Advise?

When I, and others, take the time and energy to ban those constant spammers, one by one, is it doing any good? Or is it simply wasted energy that makes an unsightly mess?

The four-hour ban thing that prohibits anyone making a new account and a new entry right away seems to be doing a stellar job of stopping actual vandalism and spam crap, so the the genuine spam *content* is very low now.

But the new fake new accounts are demoralizing, ugly, skew our stats, and make me feel like a helpless chump. I also live in fear that I'm going to accidently ban a real fan. The spam also seem to be increasing. I'd thought that by "tagging" with a ban would at least identify them for possible purposes of knowing more about their sources and tactics, and in the end, assist with their demise. But I'm thinking it's all for nothing.

Should we just leave them be? Or continue with our constant, and exhausting, whack-a-rat?

And, is there any other techy stuff/help on the horizon that can help curb these weasels?