Simpler report submission display

[mdmcginn]

I would be less likely to make false reports if the most useful information was clearly stated at the top of the page. I want to see the message itself (subject and sender), not the technical-complex headers, to remind myself why I reported it. And I want to see the age of the message. Everything else is relevant to SpamCop's calculations, but I don't think it helps any human beings. Unless you have memorized the IP blocks of known spammers. Human beings judge a message as spam because they can tell the sender or the subject is fraudulent. That's the important information that we use to decide whether to click Submit or not. Don't dilute it.

This is how I would change the display, adding more blank lines too:

SpamCop v 1.389 © SpamCop.net, Inc. 1998-2004 All Rights Reserved

spam Header

Here is your TRACKING URL - it may be saved for future reference:

http://tracking-url.url

Skip to Reports

Message is 0 hours old

From: "Joe Blah" <jblah[at]blah.com.cn> (We sell hot stuff for an affordable price)

HotStuff, also known as SuperHotStuff

- half a pill lasts all weekend

View full message

etc. etc. Put anything else here if you want.

Send spam Report Now (but you may as well put the submit button after the message, instead of making us scroll down when we're not going to read it anyway)

Or, there could be a Spamcop for Dummies option that people like me could use, and the rest of you could continue to view all the information.

[Derek T]

I would be less likely to make false reports if the most useful information was clearly stated at the top of the page.  <big snip>

21440[/snapback]

Good idea! Wazoo, is this one for the lounge?

[Wazoo]

Good idea! Wazoo, is this one for the lounge?

Not fair <g>

Let's just say that I've revived the Forum Configuration Change thing once again. When (and maybe if) I get some sort of feedback from my last e-mail, I'll try to come up with something different. I'd thought about simply starting a new Topic and mergin all these enhancement requests / suggestions / etc. .... bu due to the ordering of things by posting date, the results would really suck. Just moving them to the Lounge tends to bury them in the clutter (though even being here doesn't really make them stand out) .... and let's be honest. Julian doesn't spend a lot of time here, Don and a couple of the Deputies do show up from time to time, but I'm not at all sure what pulls their interest on which posts get read .. so I'm still looking for a specific Forum to be generated for these specific items .. at least making it easier for the powers that be to hit that one place and see the specific requests/suggestions.

The "confirming e-mails" is much beyond the point of needing a FAQ entry, but not sure how to build that one, short of pointing out that it's been a requests since the e-mail submittal mode was generated, folks complain about getting them, other folks complain when they don't show up, .... dang, and here I am rambling and off-topic ....

[Jeff G.]

The "confirming e-mails" is much beyond the point of needing a FAQ entry, but not sure how to build that one, short of pointing out that it's been a requests since the e-mail submittal mode was generated, folks complain about getting them, other folks complain when they don't show up

21475[/snapback]

I have my local email client file and mark as read the following types of somewhat annoying SpamCop notifications (which have been known to overwhelm lesser free email accounts) in a special folder, which is then searchable as the need arises (unlike the info stored about my Reports in the SpamCop Parsing and Reporting System, which is only searchable by Report ID):

Confirming Emails (Replies to Email Submissions; rare, as the vast majority of my spam is reported from my Held Mail folder)

Quick reporting data

Copies of slow reports (also rare, except during this past week's bounce bomb incident)

here I am rambling and off-topic ....

21475[/snapback]

You're only human!

[mdmcginn]

My point wasn't about confirming emails or email submittals, though it may be similar coding. I report spam through the Spamcop website (like I'm supposed to ) not by email. My point was this: I see a message saying, "Make sure this is spam" when it was easier to be sure it was spam when I was previewing it in Mailwasher. We mortals tell it's spam by seeing the sender and by seeing the message body, not by any technical information. I'm sure that's usually true of the experts too. It would be more useful to have a link saying "Click to see the headers" than a link to see the Body. In case you were wondering, I wasn't asking for the forums to be reconfigured. just the reporting web page.

Another good suggestion: submit the whole batch of spam with one click.

http://forum.spamcop.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3233

[dbiel]

You already do have the option to turn of the technical details if you want.

As to the message "Make sure this is spam" I see this as simply a reminder or a flag to make me think one more time before I submit the reports to avoid reporting something that is not spam.

The previous is just my point of view.

There is really only one major problem with your suggestion and that is the very small reality of anyone with any power to do anything actually taking the time to do so.

But that is why we users created this forum section to express those requests even if they do simply get ignored.

[mrmaxx]

You already do have the option to turn of the technical details if you want.

As to the message "Make sure this is spam" I see this as simply a reminder or a flag to make me think one more time before I submit the reports to avoid reporting something that is not spam.

The previous is just my point of view.

There is really only one major problem with your suggestion and that is the very small reality of anyone with any power to do anything actually taking the time to do so.

But that is why we users created this forum section to express those requests even if they do simply get ignored.

36266[/snapback]

Well, yes and no. Yes, you do have a lot of the info. However, you don't necessarily get the from and subject lines. THOSE two things *would* be very handy to have!

[Jeff G.]

While parsing a message with the SpamCop Parser at a Tracking URL, if you are viewing the technical details, you will see a "View entire message" Link. If you are not viewing them, you will instead see a "View full message" Link. Both Links have the same function, to allow you to view the entire/full message via the "[Tracking URL]&action=display" URL, including the Full Headers, Body, and any Attachments. In this case, such a Link will allow the OP to refresh its memory concerning why the message was submitted for reporting in the first place.

[Lking]

<snip> 

This is how I would change the display, adding more blank lines too: 

<snip> 

From: "Joe Blah" <jblah[at]blah.com.cn> (We sell hot stuff for an affordable price) 

HotStuff, also known as SuperHotStuff 

- half a pill lasts all weekend 

<snip> 

Send spam Report Now (but you may as well put the submit button after the message, instead of making us scroll down when we're not going to read it anyway) 

21440[/snapback]

I'm not sure I understand what mdmcginn is asking for. When I report a email I see a From:, (Subject:), and 2 lines of the message. Now because a From - <date. line is added by the ISP what I get is:

Please make sure this email IS spam:

From: Fri Nov 18 10:06:53 2005 ([Norton AntiSpam] Re: )

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C5EBBA.CFA7EB20

Adding blank lines just makes the scroll longer.

As for skipping over the list of who your reports are going to be sent to doesn't seem responsible. There is no point sending a report to, for example google or the New York Times, because the spammer referenced them. In face it can be argued that those reports diminish the impact of reports sent by spamcop.

As for "Spamcop for Dummies" I would suggest that "Dummies" are more likely to miss report email and therefore should review more closely not less. And exposure to the technology may, by osmosis, upgrade them from "dummy" status. Just my HO.

[StevenUnderwood]

As for "Spamcop for Dummies"

36271[/snapback]

IMO, the only was a spamcop for dummies should be instituted is if clicking the submit button opened up a new email in the clients preferred email application preconfigured with the text. THat would make it clear that THEY are the ones sending the report, not spamcop.

(Sorry, venting for other reasons).