma.org
Tim–MRF
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