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Hello. My name is Slash Firestorm. I'm the current commander of the Elite Guard Barracks, a longtime Newgrounder with a specialty in B/P'ing and abuse flagging, and I'm here today to deliver a public service announcement.

No one is surprised at spammers winning Turd of the Week, although they might be surprised at how much ridiculous and time-wasting fighting goes on behind the scenes for it. But many people are shocked at how spammers can win Underdog (requiring either high score or high review average) or Review Crew Pick (requiring a high review avg). It's actually pretty simple.

Of course, the submitter gets his or her buddies to ten-review it. Might even drag in some alts. But that alone isn't enough to win an award.

The problem, Newgrounds, is you.

You see a spam flash and become so personally outraged that you write an angry, abusive zero-review. Many others do the same. And then those reviews are deleted for being abusive, some of you are banned from reviewing, and the average review score for that flash goes right back up to damn-near ten. A similar principle is responsible for shitty flash passing, but I'll save that lecture for another time.

By losing your cool over something on the internet, you satiate the spammer's desire for a reaction. By writing reviews of such angered ardor that they're guaranteed to be deleted, you guarantee the spammer's desire for exposure. And by rallying for others to do the same, you perpetuate the problem.

If you truly want to stop spam from winning those awards, you must accept that you share some responsibility for the problem. As immature as the spam-flooding losers are, the Newgrounds population is equally immature in their overreaction to them.

If you see a horrible flash, whether horrible in terms of construction or in terms of morality, STOP AND THINK, DAMN IT. Don't go on a whiny rant or whistle it for no damn reason. Stop being pussies and act like adults.

If it breaks any rules---if it's stolen, crashes your browser, spouts certain terminology for people of certain ethnicities, etc---then by all means whistle it, and report it to Wade if it passes. But don't abuse your whistle, or you'll just be crying wolf and the next truly rulebreaking flash may be ignored.

Don't vote zero on it every day. For one thing, doing so has NO EFFECT. If I had a nickel for every time I've seen an angry reviewer swear to VOTE ZERO ON THIS PIECE OF SHIT EVERY DAY UNTIL IT'S DELETED, I'd be able to solicit most of your mothers several hundred times over. Once a flash has passed, the only way it can be deleted is for the author to delete it themselves, or for an admin to delete it. And secondly, zero'ing a flash over and over will only help them get TOTW, and thus more exposure.

Don't spaz out and write a FUCK YOU THIS IS GARBAGE AND YOU SUCK COCKS abusive review. That's just as much abuse as spam is. Write a coherent, respectful review, even if they don't deserve it. Give suggestions for improvement, even if those suggestions are just "make it longer than a three-second animation loop set to Night of Fire" or "perhaps abstaining from crudely drawn Family Guy hentai would be better". By writing a non-abusive zero-review, you simultaneously lower their review average (keeping them away from Review Pick and Underdog) and set a good example for other Newgrounders.

Don't make a thousand BBS threads and news posts whining and crying about the spam. It won't do a damn thing. Unless a flash is breaking the rules, it's not going to be deleted. If it was a fileswap or something, tell Wade. If not, shut up and stop giving them attention.

If you B/P for points, you've got no damn right to complain at all. It's you and those like you who caused the problem. If you hate the spam so much, go to the Portal and fucking vote properly, because right now you have the Portal you asked for, and it's the Portal you deserve.

If you suspect that someone is using alts to leave multiple reviews on a flash, PM a review mod so they can check it out and potentially stop a spam flash from stealing an award. The review mods are (taken from the FAQ) 36Holla, absent, AllReligiousDrunk, aviewaskewed, BlueHippo, Canas, CaptainBob, Coop83, deckheadtottie, FIGMENTUM, idle, Jercurpac, Jonas, kidray76, life, Malachy, NEVR, RageVI, ramagi, Sanjay, Seamonky, SevenSeize, ShitOnAStick, Stormwarden, Streakydesign, The-Swain, tigerkitty, UberBarista, and WavyGravy.

In conclusion, STOP FUCKING CONTRIBUTING TO THE PROBLEM YOU DICKHEADS.

That is all.

*******

[Back to Slash's Index Page]

Updated: 07/16/09 6:56 AM Log in to comment! | Share this!

The People Have Spoken

2,435 Comments

Feb. 11, 2009 | 2:36 AM Malachy says:

you should also mention that if you see people obviously leaving 10/10 reviews on multiple accounts (like douchebag001, douchebag002...) PM A REVIEW MOD SO THEY CAN STOP IT BEFORE THE REVIEW-RELATED AWARD IS STOLEN!

Feb. 11, 2009 | 2:57 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

Indeed. I'll add that to the post, along with the list of review mods.

Feb. 11, 2009 | 7:20 PM Aci6 says:

Too true, I ignore spam flash anyway, do you suggest I write a review for one with a big fat well deserved 0?

Feb. 11, 2009 | 7:26 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

If you want, go for it. If it's already stolen an award, it's kind of pointless, but it'd still set a good example. And if it's for something that squeaked past judgment, it'd help keep it from stealing the next week's awards...

Feb. 11, 2009 | 11:01 PM phantomlassuk says:

!00% agree with you there when will that Chris Beer ever give up? he has got two UJ in the portal.

Feb. 12, 2009 | 12:08 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

They passed, due to both his mass-voting and the NG public being too fucking stupid to watch the 'flash' and whistle/vote zero. At least we know that he'll soon be deleted, again.

Feb. 11, 2009 | 11:52 PM crazygamer88 says:

People who generally wanted to win underdog and turd are either morons or no lifers in general. People who give crap reviews are also morons. I never review anything unless it's worth doing so (i.e. criticism or tips on the games for people having trouble) Just give me an issue and I'll find a way to rant to out.

Feb. 12, 2009 | 12:14 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

The fights for TOTW are incredibly stupid, with groups of people voting down their own flash and voting up any competitors. They pretend to be the ones on the ball, mocking everyone for caring about the site, when they have little baby gang wars over a fucking pixel prize that carries no prestige.

Since they're never going to grow up, it's up to the NG public to be mature enough to not help them.

Feb. 12, 2009 | 1:29 AM Aci6 says:

Ok then I will, it might be a start.

Feb. 13, 2009 | 6:39 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

swell

Feb. 12, 2009 | 10:10 AM Ismael92 says:

This is perfect, so I just added it to my sig, so at least more people will see it.

Feb. 13, 2009 | 6:40 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

bon

Feb. 13, 2009 | 4:45 PM Fro says:

Great now get this out to half the population of newgrounds that does the things that you say.

Hell your not the first to say this and you won't be the last. So this is just the same thing that I've heard 100's of times.

The only way it will be any different is if you get it out to enough people to see it. And those people are the ones that don't go to the BBS. Just the ones that visit the portal.

Perhaps a nice flash submission or something of the sort? I'll link this to my sig though. Every person that does see it and changes is help. Even if it is a little bit at a time.

Feb. 13, 2009 | 6:44 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

When it comes to point-whoring and abusive reviewing, I'd say it's more than half of the NG population that does it. The spam doesn't just pass with a 1.7 or a 1.8, but with 2.2 or more a good deal of the time.

Honestly, I'd love to see every single person who fifens everything in the Portal nerfed, stripped of every single B/P point they have. I'd also love to see account deletions of the big submitters, the ones who have hundreds of spam flash, along with their alts. That would change things.

Feb. 13, 2009 | 7:29 PM LaDMalek says:

You Sir have my Respect.

Feb. 14, 2009 | 2:14 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

Why, thank you.

Feb. 14, 2009 | 12:40 AM forevergrimm says:

What do I do if I suspect the moderator or admin I PM is offline? Should I PM another one?

Feb. 14, 2009 | 2:14 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

You can see a list of online users, with mods in green and admins in red, at the bottom of the main forum page. Just refresh until a review mod comes on, shouldn't take long.

For Portal abuse (fileswaps, stolen flash passing, etc), PM Wade anytime. But send review related problems to review mods.

Feb. 14, 2009 | 11:26 AM Fro says:

"When it comes to point-whoring and abusive reviewing, I'd say it's more than half of the NG population that does it. The spam doesn't just pass with a 1.7 or a 1.8, but with 2.2 or more a good deal of the time."

Yes, I'm sure it's more than half the population that does it. I was just throwing a number out there. My point was that the people that need to see things like this just aren't going to see it because a lot of them aren't people that really visit the BBS. A lot of them don't even know it exists.

"Honestly, I'd love to see every single person who fifens everything in the Portal nerfed, stripped of every single B/P point they have."

That would also be beautiful. That's one of the ways to do it, but along with it they would all need a message telling them why it happened. This would be one way to solve the problem, but the amount of work to go through and do that would be crazy.

"I'd also love to see account deletions of the big submitters, the ones who have hundreds of spam flash, along with their alts. That would change things."

My blams would go up by thousands if this happened. That wouldn't change things though. The thing people don't realize, and you should know this, is that people that spam don't care if their stuff is deleted. The stuff didn't take any time to do their work and if it's deleted/they get an IP ban then they'll just change their IP and submit them again.

People for some reason thinks this upsets them, but it really doesn't that much. They find the whole thing funny about how mad people get.

Anyway, you still need a plan to get this out so more people can see it. That or it's just not going to effect enough people to do too much. Like I said before though... just a small handful of people is better than nothing.

Feb. 14, 2009 | 11:00 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

This isn't intended as a fucking revolution, just a post to let the Newgrounders know they have very little right to bitch about things. The situation is as it is because Newgrounders are allowed to get away with their stupidity.

Right now, Newgrounds has the Portal it deserves.

Someday the admins may decide to start punishing people, hopefully on both sides. I wouldn't mind seeing lots of people getting trashed, especially the high-ranking accounts that submit the most ridiculous and boring of the spam garbage and the low-ranking accounts that consistently give it wings. Until then, though, these morons need to be reminded.

Feb. 14, 2009 | 12:47 PM magic says:

duck division till i die ;)

Feb. 14, 2009 | 11:01 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Perhaps try something original or funny. The Duck Division's brand of spam was old when the Barney Bunch was young.

Feb. 14, 2009 | 11:23 PM Fro says:

Where did I say it had to be a revolution? I stressed a numerous amount of times that it would only effect a very small handful of people and sometimes that is enough people.

Feb. 15, 2009 | 7:27 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Unfortunately a small amount of people makes very little difference when everyone is voting stupid. At least, around peak time.

However, few nights ago, one of those Cyberen movies comes in around midnight, yeah? And I vote zero on it, because it's garbage. And then midnight comes around, and I vote zero on it again. It went on to be blammed---just BARELY. If I hadn't have voted twice, it would have passed. Victory, right?

Wrong. Next day it was re-submitted and passed with a healthy margin.

For now, whistling is the most a small amount of people can do. A very good chunk of the Portal browsers would need to be voting smart to make a difference there.

Feb. 16, 2009 | 10:36 AM Fro says:

Here is one of those submissions that are awfully close to winning underdog because of their review rating. A couple of honest reviews wouldn't hurt our cause.

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view /483021

Feb. 16, 2009 | 7:37 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

I reviewed it honestly, giving it the zero it deserved but giving advice for improvement. Hopefully he'll take my suggestions under advisement.

EDIT: It seems a review mod hit it up and deleted both the abusive reviews and some questionable high-scoring reviews. No chance of it winning Review Pick or Underdog at the moment.

Updated: Feb. 16, 2009, 7:51 PM

Feb. 16, 2009 | 7:55 PM Fro says:

I reported them both to Malachy and Life. I don't know who took care of it, but the only important thing is they are taken care of.

I searched the top 100 and didn't see any that looked like they were in position to steal an award this week.

Feb. 17, 2009 | 6:22 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

excellent

now try my new challenge

collect eight silver coins from MY world

you must collect eight from each level and WIN

then come back and see me

Updated: Feb. 17, 2009, 7:11 PM

Feb. 17, 2009 | 4:57 AM RohantheBarbarian says:

Absolutely 100% true man. If a fraction of the people who are active in the Portal became more honest with their voting habits, it would have a momumental effect on the state of things.

Also, as anyone who has visited my profile knows, I'm not a big reviewer. However, a combination of frustration at some of the NG populace's idiocy as you outlined and inspiration garnered from your verbalising of the issue are spurring me to redouble my efforts to constructively review as many spam flashes as I can, in particluar those which could potential steal Underdog.

If the whole EGB started actively reviewing spam flashes, maybe we could bury Underdog theft once and for all. You can count on me doing my bit ;)

Feb. 17, 2009 | 6:24 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

That's a good idea. The EGB can't get enough people to vote fairly to stop spam from passing, but it doesn't take many people reviewing properly to screw up a spam flash's chances of stealing Review Pick or Underdog.

Hm...

Feb. 17, 2009 | 6:46 AM BenwaHakubi says:

I think people need to promise to blam this shit and not latch on for points. I will blam each one I see.

Feb. 17, 2009 | 8:53 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

Huzzah

Feb. 17, 2009 | 1:36 PM Fro says:

Ha, they took another stab and mass reviewed the submission, which was pretty stupid since it was under watch for the first offense of mass reviewing.

The submission is now deleted... we'll see it again though don't worry.

Feb. 17, 2009 | 7:13 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Haha. Now, the question is, will this week's awards be legit, or was there a spam flash we missed?

You know what might be good? A "most recent reviews" list. Abuse could be flagged quickly, and spam flashes being mass-ten'ed could be easily identified.

Unlikely it'll happen, but hm.

Feb. 17, 2009 | 5:29 PM Denvish says:

Well said Mr SlashFirestorm, that sums it up in a nutshell. I agree totally.

btw I already collected 16 silver coins from YOUR world, do I win nowz?

If not I come kick you internet ass ohhhhhhhhhhh yezzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Feb. 17, 2009 | 7:14 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

There are four levels, so HAHAHAHAHAHA

Also don't forget the piece of the TT amulet, you need it to pass the Space Pig door later

Feb. 17, 2009 | 5:31 PM DefinitiveStar says:

PS HI THERE

Feb. 17, 2009 | 7:20 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

The higher-level Newgrounders have more secret identities than a bowl full of superheroes. :-D

Feb. 17, 2009 | 6:50 PM TailsPrower says:

Mmm, you speak words of truth, Slash. I know I'm being biased, but I think the problem come some of the younger users who haven't learned to approach these cases with an open mind. I was guilty of this when I was around that age myself, so I know how it feels to have something so wonderful like the Portal being put to shame by others. Therefore, by following with what you said, the users express their anger and the spammers are fed till they're nice n plump.

It really is a sad reality. I try to teach a similar lesson back at the PD by encouraging a cool-headed mentality rather than getting all freaked out about something on a screen. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't. It really boils down to the users and that's beyond our control. Nevertheless, I support your message.

Rock on Slash.

Feb. 17, 2009 | 7:36 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Indeed. Having a more open mind in regards to flash can save newbies a lot of stress. Some spam, while not passworthy, can be hilarious in its insanity. Furthermore, once a spam flash passes, it'll never be heard from again (unless it wins an award), so there's no point in getting too pissed about it.

Also, if any submitter goes too far, they're be deleted, including all of those countless shit flashes, so people should chill a bit.

ROCK AWWWWWN

Feb. 17, 2009 | 7:29 PM Fro says:

If you think something like that would work then post it in the suggestion thread in the Wi/Ht forum.

http://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/9 73138

I checked all of the spam again tonight, but the list is going to become so big I won't be able to keep track. I'm thinking about keeping a list on my blog so I can keep track easier of submissions that should be under watch for being massed reviewed.

Feb. 17, 2009 | 7:39 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Maybe I will.

Keeping track of the potential award-stealers shouldn't be too hard. They need to change the title to something offensive early on, in order to drop the score for TOTW and Underdog...and something like [KKK] FUCK YOU SLUTS is pretty easy to find, lol.

Feb. 17, 2009 | 11:24 PM hunte3r says:

yeah.....no

Feb. 17, 2009 | 11:28 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

The model Newgrounder hunte3r does not approve

oh god no

Feb. 18, 2009 | 7:12 AM LordZeebmork says:

yeah

too bad the people who do that never read anything longer than one sentence

"omg wall fof exttttt tldr"

Feb. 18, 2009 | 8:10 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

I wish I could argue that point with you, but I can't. It's why y'all can make a living around here, lol.

Feb. 18, 2009 | 9:22 AM JZPotter says:

This comment goes to the one you left on my channel: Oooooooooooookkkkkkkkkaaaaaaayyyyyyyy yyyyy............

Feb. 20, 2009 | 12:42 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

shure

Feb. 20, 2009 | 6:34 PM LordZeebmork says:

omg mass vote'ing spamers1!11! dey steel awyardszx with teh mass vote'ing!!1!1!1

oh also don't forget that most zero/one reviews are abusive, so they get deleted and the score goes up

although the score doesn't really matter for underdog; it's harder to get 30 reviews than it is to get a high enough score

so whatever

Feb. 20, 2009 | 10:27 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Yeah, that was what I was saying. If people reviewed properly, their reviews wouldn't be deleted and the average would be lower. Instead, they get irrationally pissed off at a flash that even the most active B/P'er will see a whole one time and write about how the author deserves to die for making a crummy .swf. I don't really feel pity for them, because they're being just as abusive---and in cases of "kill yourself", a hell of a lot more so---than any spammer.

bleh

Feb. 24, 2009 | 7:08 PM TheDarkPaladin says:

I agree wholeheartedly.

But it's hard to give honest criticism to spammers who masturbate at the thought of someone taking them seriously without looking like an idiot yourself, yknow? Ehh, maybe thats just me then, but I'll keep an eye out.

Feb. 25, 2009 | 7:50 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Every so often, a spammer will give my serious reviews a thoughtful response, explaining why they're doing what they're doing and why they think it's funny/acceptable, and without any bullshitting (for example, because the typical Newgrounder's idea of "good flash" takes three months to make and they'd rather just have fun with stuff they made in an hour). It was being exposed to the "fuck graphics, I just wanna laugh" idea that made me join the Barney Bunch way back when.

Of course, then you get spammers who just want to piss off Newgrounders (which can be a source of humor if not taken too far) or find ways around the word filter for racial slurs. I believe that some spam can be hilarious and awesome and other spam can be pointless dickery, and it's the latter that's pervaded the Portal lately due to lack of supervision and stat-whoring.

Feb. 25, 2009 | 5:16 PM Fro says:

This has a suspicious number of 10's on it and I know that he has stole/tried to steal awards before so perhaps it needs a couple of honest reviews. I'll keep a closer look on it later.

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view /484824

Feb. 25, 2009 | 7:51 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

The review average is low at the moment, but it has enough reviews already to be eligible for Underdog. I'll keep an eye on it and mention something if the average climbs above 6 or 7.

Feb. 27, 2009 | 9:25 AM Fro says:

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view /485002

Clock Crew might be after an award.

Feb. 27, 2009 | 6:34 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

It has a number of tens and a highish average at the moment, but not many total reviews. It might just be a case of clocks voting high on fellow clocks and will stop as the flash slips into obscurity. I'll watch it for signs of life, though.

Mar. 3, 2009 | 2:34 AM AIDSVirus says:

yummy

Mar. 3, 2009 | 11:57 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Wouldn't it be more accurate to be called HIVVirus?

Well, two V's look weird next to each other, so whatever.

Mar. 4, 2009 | 1:01 AM mwmike says:

I've been looking at the following submission, and although the animation is pretty decent, I doubt that it could get a review average as high as this. I'm still watching it for now, but if it doesn't fall slightly then we may have to take action.

Mar. 4, 2009 | 1:36 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

What submission?

Mar. 4, 2009 | 8:22 AM AIDSVirus says:

I dont care about user names

Mar. 4, 2009 | 10:44 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

dog cocks

Mar. 4, 2009 | 10:48 AM mwmike says:

Sorry for forgetting the link. We cant do anything about it now, since it's already won the review crew pick. There was about fourty reviews from alts on there.

Mar. 4, 2009 | 10:44 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

All three awards were stolen this week. Hopefully they'll be deleted and the people who used alts to review get a permaban on all their accounts.

bleh

Mar. 6, 2009 | 4:26 AM AIDSVirus says:

lol now that i do care about

Mar. 6, 2009 | 9:58 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

don't be too ruff with them

LOLOLOLOL

goddamn it

Mar. 6, 2009 | 8:40 PM danicos says:

U got to much time on UR hands,And UR wasting it on this??

Mar. 6, 2009 | 9:55 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Age/Gender: 13, Male
Location: S/F,California
Job: Dark Poet(not goth)

lol

Mar. 6, 2009 | 8:40 PM xXxAlecxXx says:

My grandpa's dead, that's why it's sad...

Mar. 6, 2009 | 9:56 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Yeah...awkward moment there.

Mar. 7, 2009 | 10:43 PM galatea1 says:

You speak much wisdom. I have seen the light! I was given a two day reviewing sabbatical after flaming the DD in one of my reviews and realized that I was just "feeding the trolls" and shooting myself in the butt. So no more. It's a zero when I can and a whistle when necessary; but no more than that. (But won't a movie that has passed judgement get auto-deleted once it's score drops below a certain point? Because I admit I still go back and vote zero for a few movies that bug me. It gives me a lame sense of satisfaction.)

Mar. 8, 2009 | 9:24 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

NO, A FLASH THAT HAS PASSED JUDGMENT CANNOT BE DELETED.

Only the author can delete a passed flash, and even then, only before it has 400 votes. After that, only Wade or another admin can delete a flash. Repeatedly voting zero on a flash after it passes is a waste of time, and (if before the week's awards are decided) can lead to it winning TOTW and getting much more exposure; voting after the awards are decided has no effect.

If you're curious, the current lowest-scoring flash on Newgrounds has a score of 0.50 (which is about as low as a flash can get for statistical reasons).

Updated: Jun. 18, 2009, 9:42 AM

Mar. 8, 2009 | 9:22 PM bloodsuckingmonster says:

i agree with what you've said,
no more attention to the scum bags!

Mar. 8, 2009 | 9:27 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

It's okay to review them and the like. In fact, Newgrounds thrives with a degree of spam, as it's the edgy and controversial stuff that brings a lot of humor and fun into the Portal. The problem is when it goes too far, and when Newgrounders do more harm than good by overreacting and contributing to the problem.

So yes, spread the word, and help out by writing constructive reviews for flash that's being ten-spammed, and flag abusive reviews so that their authors learn better.

Mar. 8, 2009 | 9:31 PM RetardedNINJA666 says:

As if you help so much.
With your angry flaming fucking fireball of a post.

DICKHEAD

Mar. 8, 2009 | 9:37 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Blams: 20,477
Saves: 13,824

lol yeah actually i've been around the block a few times and have an idea of what i'm talking about

Mar. 8, 2009 | 9:50 PM FurryFox says:

This is why I don't review garbage flashes, and why I vote accordingly.

Mar. 8, 2009 | 10:01 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

It's okay to review them if you can do so constructively. It's the abusive reviews that contribute to the problem. In fact, a constructive zero review can help keep Review Crew Pick and Underdog out of spammers' hands.

Mar. 9, 2009 | 2:47 PM topdog2007 says:

i could give a shit about points or any thing elses i do it to clean up ng from all the retards that spam this site and make sure this is a clean site and a fun site i am not a stat whore like other

Mar. 9, 2009 | 2:49 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

How are you cleaning it up? By voting zero on passed flash that cannot be blammed and giving them a better chance of getting TOTW, which is exactly what they want?

You're perpetuating the problem, not stopping it.

Mar. 9, 2009 | 2:53 PM topdog2007 says:

no by trying to get rid of them and there shitty flash art that will clean up ng understand that

Mar. 9, 2009 | 3:02 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Again, how?

Once a flash is passed, it CANNOT be deleted, no matter how low its score goes. The mass zeroes of you and your buddies aren't just pointless, they're helping the spammers get their shitty flashes put on display for a week.

The only way a spammer gets deleted is if they break the rules, and while a lot of spam is effortless, humorless garbage, very little of it actually breaks the rules.

And thus, the only way to "clean up Newgrounds" is to go to the Portal, vote fairly on under judgment flash---that is, voting on a flash based on how much you like it, not on who the author is or whether or not you think it'll pass---and whistle abuse. Writing constructive reviews for spam flashes that may be gunning for Underdog or Review Crew Pick can negate the effect of alts and abusive reviews. See my reviews for how it should be done.

Mar. 9, 2009 | 3:21 PM topdog2007 says:

really you can tell wade about abusive flash art i did before and he delets there accounts and i only blam spamm others i give a good rating and good comments i only hate spammers there like the trash on this site

Mar. 9, 2009 | 3:27 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

The first line of defense against abusive flash is your whistle, and it's the one that should be utilized first. Be sure that you ONLY WHISTLE FLASH THAT BREAKS THE NG RULES---if it's stolen, malicious (fucks up your computer, redirects you, or spawns pop-ups), or unsuitable (extreme racism, real porn, slideshows of stolen images, etc). Do not whistle normal spam flash.

Only if a flash passes judgment should it be PM'ed to Wade. Be sure to include as many details as possible along with the message; links to the flash, its author, why its rulebreaking, link to the original source of a flash if it's stolen, etc..

Very important to learn quick: "blam" means "delete a flash", not "vote zero". You can help blam a flash that's under judgment (highlighted in purple on the Portal), but you cannot blam something that's passed.

If the 'leader' of that crusader thing wants, I can tell y'all how to handle any problems that might arise on Newgrounds. And once y'all reach high enough B/P ranks, you can apply to the NGPD and Elite Guard Barracks, both of which are filled with veterans of the Portal.

Mar. 9, 2009 | 3:32 PM topdog2007 says:

i can give a shit about point to me that only fore stat whores that like to act big becuses they got a high rank and yeah i was about to say you can blam the ones that in the judgement ones but spammers are nothing but trash they waste time and effort there not funny there not great THEY SUCK!

Mar. 9, 2009 | 3:42 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Having a high rank is nothing to be ashamed of...if you earned it properly. There are people who vote five on everything that they assume will pass, and you can tell who they are. Most Newgrounders nowadays have more saves than blams, but those who stat-whore will have a 5:1 ratio of higher, and those people don't have much to be proud of.

I'm proud that I'm a Supreme Commander. I went through the point-whore phase early on, along with a couple of crazy Clock Days, but in the end, I'm part of the rare breed of Newgrounders who vote fairly, and give every flash, even those by spammers, a chance to impress us.

Not all spammers are bad, though. Though the Portal is all but empty of them now, there have been spam groups that were hilarious and worth talking about, like the original Clock Crew and the Barney Bunch. The problem is 'bad spam', which steals awards and passes ridiculous things like single-frame flashes and fake preloaders, and those are on the rise.

If you want to fight that bad spam, I recommend fixing that broken whistle and taking to the Portal. There's plenty of work to be done and every Portal patroller counts.

Mar. 9, 2009 | 4:10 PM topdog2007 says:

that is very true a singel pickture doing nothing or abusive flash about others are just stupid and point less and hate full and i wish i can but i am not sure how to fix my wistle at all

Mar. 9, 2009 | 5:46 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

The first thing you must understand is that flagging something that is NOT abusive takes away a lot more points than flagging something that IS abusive will give you. Making even a few mistakes can cost you dearly (as you've found out), so you must be cautious with whistling things.

Currently, your whistle has no effect, but you can still get points if you whistle something that gets deleted due to others flagging it. I recommend flagging abusive reviews to repair your whistle. Any review that insults the author instead of the flash is abusive. Criticizing a flash being on the front page is abusive. Chain letters and ASCII art (like the middle finger made out of hyphens and slashes) are abusive.

Extreme abuse, such as telling the author that they should kill themselves, threats against the author, spamming links, and things of that nature should be flagged AND reported to a review moderator. A full list of review mods is in my post.

You won't get or lose points immediately upon flagging; whistling something merely makes it more likely for a review mod to see it. Stronger whistles are more effective.

A review mod can handle a flagged review in several ways.

1. If they deem it abusive, they can delete the review (giving whistle points to those who flagged it), and choose whether or not to ban the author from reviewing.

2. If they deem it not abusive, they can clear the flags with penalty, taking away points from those who flagged a non-abusive flash. This is most likely how your whistle was broken.

3. If they deem a flagged review extremely unhelpful but not outright abusive, they may clear all the flags without penalty/points to those who flagged it.

Since your garbage whistle has no effect, you'll have to rely on others to flag it enough to be noticed, or hope that a review mod randomly stumbles upon it. It may take some time, but be patient---don't go crazy and start flagging non-abusive reviews, or you'll just dig yourself even deeper into negative whistle points.

Once your whistle is repaired, your flags will actually make a difference, and you can help whistle abusive reviews and flash effectively.

Updated: Jun. 18, 2009, 9:44 AM

Mar. 10, 2009 | 3:11 PM topdog2007 says:

anah i am just goingto flag spammers i think all spam not funny or intertaning

Mar. 10, 2009 | 4:07 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Don't flag flashes that don't break the rules (stolen, malicious, or unsuitable), or your whistle will remain broken. The whistle is for stopping abuse, not an extra means of voting.

Mar. 10, 2009 | 4:52 PM OfficialDUDE says:

I always vote 0 for turd of the week and spam flashes.

Mar. 10, 2009 | 4:58 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

If you don't like something, go for it. The only time you should hesitate to vote zero on utter shit is if it appears to be gunning for Turd of the Week. Once the week's awards have been decided, have at it.

Just remember that a flash can't be deleted once it's passed judgment. Don't make the common newbie mistake of wasting your time voting zero on something every day under the impression that you can get them blammed.

Mar. 15, 2009 | 3:25 PM Kitten-of-Annoyance says:

hey....you have an ED article about you-it was pretty damned funny! ^__^

Mar. 17, 2009 | 4:51 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

Actually, I thought it was pretty bland, but it's been a couple weeks since I last checked it.

Mar. 16, 2009 | 4:58 PM lunardragon96 says:

Love your PSAs. Mind if I start making some about reviewing and such?

Mar. 17, 2009 | 4:52 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

Ha, I don't own the concept. Go for it.

Mar. 27, 2009 | 7:03 AM Ditocoaf says:

Very good post. I've definitely walked the line of what you're talking about here more than once, and I had a review deleted once for the exact reason you're talking about. I think I learned my lesson that time (since then, I've taken the appropriate passive-aggressive fake-helpful response).

Actually, now that I think about it, my biggest problem is with how they can upload anything to replace a submission that's made it through the portal. I've seen this more often than I've seen spam in the purple, and as far as I can tell, this process makes the whole "under judgment" thing completely pointless.

Mar. 27, 2009 | 11:16 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

I agree that the ability to replace the .swf, especially after judgment, is a major problem. I can understand that sometimes people make a mistake and upload the wrong thing, but there's nothing stopping them from taking their damn time and making sure they get it right before submitting.

I wouldn't mind seeing a certain batting average requirement for the ability to swap .swf's, or some sort of limit on it. Of course, the ideal would be to have Portal Mods to approve/disapprove replacement uploads, but that may never happen.

sdfgsgf

Apr. 4, 2009 | 4:04 AM Keslen says:

What if people who voted to blam a saved flash (or vice versa) lost points?

What if negative B/P ranks existed that reduced your voting power?

Apr. 5, 2009 | 6:07 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

That would only make people want to vote the "right direction" even more, and would punish people with different opinions of quality than the majority. For example, I do not care much for illwillpress, and a number of his flashes have received zeroes or ones from me. Similarly, I often enjoy the more creative and funny spam flashes, and often give them passing scores.

The only people who should be punished for how they vote are those with a clear pattern of "VOTE FIVE ON FUCKING EVERYTHING" or the less common "BLAM FUCKING EVERYTHING". Well, those are the most obvious, anyway. Wade's threatened to nerf (stat-nuke) accounts that voted for utter shit (like one-framers and fake loading screens) in the past, but that's too hard to monitor single-handedly.

...we need portal mods. But that's a different topic for a different time.

Apr. 5, 2009 | 5:20 AM Raserith says:

you remind me of something someone pmed me.... apon seeing a spam flash, DO NOT REVIEW. just vote zero and go on your way....

Apr. 5, 2009 | 6:08 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

A serious, civil, and concrit-filled review can aggravate a spammer as much as getting no reviews at all. Reviewing is fine as long as you don't become abusive or butthurt. Ignoring spammers doesn't mean avoiding them entirely, it means avoid provoking them and/or giving them what they want---an overzealous reaction.

Apr. 6, 2009 | 10:26 PM SimCorder says:

Heh, once I learn how to be a good critic. I'm gonna smite the occasional spam flash with a 0 and its going to be so legal, they can't do squat

Apr. 11, 2009 | 5:42 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Indeed, a zero review that's civil, detailed, and offers constructive criticism is one of the best ways to fight spam.

Apr. 10, 2009 | 6:07 PM Coop83 says:

Add the new mods to the Review Mods list - 36Holla, deckheadtottie and myself

Apr. 11, 2009 | 5:41 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

You got it. And mucho congrats.

Apr. 18, 2009 | 3:31 PM Dexter3000 says:

Very good explanation.i'll keep all of this in mind.

Apr. 24, 2009 | 8:04 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Very good.

May. 21, 2009 | 8:48 PM scarsonbroadwayfan says:

oooh. fancy words. you sound a little too educated to be spending time on this site

Jun. 8, 2009 | 3:34 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

Why's that?

Just because there are a lot of idiots on this site (and every site on the internet, for that matter) doesn't mean that smart people can't enjoy it, too.

Jun. 18, 2009 | 11:32 AM X-Gary-Gigax-X says:

Good sir, you haven't lived until you've spammed a website. Ofcourse, I wouldn't spam Newgrounds because, as the old saying goes, you don't shit where you eat.

But still, Spam = Hilarity

Jun. 18, 2009 | 11:51 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

Well then, I've lived. I just grew out of the raiding shit a long time ago.

Jun. 18, 2009 | 11:37 AM Shakyjake says:

Spam flashes are always a good way to pick up whistle points, as much as it disappoints me to say that. I know by marking reviews as abusive I'm effectively raising the score of the flash, but since whistle points are quite hard to come by I can't resist.

Anyway, nice post. It's always good to see someone who knows what they're doing around here, and genuinely tries to help solve it.

Jun. 18, 2009 | 11:52 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

There's nothing wrong with making abusive reviews as such, even if it helps a spam submission get an award. Hopefully the abusive reviewers will eventually learn the error of their ways and start reviewing properly.

Jun. 18, 2009 | 11:43 AM Generalissimus says:

I agree with you completely. I'm sick of seeing all the spam on this site and the abusive reviews users leave for them. I'll be adding this to my sig, with the hopes that more people will see it and help fix this problem.

Jun. 18, 2009 | 11:53 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

Thank you muchly. I wonder why this post is getting so many comments today? Ah well, I ain't complaining.

Jun. 18, 2009 | 11:44 AM SupraAddict says:

I'll keep this in mind next time I'm B/P ing. Thank you for the information, and I'll contribute any way I can to stopping those silly motherfuckers.

Jun. 18, 2009 | 11:53 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

You're quite welcome.

Jun. 19, 2009 | 5:45 PM naronic says:

sorry to downsize the speech you took hours thinking up but what you stated isn't really the reason why spammers are winning the war.

it has EVERYTHING to do with FILE SWAPPING.
i don't know why it hasn't been disabled yet but as long as it stays spammers can just go steal an exceptionally good or maybe even GREAT flash from another website nobody knows about submit it on NG, get it past judgment and win a few awards and BAM
Just like that they swap their files with something completely shitty and gloat about how their untouchable and how they won and award

that is why they are such a threat

Jun. 19, 2009 | 9:09 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Fileswapping is a problem, but it's not the main problem. Only a few people (like Chris Beer) do it. Fileswaps break the rules, and thus get deleted if brought to Wade's attention, but the normal shit passes solely because Newgrounders ask for it with their savewhoring.

Jun. 27, 2009 | 9:31 AM Greenfrost6 says:

This whole post speaks the truth. Unfortunately there's always gonna be the 'heroic' 10 year old who's gonna comment on a spam flash. Stupid dipshits.

Jun. 27, 2009 | 2:55 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Indeed. Working to stop this shit from passing is an admirable goal, but turning it into a goddamn crusade is just idiocy. MST3K mantra applies for flash, too.

Jun. 27, 2009 | 10:43 AM Thracian says:

"If you B/P for points, you've got no damn right to complain at all. It's you and those like you who caused the problem. If you hate the spam so much, go to the Portal and fucking vote properly, because right now you have the Portal you asked for, and it's the Portal you deserve."

Fucking kidding? They do it by replacing the file. Don't think anyone does it just by proxy voting.

Jun. 27, 2009 | 2:54 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Fileswapping falls under rulebreaking flash and thus should be PM'ed to Wade. But the vast majority of shitty flash that passes judgment is not tampered with in any way, and is solely allowed in because morons want their protect points.

Jun. 27, 2009 | 5:59 PM Chdonga says:

It's a shame that no one will follow by this. At least 2/3 of the BBS members say this all the time but people still think making a zero review will effect the flash (chances are the person who makes that review doesn't even bother voting on it).

Jun. 30, 2009 | 1:50 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

Yes, unfortunately most people are too dumb to realize that harmful spam will inevitably get deleted and the people who "missed out on the saves" by voting fairly will just get their blams later (many will attest to this after the recent FF purge).

Now, if only the system was tweaked a bit so that the people who voted in favor of the fake preloaders and such would LOSE their ill-gotten saves...

Jul. 10, 2009 | 6:46 PM Kyothine says:

>> Don't whistle it for no damn reason.

coughCalipe

Jul. 13, 2009 | 7:19 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

coughkeepyourbitchingoffmypageple ase

Jul. 14, 2009 | 10:48 AM Breaktroll says:

i'd take out Evark from the list of review mods.. his account got hacked..
what a surprise.

Jul. 14, 2009 | 2:29 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Yes, unfortunately I do have updating to do.

Jul. 14, 2009 | 11:00 AM Dapper says:

I just don't get it... Why is newgrounds being targeted by the=ose 'Duck Division' spammers. About an hour ago, a [DD] member called Evark posted more than 10 spam posts on the General forum and now they're all gone. The mods here are really helpful, unlike the retarded and biased mods on Gamespot.

Jul. 14, 2009 | 2:31 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

wow

its like you really think i wont see through the veneer

Jul. 21, 2009 | 2:50 AM Randomzero says:

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view /503771

this submission seems a little suspicious to me. all 10s all from other clock crew members

Jul. 21, 2009 | 4:32 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

It's only got two right now, I suppose the others were deleted.

Aug. 15, 2009 | 7:54 PM MaraquanWocky says:

Exactly. EXACTLY! People should just write a fair review(0-4 pts. and advice), vote zero if they want, and if it's abusive, flag it. Easy as pi.

Aug. 19, 2009 | 6:28 PM SlashFirestorm responds:

Simple, effective, and prevents high blood pressure.

Dec. 15, 2009 | 3:47 PM V-K says:

The sad thing is sometimes even Reviews like: "This was too short and had no point. Please put more effort in your next flash." Gets deleted. :(

Dec. 19, 2009 | 2:15 AM SlashFirestorm responds:

Well, I wouldn't call that abusive, but I definitely wouldn't call that helpful. Flash doesn't need to have a message or point, nor does it have to be long to be good. Specifics are always best.