Software upgrade complete

[Hank]

I upgraded the board software to SMF 2.0.1 today.  This is a big change that has been in the works for quite a while.  I've been putting it off until the "slow season" on the board.  I was a bit nervous about doing it, as there was a little risk of breaking things, but so far it looks good!

I'm sure I'll be tweaking things over the next few weeks some, but hopefully it will be nice and stable.   I do like the new look!

If you have issues or know of a "mod" you'd like, let me know.

Enjoy.   

[Hank]

Custom graphics reinstalled....

[jacin theis]

thanks for sharing your hard work with us. Its nice to have a place to meet you all.

[Hank]

Ah no problem.  Wasn't much work on my end, maybe an hour or two. 
Well worth the effort for the board!

[Hank]

[Hank]

Installed a mod so we can embed youtube videos directly.   Notice the lil youtube button when you are composing your message.

And that guy in the mud?  That's not me   I'm just testing the mod.

[jacin theis]

looks like some of the tractor video in Belarus. I got tired watching it.

[Wacked]

Hank-

This is looking good! 

Thanks for your work on this site.

Wacked

[Hank]

Did a little work on the front page:

http://www.dakotadualsportriders.com/

Looks better, but I'll probably continue to improve it as its still very basic

These are just a few pics I had here and a couple I pulled down from the site.  If anyone has other photo suggestions, let me know.

[Dr Psyko]

Looks Great Jason!!!

[loingrader]

Yea, really nice work hank. We appreciate it!

[Hank]

You're welcome.  It's actually my pleasure as I like to do this kind of stuff and I think DDSR is really cool!

One of the best features of the new software is the registration process now has verification questions.  The point is to prevent automated "spam bots" from registering and filling the board with crap, anything from porn to viagra ads.  Early on we had a few get through, so I ended up adding a crap load of filters and also setting it up so Chad or I had to personally review every new membership app and reject or accept them.   This was sort of a pain and sometimes apps would get forgotten about, or sit for several days before approval.

The filters are the first line of defense.  They just block suspect host names, ones that end in .ru (russia) or .cn (china).  I also added blocks to certain IP ranges that are known spammers, and also added a mod that checks every email and registrant name versus a huge database of forum spammers that is constantly updated.    I think over the years I've added about 30 filters of IP's and host names.    Despite all that, Chad or I were still rejecting probably 8 of 10 apps.

Also many times we'd accept one, then a few days later I re-run their email address and end up deleting them because at that point they were in the spammer database.

I didn't even realize it until this weekend but the filters are blocking a TON of spammers.   Just the last 2 days they've rejected over 200 apps, nearly all from Russia.    I guess the downside is a legitimate Russian would never get through, but the odds are slim or none anyway, and they could always email me if they wanted me to let them through.

Fortunately, the new verification questions, in conjunction with the filters, have allowed me to just have automatic registration again.
1 new member today, and he's legit, and 200+ spammers sent on their way, and neither Chad or I have to dink with all the reviews etc.

I'm sure its not fool-proof, but so far so good and I can always add more or harder questions.  Right now the questions are pretty basic, and anyone with a minimal knowledge of bikes or dualsports will get by them no problem.

I really wonder how effective spamming forums can really be?  Would anyone really buy viagra from russia because someone posts an ad on a bike forum?  I guess it must work to some degree, as there is sure a lot of effort put into it!  Yesterday I reviewed the logs and one IP we rejected was in the spammer database for applying to over 5000 forums in 1 day.  That's crazy!   I guess it's all automated though, so it probably takes zero effort for someone.

[Bogus Jim]

When I read the title "upgrade complete" I thought maybe you had bored out the Blackbird. Like that bike needs more power...

Thanks for the upgrade and for your efforts to keep the board spam-free.

[Hank]

A little extra HP never hurts

I changed the name of the thread - good point!

[greatbuffalo]

Thanks for all you do Hank.