SPAM used to stand for Specially Processed American Meat but not any more, now it is used for any unwanted, unsolicited advertisements and other emails. I for one am finding that the Art Jewelry Forum is becoming fouled with SPAM. There are some business owners that are friendly and courteous contributors to the forum but others are just here to peddle their wares and contribute nothing. I am finding it rather tiresome to go through the increasing number of meaningless commercial posts. If they want to advertise with Art Jewelery let them pay as do the other commercial companies or delete their posts. They are ruining a very good community. Thank you, Bentiron

I like this forum, but it discouraging to wade through the SPAM.  Frankly, the sellers that are just 'out there' with the go to my website message don't bother me as much as the sellers just posing as members of the group.  They never participate in any conversation or add to the knowledge base, they seem to hang in the "show us your work" forum asking for feedback or directing you to their site {because they don't know how to upload pics} to look at their new piece or tutorial.

 Don't get me wrong - I don't believe everyone who posts in the "Show us your work" forum is a spammer, it just seems those member who are spammers seem to hang out in that forum along with legitimate members of our community.

I am objecting to SPAMMERS who make a comment about other people's work and then say that they should go to their website to look at better/more appropriate/alternative materials/jewellery etc. Comment on someone's work-fine, make constructive comments-fine, suggest that the artist then checks out their store for swarovski crystals[whatever]-not fine.

I am also tired of reading posts that say please check out my website and make comments, especially since one, in particular turned nasty when initial comments were made which were intended to be helpful. Bentiron's initial suggestion of getting them to pay fees for advertising etc is perfectly legitimate. I had to jump through hoops, provide my passport, receipts of purchases, provide my Tax details, just to register with a wholesaler in the US to BUY materials. This is a free forum and therefore anyone can sign up, but is there a clause which says that if you immediately launch into 'check out my website' mode or 'buy my stuff at' then they should be removed. Or, have a Forum thread only for that purpose. That way if people want to find a new seller, they can troll through the listings rather than it turn up in SUYW.

I have been reading through all of the back list of threads on AJ and increasingly, I'm finding the newer posts are SPAM-type. I can barely call myself a jewellery artist as I have been doing this for around 2 years, but the work is mine and what I seek on this site is support, inspiration and knowledge, it is not someone peddling knock-off rubbish.

That has what has gotten to me, all of the dealers that put up their commercial sites in SMYW and it is not even 'work' in the sense that Art Jewelry is about. It is manufactured articles of jewelry apparel not had crafted items. I have not been on the forums all that long and I can see degradation in the short time I have been here. I think that a lot of the problems have arisen in the last year after the drop in the stock market and things have gotten tighter all around. Still in a large part I think that there is not the level of forum monitoring going on at the Administrator level that there once was.

One thing I was thinking about the other day...I am also a member of xFalcon forums, a car forum in Australia.  We aren't allowed to post URLs, websites or pics until we have 15 posts. That is restrictive here as we like to SUYW, but restricting new posters to no URL's or links in their threads until (x amount of) posts, could be a way of deterring SPAMMERs. If you can't post a link immediately, most SPAMMERs probably won't hang around long enough to post their junk and move off to find a site that has less restrictions. I do realise that they can just click on 15 posts, type, 'yeah, great work' and then do it, but it may deter some. Just a thought.

That's a good idea, but it still takes an administrator to watch over the site and I don't think that is what has been happening with any  regulatory. I have done the "report this post" thing several times and that usually gets a quick response. I don't think that as a subscriber to the magazine I should be the only one doing that. Self policing of the site is nice but there has to be some action from the magazine to help stamp it out. I get kind of cranky doing so much reporting.

 One simple thing that might help is to move SUYW to the section of forums that at least require registration.  That would allow someone to be blocked if they abuse it.  There is far less (although not zero) SPAM in the registration required sections.   I did notice the new warnings up in the subheadings.