Help:Spam cleanup script



What is the spam cleanup script?
The spam cleanup script, which edits with the username "User:Spam cleanup script", is a maintenance function which checks every page on every wiki against the Spam blacklist.

If a match is found, the script reverts the page to the last revision which does not match the blacklist. If all revisions match, it blanks the page.

It is a maintenance script not a bot and it acts on the database directly rather than editing via the web interface.



How do I use the Spam cleanup script?
This is an automatic process that can be scheduled or run on demand by Wikia staff.



The script is misbehaving!
If the script causes problems for a wiki, it is blockable by an admin like any other user.

Urgent issues should be directed to staffers at #wikia on irc.freenode.net, which can be accessed via irc.wikia.com.

Less time-sensitive issues can be noted at Talk:Spam cleanup script.

Links I added were removed by the script - what do I do?
Please don't just revert the cleanup script, as the script will remove the link again the next time it's run. It's not a good idea to leave such links on your wiki anyway, since the spam filter will automatically reject all attempted edits to that page that leave the link in.

You can:
 * Ask at Talk:Spam Blacklist that the domain in question be removed from the blacklist
 * Remove the links from your wiki altogether
 * Remove the http:// from the URL
 * Use an URL redirection service such as tinyurl.com

We don't recommend the tinyurl option, because a) it teaches the spammers to use the same tactic, and b) as the number of spammers using redirection services increases, it becomes more likely that tinyurl and other services will end up on the blacklist themselves.

Some Wikia wikis had legitimate links to sites which were blacklisted, such as subdomains under cjb.net or netfirms.com, causing incorrect reversions.

In cases where web hosting companies tolerate spamvertised websites hosted on their subdomains, it may be better to boycott the provider rather than to find some way to work around the inconvenience. You might want to send an email to the provider telling them why you are making this choice.



What else can I do with MediaWiki?
This Wikia feature, written by Tim Starling is now available as a MediaWiki extension for all MediaWiki sites.



What can I see for more help?

 * Help:Spam
 * Spam Blacklist
 * Comments at LiveJournal
 * Tim's mailing list post about the script