The bots are pesky here. I take it as a compliment that the domain is intriguing.
Smf is a very full featured forum with lots of settings. Pages and pages of settings.
I had previously set the "Send registration email" hoping this would accomplish registration confirmation, but evidently that was a misunderstanding. I found a new setting under registration with four options:
- Immediate Registration
- Email Registration
- Administrater Approval
- Disable Registration
While dealing with the bots has been taking some time, the good news is that the process has allowed the software to learn. Each bot added to the ban list diminishes the potential for further attacks. On day 1 I had hundreds of new bot members to deal with. Today it's only 3.
Of course it's nearly impossible to completely eliminate spam members from joining, but it's awkward that it's a daily problem. I'll put it on my agenda to check out the SMF mods and see if they have something like a recaptcha for registration.