Spoof users & ghost posts

[Poly]

Attentive members will have noticed we've had a bit of an issue with spoof users acting on behalf of a particular company / brand over the past few days / weeks.

We are taking steps to ban any user who systematically undermines the Community Rules just as soon the admin team agree that individual accounts are in breach.

Where there are dodgy posts you might notice:

• pictures being replaced with comedy images; if they don't play fair then their images won't stay to promote their (or their paymaster's) brand
• brand names being edited; in a world driven by Search Engine Optimisation we have no intent to help people surreptitiously promote brand name or awareness.
• users, posts or threads disappearing either temporarily or permanently whilst we deal with them.

We believe this is a very small number of users, but we are keeping an open mind on all new posts. So far we have only spotted one brand doing this and hope that other brands are smart enough to see better ways to get you excited about their offerings.

[Poly]

We've had some useful help from some members over the past few days. If you spot unusual threads / users please feel free to use the (!) report post icon (or hold down your finger in the App) to let us know.

The efforts involved are quite high which tells us that there must be an expected reward.

[Poly]

Just a wee reminder that the world is full of odd and untrustworthy people.

It may be tempting to assume that you know people from the forum, but beware not everyone may be as they seem.

Typical RIBnet users come from a demographic with disposable income, and people will be happy to help you spend it - on them!

Typical RIBnet users have expensive assets - less scrupulous people will take advantage of that, be careful how much information you publicise to the world/people you don't know.

If your teenage daughter said she was going to meet a middle aged man she met on the net you'd probably have a fit. Gatherings can be great fun, but use your common sense when meeting strangers - some of the people on here are weird.*

* and that's just the Admins!

[Poly]

If you want to promote your business and need help understanding what is OK and what might work then drop us a line.

If you have a legitimate reason for having multiple accounts (and we don't know) please contact the Admins so we don't ban both.

[Nos4r2]

It should be noted by the way, that if this particular brand continues to attempt to stealth promote their boats, I'll be changing my sig line to '**** can't find anyone to say anything good about their boats so they're faking forum posts. You have to wonder why that is.'

Search engine rankings will have over 10,000 instances of it to choose from. I suspect others may follow suit as well with nice little messages of their own.

Stop it. Now.

[willk]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

I suspect others may follow suit as well with nice little messages of their own.

I think it's a certainty Nos.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

It should be noted by the way, that if this particular brand continues to attempt to stealth promote their boats, I'll be changing my sig line to '**** can't find anyone to say anything good about their boats so they're faking forum posts. You have to wonder why that is.'

Search engine rankings will have over 10,000 instances of it to choose from. I suspect others may follow suit as well with nice little messages of their own.

Stop it. Now.

Remember what happened to the "Lulworth cove cowboys" google rankings