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Question What is post history and why is it important?
Answer Post history tracks changes made to forum posts, including edits and deletions. This feature helps monitor for inappropriate edits or attempts to cover up spam or rule violations. Staff can review the history, restore deleted content, or even permanently erase it.
Question Can I moderate content in Composr forums?
Answer Yes, Composr provides various moderation tools for managing forum content. Moderators can edit or delete posts and topics, move topics between forums, close or open discussions, and validate content submitted by users who require approval. These are done in an actions dropdown on a topic, or through buttons on individual posts.
Question What is the "black hole" technique and how does it work?
Answer The "black hole" technique involves adding hidden fields to forms. While invisible to human users, bots often detect and fill these fields, revealing their nature. Composr uses this information to flag and block suspected spam submissions.
Question How can I report spam in Composr?
Answer You can report spam using the "report this" link or "report" (forum post button) feature. This alerts staff to the issue, allowing them to investigate and take appropriate action, such as deleting the spam, warning the user, or banning them. It also creates a Support Ticket between the reporter and staff in case the staff need further information.
Question What are Remote Block Lists (RBLs)?
Answer RBLs are third-party lists that track IP addresses associated with spamming activity. Composr can be configured to consult these lists and block or flag requests from suspicious IPs. However, relying solely on RBLs may lead to false positives, as some lists are overly broad.
Question What are CAPTCHAs and how do they work?
Answer CAPTCHAs are tests designed to differentiate between human users and bots. Composr's unique CAPTCHA method uses CSS and JavaScript to generate images or audio challenges that are difficult for bots to solve. While effective, some spammers use human workers to bypass CAPTCHAs, leading to the need for additional anti-spam measures.
Question How does Composr prevent spam?
Answer Composr offers several tools and techniques to combat spam, including:
  • CAPTCHA: A visual or audio test that humans can easily pass but bots struggle with. This helps prevent automated spam submissions.
  • Heuristics: If Composr thinks an action is spam based off of configurable criteria, it can either flag the content for validation, block the attempt, or ban the IP address outright.
  • Public block lists: Composr can utilize the Stop Forum Spam system or other block list systems to identify and block known spammers based on IP addresses, usernames, and email addresses.
  • Link posting restrictions: Disallowing links in member profiles for users with no posts and adding "nofollow" attributes to links discourages spammers seeking backlinks.
  • Black hole fields: Hidden form fields that should remain empty. Bots often fill these in, allowing Composr to identify them.
  • Project Honey Pot integration: A system that places hidden links on pages, attracting and identifying spam bots.
  • Content/post reporting: Users can report spam, enabling staff to take action.
  • Guest posting limitations: Restricting guest permissions raises the bar for spammers.
  • Advanced techniques: Developer addons like "antispam_question" or probation systems provide additional layers of protection.
Question What is the "Sitemap" in Composr, and how is it used?
Answer The Sitemap is a hierarchical representation of your website's content, including zones, pages, categories, and entries. Composr generates the Sitemap dynamically and uses it for various purposes:
  • Generating menus.
  • Creating the user-facing sitemap page.
  • Generating the XML Sitemap for search engines.
  • Providing a visual representation of your website structure in the Sitemap editor and Permissions tree editor.

You can edit the sitemap under Admin Zone > Structure > Sitemap editor.
Question Can I change the URL scheme after my website is already live?
Answer Yes, you can enable or change a URL scheme on an existing website. Old URLs will redirect to the new format, ensuring that your SEO isn't negatively impacted. The canonical URL will also be specified in your website's HTML, further protecting your search rankings.
Question How do URL schemes work, and what are the benefits of using them?
Answer URL schemes allow you to control the structure of your website's URLs. Composr offers several schemes that create shorter, more user-friendly URLs:
  • /pg/ (e.g., /pg/home)
  • .htm (e.g., /home.htm)
  • Simple unadorned URLs (e.g., /home)

Benefits of using URL schemes include:
  • Improved user experience with more readable URLs.
  • Potential SEO benefits, as some believe search engines favor cleaner URLs.
  • Easier sharing on social media and other platforms.

Top 10 Entries

Question How can potential conflicts between staff members be avoided (regarding content moderation)?
Answer Composr incorporates "conflict detection" features to prevent staff from accidentally overwriting each other's work. When multiple staff members attempt to edit the same resource simultaneously, a warning message appears, prompting communication and coordination.

Open communication and transparency are crucial. Encourage staff to share their ongoing tasks and plans with each other to prevent overlaps and potential conflicts. Utilizing shared tools like the staff checklist and private forums can further facilitate coordination.
Question What should be considered when assigning roles and responsibilities to staff?
Answer When assigning roles, it's recommended to start new staff with limited responsibilities and gradually increase their authority based on performance and dedication. This fosters a sense of progression and prevents discouragement among existing staff.

Always consider the individual's skills and interests when assigning tasks. For example, someone with strong writing skills might be well-suited for managing content creation, while a technically-minded person could excel at site maintenance.
Question How can staff be effectively managed in a Composr community?
Answer Successful staff management requires a mindful approach that prioritizes fostering a positive and productive environment. Key recommendations include:
  • Respect staff limitations: Avoid overwhelming staff with excessive workload or overly ambitious site expansions.
  • Active involvement: Maintain active involvement in overseeing staff activities and ensuring their effective functioning.
  • Open communication: Engage in regular communication, providing feedback, addressing concerns, and recognizing achievements.
  • Foster teamwork: Encourage collaboration and information sharing among staff members.
  • Lead by example: Ensure staff adhere to community rules and demonstrate expected behavior.
  • Empowerment and trust: Grant sufficient freedom and control to enable staff to excel in their roles.

By fostering a supportive and empowering environment, community managers can enable staff to contribute their best efforts and drive the community's success.
Question How should staff members be chosen for a Composr-based online community?
Answer Choosing staff for online communities differs from traditional hiring processes due to factors like unpaid positions, varying time commitments, and remote interactions. Focus should be placed on identifying individuals with:
  • Genuine interest: Look for members passionate about the community and its goals.
  • Available time: Ensure potential staff can dedicate sufficient time to fulfill their responsibilities.
  • Relevant skills: Prioritize skills and experience aligned with the specific role requirements.
  • Maturity and discipline: Seek individuals who demonstrate responsible behavior and commitment.
  • Recruitment methods like directly approaching active community members or allowing the Composr points system (or the karma non-bundled addon) to identify dedicated contributors can be more effective than traditional advertising.
Question How can content issues be reported and addressed by staff?
Answer Composr's content reporting system, powered by the Tickets addon, allows users to report problematic content to staff. Key features include:
  • Report links: "Report this" links embedded throughout the site enable users to flag content for review.
  • Custom reporting interface: Forums offer a dedicated interface for reporting individual posts.
  • Anonymous reporting: Logged-in users can choose to report content anonymously.
  • Ticket-based management: Reports are automatically created as support tickets, facilitating staff collaboration and record-keeping.
  • Comprehensive report details: Tickets include content title, type, ID, submitter information, an embedded rendering of the reported content, and the reporter's explanation.

This system ensures efficient handling of content issues, allowing staff to address concerns effectively while maintaining a transparent record of actions taken.
Question How can staff members collaborate effectively in Composr?
Answer Composr offers various tools to facilitate staff collaboration:
  • Private forums: Dedicated forums with restricted access enable staff to discuss site operations and coordinate activities. Composr installs a staff forum by default in Conversr.
  • Conflict detection: When multiple staff members attempt to edit the same resource simultaneously, Composr displays warnings at the top to prevent accidental overwrites.
  • Staff checklist & dashboard: The Admin Zone dashboard provides a shared checklist for task management, along with space for notes and links.
  • Staff notifications and tickets system: Staff receive notifications about various site events, including support tickets from the "Contact Us" page, allowing for efficient issue handling.
  • Content notes: Staff can embed notes within Comcode or use dedicated "staff notes" fields for various content types to share information and context.
  • Validation and workflows: Content can be intentionally left unvalidated even by staff, enabling secondary checks before publishing. A dedicated workflows addon allows for complex approval processes with multiple stages involving different staff groups.
Question What defines a staff member in Composr?
Answer There are two ways to define "staff" in Composr:
  • System-defined staff: This includes administrators and super moderators who have specific privileges within the forum/member system (Conversr).
  • Privilege-based staff: Anyone granted the necessary permissions for a particular situation is considered staff for that context.

Composr prioritizes flexibility by utilizing privileges over fixed roles, allowing for customized staff responsibilities. However, certain features like "staff reply" in tickets inherently rely on a pre-existing understanding of "staff."
Question What steps should I take if my website has been hacked?
Answer If you suspect a security breach, take immediate action:
  • Identify the Cause: Analyze access logs for suspicious activity and pinpoint the vulnerability.
  • Clean and Restore: Restore your website from a clean backup and thoroughly remove any malicious code.
  • Address Vulnerabilities: Patch security holes, update software, and strengthen security configurations.
  • Seek Expert Help: If needed, consult security professionals for assistance with cleanup and prevention.
Question What additional security measures can I implement for my Composr website?
Answer
  • SSL: Enable HTTPS for encrypted communication and improved user trust.
  • Secure Zones: Configure sensitive zones to require confirmed sessions.
  • Restrict Logins: Enforce IP address confirmation for enhanced account security.
  • Maintenance Scripts: Restrict access to maintenance scripts like upgrader.php via IP restrictions.
  • Server Hardening: Disable unnecessary services, change default ports, enable automatic updates, and more.
  • Robots.txt: Use the robots.txt file to prevent search engine indexing of sensitive areas.
Question How does Content Security Policy (CSP) contribute to Composr security?
Answer CSP adds a layer of protection by controlling the resources the browser is allowed to load. It helps prevent:
  • XSS Attacks: By restricting inline scripts and limiting script sources.
  • Data Injection Attacks: By controlling the allowed origins for data requests.
  • Clickjacking: By specifying allowed framing sources.

Composr's CSP implementation utilizes "Trusted partner sites" and nonces for fine-grained control.