Community policing against spam

Question

Noting this question, and an apparent increase in 'spam' here on EL&U, I'd just like to know whether there's a standard response expected from community members and TPTB.

Specifically, is it desirable that I flag the post for moderator attention on the grounds that the user is obviously a spammer? Will a moderator then delete both the user and the post? How do I know not to waste time flagging it if someone else has already done this?

And what if the spammer simply creates a new account for each spam posting? Can/will TPTB block the relevant IP address from access to EL&U? Supposing some visitor childishly does that on my home computer while I'm not looking? Would I then find myself locked out here?

Answer 1

Specifically, is it desirable that I flag the post for moderator attention on the grounds that the user is obviously a spammer?

We prefer that you flag as "spam", as that allow automatic deletion if enough people flag it similarly. But yes, flagging is the right course of action.

Will a moderator then delete both the user and the post?

Yes.

How do I know not to waste time flagging it if someone else has already done this?

Don't worry about more than one person flagging it. If you flag, that helps the post towards automatic deletion.

And what if the spammer simply creates a new account for each spam posting? Can/will TPTB block the relevant IP address from access to EL&U? Supposing some visitor childishly does that on my home computer while I'm not looking? Would I then find myself locked out here?

AFAIK, we are not using IP banning for this current round of spam for various reasons. In theory, an IP ban will impact you, but if this happens, you can email [email protected] for resolution.