Google Site

[BobK]

I see we are still getting spam from the old Google Investigator site.

I've now cancelled my subscription. It's not immidiately obvious how to do this so the following will help anyone wanting to do the same.

The instructions can be found at:http://groups.google.com.au/support/bin ... swer=75422

Which should give you the following instructions:

How do I delete my Google Account?
Print

To delete your Google Account, please follow these steps:

1. Log in on the Google Accounts homepage.
2. Click the Edit link next to the My Products list. On this page, you can delete your account.
3. Confirm your account deletion. You'll need to check these two options: 'Yes, I want to delete my account,' and 'Yes, I acknowledge that I am still responsible for any charges incurred due to any pending financial transactions.' (Please be assured that you can safely select the latter option if you haven't used any of Google pay services or if you have no pending financial transactions related to these services.)

If you delete your Google Account:

* You'll delete the Google services associated with that account, such as your orkut profile, your iGoogle page, and your web history.
* If you're using Gmail with this Google Account, you'll no longer be able to access that email. You'll also be unable to reuse your Gmail username.
* If you're a Joga.com user, your Joga profile will also be deleted.

If you're signed up for Google Alerts, you'll still receive email alerts even after deleting your Google Account. To stop receiving alerts, please click the cancellation link in your original Alerts verification email or the cancellation link in the alert itself.

If you're signed up for any Google Group, you'll continue to receive emails in your inbox after you've cancelled your Google Account. To stop receiving emails, you can unsubscribe from all your groups. To unsubscribe from a group, simply send an email to [Groupname]-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. For example, if you wanted to leave google-friends, you'd send an email to google-friends+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

[snoopebj]

Thanks for that info Bob. Something I did not consider to do and should have with the security concerns these days.
Funny how it's easy to start up an account but ambiguous to end one!

[Yara50]

We are keeping the Multiply site http://inv563.multiply.com/ as most of the old MSN site info is there, it is just hard to find, as it has been scrambled out of the original date order.

Once we get our (this) investigator563.com site further developed, we will have some more forum sections like technical info, and then maybe some kind soul will spend the time to cut and paste the key info across.

[Ozzie]

Gents
Sorry I have not visited the Google site to delete spam for a while but I have attempted to stop emails being sent to subscribed members. If you unsubscribe you have no worries, you can still visit the site. I am still going to leave the site up as a life raft. It has directions to here on the front page.

No site is safe from gremlins, even banks get hacked and spam is just a fact of internet use. As I mentioned TSP went down for 2 months and the company hosting this site even could just collapse. If you google it you see it happens all the time.

I am disappointed with the uptake on this site. Ian, have you contacted all the old members?

"Dude wheres my forum"

Dont feel bad I noticed when checking the transfer over to the new TSP site that many of the people of the old TSP/ MSN site dont seem to post anymore. Shame really, but that is why I wanted to keep a contact point going. Everyone who switched to MULTI*lY seemed to be put off by the weird formatting.

Maybe it will improve as things go on, or maybe the novelty of forums has worn off for people. I notice Garry Beatties site Australian Yachty has only about six active members left.

Speaking of that site they had a great link the other day on how to build a manual bilge pump
http://australianyachting.multiply.com/journal/item/123

[Yara50]

Ozzie
I haven't pushed this site yet as it is a bit of a case of premature gratification. Clayton only put it up as a draft for me to play with, and I got carried away. See "That was unexpected" topic.

We still have to link the index page, and add some graphics. Also at this stage Clayton still has control so I cant do any mods. However, I was able to delete a spam posting.

[Ozzie]

I see Bollywood or at least his mates have tracked us down

[Yara50]

I am trying to delete the posts as fast as I can, and ban the posters. Once Clayton hands me control, it may be necessary to vet new members to stop this. I would prefer not too, but the problem is getting chronic.

[Ozzie]

Ian
These are sophisticated spambots. Clayton may have more clues but many sites now make you put in a sketched word that is not readable by spambots to join. No idea how you set it up. I had "B**bs from B*llywood banned every other day till he finally stopped posting. So whatever Google techies were doing he was defeating it...for a while.

I'm sure the service provider does their best, but like junk mail in your letterbox your final defense is just to chuck it. Vetting every post will just become a hassle, but can you approve members. That seems to be the way forums are going. I think that means you need a first post that mentions things like say... type of boat and why they want to join the forum. It needs to be something that cannot be written by a machine.

"I really like your forum and want to join" .......probably a spambot

"Hello Ian B I have had Investigator #489 for a few years and just found your forum. I have lots of questions about mast raising and my keel bolt is stuffed" .........probably a human or really smart spambot with an Investigator

[Ozzie]

Following Ian's lead I have placed an invite only on the Google site. Any current members should not receive spam again. Not that I am expecting any more members now that the paid site is up. I should have done that in the first place. As I said i am only leaving it as a life raft in case of this site going down even temporarily so if there is any links or info you want to back up leave a post there.

As I have said nothing on the net is 100% safe, even my government work site was hacked into uselessness for half a day once. You've never seen anything so funny as a bunch of public servants running around like headless chooks because their Komputas dinna work