RuneScape Forum Archive | NOTICE: Bumping & Spam

May

2003

Tren

Forum Moderator Posts: 92,683 Emerald Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

During the last few months, the Forum Help sticky has received many reports of spam from excessive and unnecessary bumping in this forum. This is being posted to help clarify what is considered spam, particularly spam caused by bumping.

Spam is not welcome on these forums. (See Code of Conduct )

Bumps that are excessive or unnecessary are spam.

The purpose of bumping is to bring a thread back to Page 1 of a Forum.

In all Forums, it is preferred that if a thread needs to be bumped back to Page 1, it is bumped by the thread’s author. Use of the bump button is preferred over making a bump post, as that makes it much easier to find the actual content in a thread without having to weed through all the bump posts.

While a thread author may use posts to bump their thread if they wish, the bump posts should not be made more frequently than the use of the bump button would allow, or they are considered excessive. Additionally, it is also considered excessive to bump a thread that is already on Page 1 of a Forum.

There is no set time limit for what constitutes whether a thread is considered active or inactive. It depends on the purpose and activity in each forum and the type of thread. Typically, a discussion or a clan recruitment thread will have a longer active lifespan than a marketplace thread. Marketplace threads that have not been bumped by their authors could be considered inactive after a week, because if they have not bought or sold the item by then, they most likely would have bumped their thread themselves.

~Tren

Forum issues? ---> See Forum Help
Account issues? ---> See Account Help

22-Sep-2023 15:44:52

May

2003

Tren

Forum Moderator Posts: 92,683 Emerald Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Authors of marketplace threads, once their item has bought or sold, tend to then ignore their thread. They often do not return to it to mark it as "sold" or "done". They assume the thread will make its way off the end of the forum, because they aren’t bumping it. When other players bump those threads, they are bumping threads where the advertised transaction may have already concluded several days before, which is totally unnecessary. It results in the currently active threads being pushed off Page 1 by bumped inactive threads. This causes frustration for both the users whose threads have been pushed off, as well as those looking for threads selling what they are wanting to buy. It makes the Forum unusable.

Intentional bumping of inactive threads to fill Page 1 with thread titles showing higher (or lower) sales prices in order to make it look like current prices have gone up (or down), is both attempted price manipulation and spam.

~Tren

Forum issues? ---> See Forum Help
Account issues? ---> See Account Help

22-Sep-2023 15:54:26 - Last edited on 22-Sep-2023 15:56:32 by Tren

May

2003

Tren

Forum Moderator Posts: 92,683 Emerald Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Another source of spam in this forum is duplicate threads and duplicate posts.

Duplicate threads are spam. If a user frequently remakes a thread for the same item, because they want to change the price in the title, that causes spam. Consider putting the price in the first post, which is editable, rather than the title and then continue to use the same thread. If the price is in the title then request a title change on the Forum Help sticky . If your preference is to make a new thread, you can request on Forum Help sticky that the older thread be closed, or you can edit the first post of the old thread to indicate that it is “Closed”.

If you are posting on a marketplace thread to let the author know you are interested in doing a transaction with them, just post once. When the author returns to their thread, your first response will be enough for them to see that you are interested. Additional posts are unnecessary and spam.

Hopefully with less spam and a little more consideration for others, this Forum can return to being useful for all who are trying to buy or sell their items here.

Thank You

~Tren

Forum issues? ---> See Forum Help
Account issues? ---> See Account Help

22-Sep-2023 15:56:04