Bots and Guests

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Slava
Great Grand Panjandrum
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Bots and Guests

Postby Slava » Sat Aug 31, 2013 8:26 pm

As usual here in the antipodes I find myself alone on the forum, "Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot], MTC and 0 guests." A "Bing [Bot]" does not a person make.
I, too, have concerns about our trackers, AKA bots. I believe there are actually 9 of them, all considered "registered users."

Guest numbers are also odd to me. Usually, it's between 10 and 20, with highs and lows. Yet, two weeks ago, three times the number exceeded 50. Almost all of them on the index page.

Guests also are frequently shown as doing things they aren't supposed to be able to do: view user control panel, view member profile, reply to a message. My conspiracy theory here is the software is creating these "people" to make the site look better. Or, non-conspiratorial, many guests are actual members who don't bother to sign in or ever post.

As to bots, I have seen Google Adsense supposedly responding to messages at least 5 times.

I don't recall having seen 0 guests, but I am often the only real human member online.

I wish there were something we could do about all this, but I doubt it is possible.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

Perry Lassiter
Great Grand Panjandrum
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Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2007 12:41 pm
Location: RUSTON, LA
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Re: Bots and Guests

Postby Perry Lassiter » Sat Aug 31, 2013 10:56 pm

Bots from search engines can draw others to the site in connection with searches. I too am frequently on alone with a bot or two and perhaps a guest. I haven't seen the large numbers you report, nor can I tell what they are doing. But then I'm seldom paranoid. I KNOW peepul are plotting out there!
pl


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