Thread

I’m getting a large-print Forbidden message often recently when trying to view a member profile for someone who’s posted on the EE forum.

Is this expected? I can’t find any way to make my own profile ‘forbidden’, for example; nor have I seen this behaviour in years past.

I am logged in to the forum, yes.

Regards,
Clive

Hi, Clive,

This is part of some of our new forum anti-spam measures.  It is expected.

Ok, fair enough, and I am sure it is with good intent.

To clarify, does it mean profiles are no longer in use, no longer accessible in any way?

All right, I figured it out. My goodness.

I can’t access my own EE forum member profile. I know I’m logged in because the box in the upper right corner says “Hello, prmansfield” but when I click on Profile I get a page that shouts: “Forbidden” and explains that: “The member’s profile you have requested is not visible to the public.”

Narration may have figured it out but did not say what he or she had figured out.

Well, not saying clearly was just byplay with the administration.

I think they feel it is a security measure. So that people can’t create profiles to immediately use for selling-you-luggage-etc. spam.

There was quite a problem with this for a while - weekends especially.

Hope that helps.

C.

C. narration,

Thanks. I understood that Elis Labs might block our access to other people’s profiles but I now understand that you think they have blocked our access to our own profiles so as to stop people spamming themselves and their database.

For my own site I find allowing people to write profile spam is sort of helpful because it enables us to detect and ban spammers if they have not been blocked by Barricade or detected by MX Stop Spammers! This way we can keep our numbers real.

The adverse effect of being blocked from accessing my own profile is that I can’t update my profile eg. upload an avatar of my handsome self!

Hmm. I considered again this evening and believe Ellis may be thinking something like this:

- if the new member can’t write in their profile, they can’t put spam in it.
- in particular, perhaps, they can’t make a signature line that contains spam.
- writing in profile becomes a privilege of having built a history.
- the side effect that no one else can see their profile until they have a history is almost secondary, actually.
- this approach is also pretty low maintenance.

Or so the logic seems to me, anyway.

[edited on several points as became clearer - regards, prmansfield]

C.

I just noticed this as well. If I’m signed in, I can’t see my own profile. And even if I’m signed out, I still can’t see it. Is there a threshold at which point a profile is visible, or is it always like this?

H, Hanerino - there is a threshold and it is based on forum activity.

Lisa, thank you for clarifying.  Much appreciated.