What's going on here? Bot?

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yirara
yirara Posts: 9,478 Member
edited April 2022 in Health and Weight Loss
Anyone else noticed a whole group of posts showing up today from similar sounding names (random+ numbers), no images, with similar English, asking very basic questions without providing any information. Has a school class been asked to research nutrition? Is it a bot attempt in creating accounts and posting stuff? Most of them are in Food, btw.
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  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,049 Member
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    Well, the site posted an automated message asking for questions for the RD...and the post/thread wasn't written very well so it didn't make it clear that the questions should go in that thread:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10859282/have-a-health-nutrition-question-ask-the-rd
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,049 Member
    edited March 2022
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    Look right above your OP...it's prominent on the home page and the community pages. I think that's what's happening. Although it's also nearly April 1 and I have seen lots of invasions from other forums. That was my first thought. :lol:

    I was on this site before smart phones and when the smart phones came out the questions really became repetitive for quite a while. I don't think it's that easy to navigate forums on phones.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    Yupppp....everyone posting questions for the RD is just making their own thread. MFP was not clear enough that you should post your questions in the thread they created for that purpose. They just said "Start posting your questions on 3/28!" So, now it's mayhem.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,478 Member
    edited March 2022
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    Oooh, that's it! I'm so finetuned to avoiding adverts that I totally didn't see the banner at the top :D
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,049 Member
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    I guess those of us who are here daily need to start a private group. Those are fun.

    Three days off from the forums doesn't sound that bad. :wink:

    Unfortunately, no one will get questions answered - too many!
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,478 Member
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    I'm in! The regular chat group or something like that :D
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,049 Member
    edited March 2022
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    Private groups are in "groups." Members have to be vetted by the group owner and/or a moderator in the group only. Posts are viewable only by members.

    Is this where I say I don't want to be in any group that would have me as a member? :lol:
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,627 Member
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    cmriverside wrote: »
    I guess those of us who are here daily need to start a private group. Those are fun.

    Three days off from the forums doesn't sound that bad. :wink:

    Unfortunately, no one will get questions answered - too many!

    I just answered someone! :)

    But, yeah, totally noticed it. For a sec I thought some other calorie counting website or weight watchers or something shut down! ;)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,049 Member
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    glassyo wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    I guess those of us who are here daily need to start a private group. Those are fun.

    Three days off from the forums doesn't sound that bad. :wink:

    Unfortunately, no one will get questions answered - too many!

    I just answered someone! :)

    But, yeah, totally noticed it. For a sec I thought some other calorie counting website or weight watchers or something shut down! ;)

    I answered a couple this morning before I figured out that something was up.


    MFP has been the target of some forum Wars in the past, I haven't completely ruled that out until after April 1.
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
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    I noticed that as well and was very irate when I realized how far back my favorite thread about 'what food would you eat if it didn't have any calories' had become. :)
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    Poor Ann is over there trying to answer everyone.
    She's too nice... :)
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,786 Member
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    Do you mean that the weight or measurement thread is one that was heading toward the dietitian?

    What are we supposed to do? Ignore any questions by people with less than 10 posts???🙀🤷🏻‍♂️
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,627 Member
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    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    I noticed that as well and was very irate when I realized how far back my favorite thread about 'what food would you eat if it didn't have any calories' had become. :)

    AKA "How In The Heck Did I Gain 20 lbs Just By Looking at Pictures" thread?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,049 Member
    edited March 2022
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    glassyo wrote: »
    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    I noticed that as well and was very irate when I realized how far back my favorite thread about 'what food would you eat if it didn't have any calories' had become. :)

    AKA "How In The Heck Did I Gain 20 lbs Just By Looking at Pictures" thread?

    lolol.
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Do you mean that the weight or measurement thread is one that was heading toward the dietitian?

    What are we supposed to do? Ignore any questions by people with less than 10 posts???🙀🤷🏻‍♂️

    I answered in that one, too, before I realized what was going on. Almost ALL the threads in the Food page, and I think some on this page as well, are meant for the RD, it seems.

    BTW on the thread where people are SUPPOSED to post, there are already almost 200 questions. They have ONE dietician who is going to answer the questions on Thursday? By then, there could be thousands.

    I don't know if they thought this through....

    ...or they have a genius marketing team...Like maybe they decided there wasn't enough traffic on the forums and this is a way to really ramp it up for the advertisers' algorithm.
    I mean, anyone who's been on the site for a month knows that a professional who offers to answer questions is going to get a whole lot more questions than they can ever answer. It's an odd tactic. Wish I was a fly on the wall in that office in S.F. :) There is some game plan here, I think!
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
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    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    Poor Ann is over there trying to answer everyone.
    She's too nice... :)

    Agreed. :)
    Heck, if I have any questions I'll just hope she answers, along with a couple other knowledgeable MFP'ers. :)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,049 Member
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    :)@glassyo
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