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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Virtual roots let you make a sub-category within a Composr module (e.g., downloads) appear as the top-level category. This is useful for creating separate "databases" of content for different subcommunities.
To create a virtual root:
Enable "Virtual root links" in the Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > Feature options > Advanced.
Navigate to the desired category while logged in as staff.
Click the rightmost link in the breadcrumbs (it will be an anchor for virtual root creation).
Use the resulting URL in your menus to link to the "virtualized" category.
An M.S.N. allows you to run multiple Composr websites (installations) that share a common forum and member database. It's ideal for website networks with shared communities but segmented content, staff, or branding. In essence, members who join one site automatically have accounts on all sites within the network.
What other approaches exist for mobile integration with Composr?
Answer
Other approaches, in various stages of development, include:
Tapatalk: A third-party forum app with an official Composr addon, offering a high-quality "out-of-the-box" Composr app experience.
Further Composr Mobile SDK development: Plans and issues relating to the SDK's evolution can be found on the Composr tracker, driven by commercial projects and feature sponsorship.
