Report Bogus Links!
 

A couple of times I have downloaded audio files claiming to be regular songs etc. you would download, but when you open them, it is an add.

Last one I got was to a free items club, with a Bill Clinton voice...I'll give Link if mods request it.
Or maybe you want to put a SPAM 'EM!! feature on here, and we can post bogus files that are actuall ads, and then go and spam the crap out their website for spamming us?

I know their's a Bitzi thing (This guy is -3.6 btw), but we not always going to look that up, and it would be better to have a report button beside eachfile, and when you download it, if it's bogus, you press the report link, and enough build up, you can ban the host IP or whatever through the software..is that possible?

Profanitys in it and everything :(

Bill Clinton and "that woman"
 

My brother and I regularly go into Lime, and we've spotted dozens of bogus files of 134.4kb, all of which are the soundbite of Bill Clinton's denial of being norty with "that woman".

I hope that these painful people can be dealt with, it spoils it for the rest of us who make our legitimate libraries available to others.

one day Limewire might actually have a file size filtyer .. I do hope ... but , knowing that the day may never come,

................just remember that a normal audio file will be somewhere between 3 and 6 MB and do not download anything of aproximately 130 -300 KB by mistake!!!

Right on Dubguy and jubjub
 

You have addressed a subject that I have intended to submit for the past 3 months. I too have the aforementioned file, probably under another title but an ad for e-free.com. When I say the last three months I'm referring to the numbers of junk files I have encountered. I don't share files until I have QA'd them which is about once a week. I am amazed at what other junk is being shared by our compatriots, probably well intentioned but? It would be great if you could press a button and at least let the owner know the file is junk. I believe LW defaults to sharing your downloads instantly which I strongly disagree with. GIGO. A new user should be asked to send in a picture of his dog and swear to QA or forfeit the dog.

As far as Bitzi is concerned, I am about to give up on them. I have reported a couple of dozen files but not without a hassle about my user name or password which I have had to reset several times. They have never had a file I looked up and they are not interested (it seems) in knowing that a male artist must have had a recent sex change and became a soprano. Or, the artist completely forgot the material as listed in the title. Or, the file has a legit size and bit rate but is completely blank.

Bitzi is probably one of the worst sites I have ever tried to navigate and that doesn't count all the pop ups you have to dodge even though you have refused all of the offered cookies.

Bogus files
 

Hi Elder

Thank you for reply. Do you think that there's been a proliferation of these nuisance files, because ppl download, listen, realise they've been dudded, then DON'T delete the danged thing from their library? For this reason, they are unwittingly adding to the problem, because their new bogus file is also being offered in Lime.

Loving the post on "punch cards". Yes, I remember as a high school kid being given a few lessons on how to "program" the computer to do something by pushing lots of little squares into little cardboard cards. I trained on a "plug-and-cord" switchboard, and was mesmerised by the wonderful high-tech gizmo called a telex machine. With that also, we had the option of either typing messages in "real time", or preparing a paper strip with holes in it which was then fed into the telex. Oh, the good old Flintstones days.

Regards
Terri (jubjub)

Can you hold the punch card up to the light and read it? Me neither!
 

I think the problem is more that people are automatically sharing their newly acquired downloads and may or may not QA them. I think a well written beginner's user's manual is in order vice having to wade throught the forums trying to find an answer. If you don't know the question then what would you search the forums for? You just operate in the dark.

When I have time I cruise the forums for items of interest. There are some knowledgeable user's out there but I also see user's trying to answer questions when they really don't have the answers. Their answers usually start with, Maybe, It could be, It might be or How about This does little to help a confused user.

I recently e-mailed two poor souls who posted in the wrong forum. Instead of directing them to the correct forum/answer, they were chastised for posting in the wrong forum. Some of these people have lost their humility and forgotten they were new once! They both thanked me for responding and so far are getting along with their quests.

Back to corrupt downloads. I spent several months seeking two files. They were seldom available but when they were, I down loaded them. Always blank. The files appeared more and more often. Always blank. Finally, I acquired both files and inserted (with sound) in the titles. I shared them and my computer started jumping up and down trying to accomodate the uploads.

Bogus files (and other stuff)
 

Hi Hank
Thanks again for your response. Yes, absolutely right about some of the shortcomings of the forums, they are a bit of a labyrinth for a newbie (like me), and not knowing exactly how to phrase a question, or which subject to look for which addresses your problem.
Good on you for helping lost souls, should be more "humanity" in the rooms. I remember going into mIRC for the first time about 4 years ago and being treated with a mixture of contempt or dismissal when I asked a few basic questions, also the high-handed imperious attitude of some of the monitors in there. Still, that's human nature, but probably wouldn't occur if the "dweeb" in question had to look you in the eye!
Cheers and keep up the good work!
Terri

update on QA and trash distribution
 

Hi Terri
This might interest you. Six months ago I shared a file with a typo in the title (Goode vice Good). I noticed the error while the file was being downloaded from me. Interesting. So, I did a test and searched for the file myself. I stopped counting at 450 sources for this file with the same typo. Anyone familiar with the title would have recognized the typo and corrected it before sharing (if they QA'd instead of auto sharing their download files).

Even more interesting, there were 41 sources (exact match) at a size of 134.4Kb. I suspected something so, I did a search for a ficticious file. I got three hits with a partial match and an exact match from 71 sources (at 134.4Kb). Conclusion. This outfit is automatically monitoring LW searches and generating instantaneous responses.

Try it. I don't know if they are doing it 24 hrs a day but, if they can do it, others can.

I'm making some Christmas CDs for our local nursing home. Out of 35 files, 12 of them had the wrong artist listed. Either the providers are very, very young or something is wrong with their hearing. At any rate, they are not QA'd and are available from many sources.

I have them, along with 20 other files, in my problem folder. Will I submit them to Bitcollider? I'd like to but they don't provide a quick and easy way to report this type error without jumping through their hoops.

I was wanting to create a manual for both beginners & advanced skills by the forum team 10-11 mths ago. Discussions ended up with suggesting other options. Nothing material since. But there's certainly more directions needed & I think a more involved manual than the LW manual is in order.

As for using the forums, over 95% of questions on the forum have been asked before. The most common of which are answered in Stickies at the top of each section of the forum. It is intended that more notice be given to new users of the forum about where to find everything they're looking for.

As far as spam goes, I think this thread was one of my links (can't remember) here autogenerated mp3 spam results which is the newer type of spam that showed up over recent months. Just after the Grokster court case.

BTW LW does have something down the pipeline as far as filters go. A spam filter. But when it'll be completed & adopted is anybody's guess. My guess is version 5 or a pre-5 beta.

bogus files ... 134.4kbs of annoyance
 

Hi Elder and Dubguy

Thank you for your responses. Still a "newbie" here and to LW, but learning as fast as I can, sorry but don't know what QA means, is it a way of vetting files?

I agree with your comments about LW ... "victims" have no direct response link to Lime with regard to bogus files, or to ppl unwittingly sharing them. Hank, you did a useful experiment with regard to files being downloaded and passed on automatically, proves a very good point of weakness in the system.

That being said, I am new to LW but have grabbed many "kosher" files successfully the last few months ... Xmas coming up and I'll be burning CDs for friends and family ... LW has a lot going for it.

However, a "holding bay" where files can be vetted first for authenticity by the "powers at be" at LW before releasing into the system ... would be a good idea. Even if new files aren't available for 24 hours before being okayed .. it would save the BS in download/upload time wasted and the GRRRRR factor. I'm new at this stuff and don't know much technically, but safeguards seem to be needed. Or is LW just a way-station ... with no controls or guarantees? A process of verifying files would take manhours and add to LW costs I guess ...

Cheers and keep up the good work!
Terri