Vote Bot attack... I could use a hand

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GrumpyCoyote

GrumpyCoyote

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Hi folks.

Apparently there is a phenomenon on Youtube known as a "vote-bot" attack. It is an intentional act of vandalism perpetrated by using software and/or puppet accounts to vote down the ratings of the victims videos. The net result is that those vids no longer show up well in searches. It's a cowardly act of censorship and hostility.

Somehow, I've pissed one of these clowns off (I recently posted a comment in a political channel - silly me) and they hit my channel hard.:mad:

All of my vids (which were at 5*) went down magically to 2.5* or 1* in just a few hours tonight. Impossible by any math. I simply don't get that many views. Youtube will not assist.

Not a huge deal, but it's the principle of the thing. I just don't want this idiot to think he (or she I suppose) can win. It also means that things like the "Bring the Song" video (with now over 145 original song responses from you crazy people) will get shuffled low in the deck.

Do me a favor - hit my channel if you have a spare minute and vote up a few of my vids. I don't want any numbers I don't deserve, but I could use some help.

Thanks.
 
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Voted all your vids 5*

Hey Grumpy,
Why anyone would want to be so malicious I can't imagine. Same with the people that sit at home all day writing viruses. I just can't get my head around it at all.

I voted all your vids up. We'll beat them yet :)
Anna
 
I used my three accounts to try and help get your ratings up.

Just a tip for future... One of them is my 'coward account'. It has no details about me or any videos loaded. I use it for general Youtube browsing and commenting on controversial channels/videos. Some people and groups do not take kindly even to constructive criticism or alternate viewpoints so if you have a 'spare' channel it doesn't matter if they attack it in any way. I had a previous one bombarded with obscenities and threats (I dared to put a reasonable viewpoint on a BNP (British Nazi Party, basically) sponsored site). I simply closed the affected channel down and opened another.
 
Done! Used my husband's and my account to help!

When I was reading your post, I was like - oh, it can't be THAT bad right? Then when I saw that EVERY one of your videos was down...SO not fair! And the fact that YT won't do anything about it! :mad:

Keep bumping this in the threads!!
 
Thanks everybody! We managed to get everything back up to a 3 or so, math being what it is.

Thanks for pitching in!

Tony got it right - use an alternate account for commenting on politics and religion. Those folks are crazy.
 
I don't get people sometimes. I mean there must be something seriously wrong in that person's life to make them be malicious to a stranger. It's little scriptkiddies like these that give hackers a bad name.

Anyhoo, I rated the first page of vids. I'll do the rest later.
 
That happened to me as well. My videos, which are not great, but not bad, have been one-starred by members of a certain ukulele group I am now free of. Most were 4 to 5 star, now one to three.

Pretty odd behavior IMO, and not by bots. "Adults" did this.

In fact ;o) if anyone wants to right the wrong...

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=tap4154&view=videos
 
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Captain Google said:
Any uker who would do such a thing doesn't deserve the instrument, in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I have to agree. Gives a bad name to the instrument as well.

This video (below) while not great, was 5 star before airing my political views in the appropriate sections on "that uke group".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVGITewzMNg

Just very mean, spiteful stuff. I don't understand it at all. In fact one person actually opened two YouTube accounts just to one-star my videos and insult me. Basically, internet stalking. The owner of the group, when alerted of this via email, just said it's not his/her problem, so just go complain to YouTube and don't "call" me again.

Of course, we know that does nothing... unless you're a record company ;o)
 
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TomHB - you were banned from that other forum so it is a bit disingenuous to mention that you are 'free' of it! Please be honest in your posts; there are many users of those other forums you have found disaffection with who post here. Also be aware that even the slightest hint of bad mouthing others or denegrating them in any way is sternly frowned upon here and moderators will censure you as they have me, for being even a little indiscrete.

This is a lovely place run by a bunch of young guns who are passionate about ukulele and nothing much else. Let's keep it that way please?

I post quite a bit on YouTube and police my account assiduously. I used to teach school so am quite prone to attack from former students. All I do is remove the comments and ban the protagonists. Are these 'bots' automatically generated? I've never come across this before - comments from individuals certainly but not an automated attack.

Perhaps the best thing is not to be contentious and keep your content current. I recently cleared out 50 videos from youTube and am doing a lot of remakes at the moment...
 
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Pete Howlett said:
Are these 'bots' automatically generated? I've never come across this before - comments from individuals certainly but not an automated attack.
Click to expand...

Yes, these are automated attacks. I've previously heard of them conducted by creationists. Any vlogger that bashed creationism got attacked by vote bots.
 
Hi Pete. I was banned because the members couldn't stop attacking me. It was a clique, and I was the odd man out, so out I went (when it really was the regulars who were out of line). And you were the first person to attack me. Not more than a few minutes after I posted my beginner blues video (my first post there) you posted "Trite" on it, one-starred it, then went on to insult me on the forum.

I hope the UU forum doesn't mind, but this was the video Pete Howlett commented on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqmAhiwKTPc

This was played and recorded less than 6 months after I began playing the uke.
 
I am bumping them now.
On the bright side, by the time we finish voting you back up, you should qualify to be a partner. Then if you get botted, Youtube will at least pay you for your hits *grin*
 
Please don't derail the thread. One more derailment results in a lock.
 
Oh dear - at it again Tom. Get your story straight and stop telling lies. You took the argument from YouTube to Cosmos - I made no mention of you on Cosmos and now you are starting it again - disniformation and playing the victim when in fact you are a predator! You are right and everyone else is wrong? Oh well - all the best.

(Oh and don't forget to mention that thereafter, because of your totally obnoxious and petty behaviour whenever I posted on Cosmos I had to block you from there and my YouTube account; that as a result of your contentious trolling behaviour you were banned from Cosmos - the only subscriber to have ever been banned. As I said, tell the truth, not part of it.
Oh and don't forget to mention you also got censored on FMM for your bad mouthing...)

Now back to the issue... how do these bots work? Are they identifying words in the text or titles? Surely they cannot scan the content...
 
Well, if I don't make good on my word, then my word is no good. Thread locked. Make another thread if you'd like to continue the discussion, GrumpyCoyote. My apologies.
 
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