You can use the EasyBlog ACL to only allow Students to post blogs without affecting access for all to the forum.

If you wish to go one step further to stop spam on your site, install the free SpamBotCheck plugin from vi-solutions, it stops virtually all spam registrations and allows you to see a log of them to monitor how often you are attacked.

You could register with StopForumSpam and BotScout for free as well.

If you wish to control ALL registrations, only allow them by admin authorisation, not self registration (in global configuration). It can be a useful way to handle registrations until they grow to a size that is too big for admin approval by yourself.

A bit more detail

You will never stop all spammers (they even appear on Stackideas occasionally) but you can reduce the number who get through by taking the following steps:

1. Install the SpambotCheck Joomla Plugin from vi-solutions. It is free and extremely efficient at blocking almost all spam registrations. It also allows you to see a logged list of spam attempts that were rejected with full details, so you know how often you are attacked.

2. Join BotScout and get an API key, essential if you are using a newletter component (for example AcyMailing, which is excellent).

3. Join Stop Forum Spam and get an API key, especially if you are using a newsletter component (AcyMailing allows you to activate BotScout and StopForumSpam)

4. If a subscriber gets through SpamBotCheck to 'register' as a new member on your site and you are not sure if they are spam, copy the email address and paste it into the StopForumSpam search box (you do not need to have an account to do this) and it will show a list of accounts used by the email if it is spam. You can do the same at BotScout, but I would use StopForumSpam first.

5. If you have an account at StopForumSpam and/or BotScout submit your spammer details to their website if not already on their list as it will help others block spam attacks.

6. Delete or block the IP (I prefer to delete once the record is on the StopForumSpam or BotScout list.

7. Use Recaptcha - it may not be as effective in blocking the more sophisticated spammmers, but every little helps.

8. Go to Joomla Global Configuration - Users Configuration and set New User Account Activation to 'Admin'. It means they need to verify their email and you (or whoever you designate to approve new registrations) must approve everything, but when starting a new site this is possibly the best way to control new members until the number of daily applications gets too big for you to manage, even with effective delegation. You can then change it to 'Self' for the applicant to confirm email address and auto register if they do, or 'None' if you want people just to register straight away (good luck with that option......... )

9. If they still get through and start posting crap, remove it, add their details to StopForumSpam and BotScout, then delete them.

Hello Richard,

Thanks for your sharing on this

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Hello Todd,

Sorry for late reply to this,
Can you try Richard suggested that solution and see is it help your current issues?

If you wouldn't like to use 3rd party plugin/components, then you can try my suggestion and some of the point Richard also already mentioned above.
#1. I recently started receiving SPAM posts in easyBlog.
>> You can set which user group have the permission to submit a blog post from backend > Easyblog > ACL > select which user group you disallow them create blog post.
>> So the system will know which user group user have the permission to submit blog post.

#2. Is it possible to still allow new users to create Joomla Accounts that give them access to the easyDiscuss forum, but not the easyBlog system?
-> Unfortunately that was not possible, because all the user is under the Joomla account unless you set "Easyblog" menu item only registered user can access.
-> Or set which user group have the permission to view the blog post from backend > Easyblog > categories > select category > category access tab > view the blog posts ( http://screencast.com/t/nzZTOVOF ), so the user click on the Easyblog page, the system will show this : http://screencast.com/t/JQZmlrMfH || http://screencast.com/t/1saFaOOB

#3. I'm looking for a solution to lock down easyBlog once I have my student accounts set up so that ONLY students can blog, and no one else.
-> If I'm not getting wrong your meaning, you would like only your student can create a new blog post in your site right?
-> If yes, you can assign the permission from your backend > Easyblog > ACL > select which user group you disallow them create blog post. (check my screenshot : http://screencast.com/t/qXxYwFj8g98 )