TechCrunch Forums: drowning in a sea of spam
Written on 25th June 2008
11 COMMENTS 
Robin Wauters, Next web enthusiast & Plugg organizer
TechCrunch, the Web 2.0 blog we all read, has recently expanded into a network of no less than fifteen sites with the inception of TechCrunchIT, which aims to focus a bit more on the enterprise side of the next web. Impressive, and somehow I’m getting the feeling it’s not going to end with those 15. However, CrunchNetwork , as it’s often referred to by the cool kids, also boasts a giant black hole which has gone mostly unnoticed for the past couple of months: TechCrunch Forums.
Update (11:30 AM CET): Looks like it went really unnoticed up until now. Someone took the TC Forums down, it now redirects to the main blog.
Launched in January 2007, the idea behind the so-called CrunchForums was to provide (and I’m quoting from the introduction post):
“a good place to pitch your new startup or product if it hasn’t been featured yet on TechCrunch (or even if it has), share tips with the community, spread rumors, or endlessly debate the definition (or existence) of Web 2.0.”
I’m not going to start a debate about whether or not ‘old-school’ message boards and forums belong alongside a new media property like TechCrunch, but has anyone taken a look at those forums lately?
First of all, the main category currently contains 832 messages in 449 threads. The lion share of these messages come from two fake users who are manually or automatically adding spam links to some website offering exam preparation packages (see screenshot below). The rest of the forums are hardly in better shape; you’ll find most users to be pushing crap software applications and devices, plugging completely unrelated websites, and other good old spam. And don’t even get me started on the way some users are self-promoting their startup or service on there.
Second, TechCrunch Forums is a ghost town. I checked every moderator account I came across, only to find most of them have not logged in for several months, and I’d bet good money on the assumption that none of TC’s editorial staff have done so either. If a legitimate question is asked (e.g. this one), there’s a good chance it won’t be read, let alone answered, which of course totally discourages anyone with good intentions to come back.
I reckon the CrunchForums still generate a good deal of pageviews, but in the spirit of Ernst-Jan’s latest post on ‘killing your darlings‘, allow me to suggest either ruthlessly cleaning up the site to get it back on track, or stop giving spammers such an easy-to-use platform by deadpooling it. I know it must have cost some money to implement (the forum software is a paying service by Jive Software), but why let people with bad intentions take advantage of a high-PageRank message board which is ultimately linked to at the bottom of every TechCrunch blog post?
The Next Web Blog is closely associated with The Next Web Conference which is held annually in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. At this event speakers from all over the world come together to talk about, and show off, the future of the Web. (More info 
By Dennis McDonald on Jun 25, 2008
I agree with you – forums need to be managed.
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By jon on Jun 25, 2008
I’ve always thought it was a massive shame the techcrunch forums weren’t looked after a bit more.
I’m sure Mike and his team have a lot of other stuff on their plate that has to take priority but it still would be nice if the techcrunch community could group together and talk in one place other than the sometimes hard to follow comments.
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By Dennis McDonald on Jun 26, 2008
Jon, you can come talk on my blog any time you want! ;>)
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By RonPrice on Jul 25, 2008
Thinking about spam gave rise to the following prose-poem with its personal perspectives. I submit this piece which I enjoyed writing and which I hope some readers here enjoy reading. I submit this prose-poem, probably the first to be written about spam–to this TechCrunch Forum for the possible pleasure of readers here.-Ron Price, Tasmania
———————
A NEW PRODUCT HITS THE MARKET
The original term spam was coined in 1937 by the Hormel corporation as a name for its Spam luncheon meat: a canned, precooked, spiced meat product. The transition from meat product to internet term had a stop with the comedy Monty Python’s Flying Circus. In 1970 that BBC comedy show aired a sketch that featured a cafe that had a menu which featured items like: “egg, bacon, and spam; egg, bacon, sausage, and spam; spam, bacon, sausage, and spam; spam, egg, spam, spam, bacon, and spam; and finally, lobster thermidor aux crevettes with a mornay sauce garnished with truffle pate, brandy, and a fried egg on top and spam.” To make matters sillier in Monty Python style, the cafe was filled with Vikings who periodically break out into song praising spam: “spam, spam, spam, spam: lovely spam, wonderful spam.”
While the Hormel corporation was holding a competition to find a new name for their product, the North American Bahá’í community was formulating the details of its first teaching Plan in May 1937. This formulation took place just eight weeks before the introduction of Spam onto the market. As of 2003 the Baha’i Faith had spread to over 200 countries and territories with the largest number of adherents in India, Iran and the USA. As of 2003, Spam was sold in 41 countries worldwide. The largest consumers of Spam were in the United States, the UK and South Korea.
Computer people adopted the term Spam from the Python sketch to mean, to include, the commercialization of the internet, the unwanted commercial messages that come in the form of electronic junk mail or junk postings as well as posts at Internet sites that: (a) nobody really wants to read/asks for and/or (b) are basically some form of plagiarism. These have become the primary meanings, among other meanings, of spam on the internet.-Ron Price with thanks to “A History of the Term Spam,” internet.com, 24 July 2008.
Yes, there was a new name, alright—
little did they know—and there was
no need to hold a competition for its
name—for it was not spam—it was
part of a Plan and as Isaiah foretold
His name long ago–His name shall be
called: Wonderful and yes Counsellor,
the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace and much else……
One could say, if one wanted, but not
many would have wanted and not many
did put it this way, that this new Product
was finally becoming commercialized but
at a very low level of evangelism. Indeed
there was no aggressive proselytising here,
just the slow evolution of small groups all
over the planet and a Movement with many,
many meanings for the pluralistic society
with which it was engaged then–all the
years of my life–on this mortal coil……
Ron Price
(updated for Forums as
Spam Blogs on: 25/7/’08)
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By Joeri Poesen on Sep 26, 2008
Why not use something like Akismet or Mollom (the new kid in town)?
Akismet doesn’t need an introduction I guess.
Mollom does does intelligent content analysis and takes additional factors (author reputation based on provides credentials, IP address, etc) into account to decide on haminess or spamminess…
Incidently, Mollom just left beta the beta phase and will be featured in the upcoming TechCrunch Belgium meetup on November 5, 2008.
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By Robin Wauters on Sep 28, 2008
@Joeri: First, I know Dries and Mollom, and even covered their public launch here: http://thenextweb.org/2008/09/.....e-akismet/
Second: I’m the organizer of the TechCrunch Belgium Meetup. It’s November 6.
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By Joeri Poesen on Sep 28, 2008
@Robin: so my initial question still stands – don’t Mollom and Akismet provide a comprehensive answer to the spam problem this post is all about?
About TechCrunch Belgium: I’ll be there and thanks for pointing out the correct date.
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By Robin Wauters on Sep 28, 2008
@Joeri: I don’t know, I’ve never run or managed a forum. Probably better to suggest it to TechCrunch?
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By dyepteply on Oct 6, 2008
thats for sure, guy
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By Gueteomy on Oct 13, 2008
Your best investment to date?
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What businesses do you own?
What are the criteria you look for before you decide to put your money in a business?
Could you elaborate on your insurance planning?
Money wise, what were your growing up years like?
What’s your retirement plan?
What has been a bad investment?
What financial planning have you done for yourself?
Laura Kauffmann (SOIC)
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By omitteetar on Dec 1, 2008
Hi. I repeatedly announce this forum. This is the oldest period unqualified to ask a ridiculous.
How multifarious in this forum are references Nautical port behind, artful users?
Can I bank all the advice that there is?
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