June 17, 2012

Faithful Readers, Please Vote in My Poll

I've eliminated word verification twice now, but spam continues to flood my inbox. I know word verification is annoying, especially the new one: the font is illegible and the photos too blurry to make out.

Most of the spam is "anonymous," but thanks to Blogger's excellent spam filter, most of it never gets actually published. Still, an occasional one makes it through, so I always check each originating post to make sure. I also get a lot of advert spam, where it's a real comment (some more subtle than others), except it links back to a commercial sales site. This is a personal journal, so I delete all of these. It's too bad business is so bad these folks have nothing better to do than run around the internet trying to find blog posts to comment on in hopes of a sale, but this blog is not for commercial purposes. I don't even use it to make money for myself, though I could certainly use it.

So, Faithful Readers, please tell me which you prefer by voting in my poll on the sidebar: word verification, no anonymous comments, or enable comment moderation. Word verification is easier for me, more annoying for you, so I lean least toward moderation, and most toward eliminating anonymous comments. However there are a few of you who don't have blogger or google accounts, yet comment often. Please let me know what you think.

To view the results and what I decided to do about it, click here.

43 comments:

Dani said...

Leigh - I,too, disabled verification and had a lot of spam getting through. Since I enabled it again - nada, zippo, nix, nothing.

So - for now- I'm leaving it.

Also, on the farm, moderation means that there'll be a whole bunch to do, with a potentially VERY s-l-o-w connection, so I'm opting not for moderation.

Faithful readers will understand, newbies / anonymous readers will hopefully still make the effort, and I'll review the situation when I know exactly what I'm heading for iro my future internet connection..

Jackie said...

Use whatever system is effective and works for you Leigh. If someone really wants to comment, they will jump through all the hoops to do so.

Jackie

Clint Baker said...

I will have to agree must of mine is from anonymous comments as well, although sometimes it even puts some of my most faith followers in there as well don't know why??? Right know I am having trouble viewing my Posts and comments on my dash board when using Fire Fox. have to switch to Google Chrome this morning to be able to blog. But I still can't view my blog because one of the blogs I follow has been reported for Malware and we have to wait until that is cleared up. I am almost ready to give up, lol! If anyone else has problems or solutions please let me know as well at cbfom3@gmail.com!

Amy Dingmann said...

Yes, the word verification is annoying (as a reader) but (as a blogger) it keeps the spam out. There are plenty of blogs out there where people are still using the word verification, so you're not alone. I figure it is a small price to pay to read good posts, right? The other option is that you enable comment moderation and (like Dani said) everything slows way down because who on a farm has time to deal with that? :) I do think that if you do with word verification your loyal readers will understand. Heck, anyone with a blog who has been repeatedly spammed will understand. :)

Janice in GA said...

I'm with Jackie. Do whatever is easiest for you to manage. The new Captcha stuff IS hard to read, but I don't mind having to prove I'm A Real Person. :)

But I hate spam with the burning passion of a thousand fiery suns. Anything to reduce the amount of spam in the world works for me. :)

Sherri B. said...

I voted for moderation for two reasons.

1. It is easier for you.

2. You have readers that wouldn't be able to leave a comment without it.

I am sure all of your readers will understand..Spam is no fun. Actually I am getting much better at those word/number combinations now and have made it a little game with myself, Ha!

Have a great day, friend! xo

Leigh said...

Dani, that's a good point about word moderation. I'm usually all about easy!

Jackie, I appreciate that. I know I'm willing to do that on the blogs I want to comment on.

Clint, I have that problem sometimes too. Then you have to wade through the spam folder and look at those first words anyway. Somehow I feel like the spammers still win. :(

Amy, another good point about moderation. I spend enough time on the computer anyway! Once I commented twice on a blog with comment modification, because the gal hadn't okayed her comments in over a week!

Janice, we're in the same boat when it comes to spam. It is so annoying, which I think is the only point of it in the first place. Pretty pathetic when folks have nothing better to do than deliberately try to annoy people.

Sherri, thanks for your input. I think one thing that concerns me about the moderation, is that I still have to go through the comments to okay them. That means I still have to look at the spam, some of which, I do not wish to expose my eyes to. I do agree though, that the word verification is all about attitude. :)

Rob said...

I voted for no annoy. I feel why hide. Sometimes I don't comment to some blogs due to W.V. as its hard to see letters/numbers.

In the end its your blog, your choice.

Tami said...

Do what makes YOU happy chicka...Most of my spam is on old posts and I try to delete daily. You've got a MUCH larger following than I do though. More peeps, more headache...

Mama Pea said...

Do what feels right/best to you, m'dear. I'll hang in there whatever you choose to do. I'd hate to see you stop blogging (omigosh, NO!) because it all became too much of a hassle for you.

I have word verification (yes, a pain in the patoot for commenters) because it works best for me.

Madness, Trouble, Squish and Milkbone said...

I have the same problem on my blog. I use word verification - it's the easiest. I know it is annoying and people complain about it, but IT WORKS. And it is just too much trouble to moderate everything.

Paula said...

Do what you gotta do to keep the filthy spammers out.

It's more important to not let them win.

MaryContrary said...

I have had the same problem with anonymous spammers trying to hijack my blog with links to porn sites. I was thinking of trying word verification along with the mediation I have already set. Since it isn't working for you I won't go through the inconvenience. I wish those slugs would go back under their rock and leave the rest of us in peace.

Mary Ann said...

I haven't had problems with spam, but if you must... word verification, though I find it very hard to read nowadays.

Leigh said...

Rob, I reckon somebody's going to be annoyed no matter which way I go, LOL. It's a shame about word verification though, isn't it. I usually get it the second time around if I miss the first.

Tami, yeah, it is a problem of having a large following. That, and more requests to do "guest" posts to sell their product/politics/philosophy/whatever.

MTS&M, it does work, you're right about that. I've not tried moderation yet, but suspect something else would have to give. There's only so much time in a day.

Paula, thanks! I agree about not letting them win on any level.

MaryContrary, right now I'm using nothing, so of course nothing works. :) Word verification is the best for keeping spam out, as others have said. But it is inconvenient for readers who wish to comment.

Mary Ann, you don't know how lucky you are! They're clever too. They put the nekkid type words up front, so you see them whether you want to or not.

Judy said...

On my blog all three are enabled because of the few. I have thought about installing a comment system called 'Disqus'. Everybody that I read who has it likes it, but I haven't investigated Disqus to see what it would take to install.

And I, like most people am not fond of the fuzzy word verification but I don't like spam either. In the end you have to do what is comfortable for you.

chook said...

i'm on the wordpress platform, and it is very effective. i don't get a lot of comments, but i've never had a spam comment get through to even view it. every time i post i get about 12 spams that get caught. YMMV.

but as others have already said, do what works for you. if i really want to leave a comment, i'll jump through the hoops to do it.

Leigh said...

Judy, personally I don't like Disqus when I leave a comment. I understand that folks hide behind anonymity, but neither do I want yet another entity collecting information on me just to use their gadget. I can't remember if it was Disqus, but one similar automatically published my full name and email address. Talk about annoyed. Now I avoid them all, just in case.

Chook, I have an issue with wordpress commenting too! Eons ago I signed up with wordpress just to check it out. I liked blogger better so never did anything with wordpress. But when I try to comment on a wordpress blog it wants me to sign in. However my password is long since forgotten so it's easier just to use a different email address. (than try to jump through the hoops to recover a password I'll never use. :)

Rosamargarita said...

Siento tus problemas con es spam.
En mi blog no tengo (nunca he tenido) palabra de verificación.
Ahora estoy en huelga, no comento si tienen palabra de verificación,¡.
Lamentaría mucho no poder comentar en tu blog
Un abrazo

Judy T said...

I agree with others here- do what works for you. I've eliminated the word verification but fortunately haven't been getting all that many spam comments (knock on some serious wood here). I agree, the verification is a pain (and I HATE those photo things!) but it is part of the process. We'll still comment whatever we have to do.
Judy

Anonymous said...

Leigh, I'm so sorry that this has to be an issue! I say keep the word verification, because it makes your life easier with all you have to do! <3

Grish said...

I read your blog faithfully but do so through RSS on a mobile device. I voted word verification but honestly just do what ever makes it easiest on you and keep in mind that even MSN and Yahoo get those clammy posts. It does seem to go hand and hand with a successful blog.

Lap Dog Knits said...

"word" works for me...

Anonymous said...

I do not mind word verification at all :)

Michelle said...

I prefer moderation.

1st Man said...

I see people talking on other blogs about spam too, I'm not sure why, but I rarely have spam. Maybe once a week? Not sure what I've done that prevents that (I've had several hundred thousand visits). I disabled moderation and word verification months ago. If I start getting it for some reason, I'll use comment moderation. But as others have said above, I don't let word verification stop me from commenting. It can be very hard to read and after some complaints, that's why I turned it off on our blog. When I really want to comment, I find a way, ha. If you are having problems, I'd vote for moderation, if you have the time.

Regardless, I LOVE your blog and will comment any way you have us! :-)

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Word verification and I'm legally blind...would far rather deal with word verification than spam. Plus, I've noticed that I can get word verification "sort of" right and it still passes...go figure?!

Renee Nefe said...

I'm happy to fill out the word verification thingy...even when I can't read them. If you click on the I can't see it enough they clear up. lol

I know those spam comments are crazy. I like how they'll comment on a post from 3 years ago to try and sneak in. :p I guess they get money for just having it out in space? I don't know...seems like a very poor way to earn a living to me.

Carolyn said...

I don't mind filling out the word verification. And if it's easiest, do it! It's hard enough sometimes to find time to read comments and answer each one (as you so nicely do) than to have to filter out crap on top of it. I'll still be here whatever ya do! Well, unless it entails you making me give up my cats in order to read your blog. Then you're gone :)

Leigh said...

Rosamargarita, so that's why you haven't been commenting! LOL Sorry!

Judy, consider yourself fortunate in the spam department. They just do it to annoy us.

Pam, thanks!

Grish, I appreciate that. It does seem to come with the territory so to speak. I notice you have comments turned off altogether! (An option that hadn't occurred to me.)

Kyle and AHH, thanks!

Michelle, I appreciate your input.

1st Man, thank you! You're so lucky to not get much spam. May that always be the case!

Sandra, funny but I've noticed the same thing. I just take a stab at it sometimes and am amazed it's right, LOL

Renee, good question. It's silly the way they do it. Like we're not going to notice and if the post is so old who's going to see it anyway. ??

Carolyn, thanks! I agree it's sometimes difficult to keep up with legit comments, never mind the spam. Oh, and your kitties are welcome anytime. :P

Unknown said...

Honestly, I will be back no matter what!

Unknown said...

I would disable the verification, as I'm less likely to comment if it's on. BUT it's your blog...

Tina T-P said...

Like some of the others, I rarely, if ever get spam on my farm blog - the recipe blog much more - I went through and deleted it all, and set up word verification & no anonymous so I don't think I've had any since there. Do what ever is easiest for you. T.

Sue said...

Leigh, do what works for you! Like chook, I have a wordpress blog and use moderation, and I like that once I've approved a couple of comments from a specific person they can comment without me having to do anything. First-timers I have to approve. It sends me an e-mail, and since I get that to my phone I can handle it all without having to get on the computer. Spam gets routed to a spam folder, and I go in once in a while to clear it out.

Leigh said...

Jaclyn, thank you!

Nancy, I appreciate your honesty. Verification of course, is currently disabled. This is the second try but dealing with spam (checking to make sure it didn't end up on the post) takes time I'd rather be using to return blog visits! Nor do I care to read 3 or 4 invitations daily, to view celebrities in their birthday suits (who cares, everybody's got one). I read from other bloggers that the spam is worst at first, but slows down to a trickle later. We'll see.

Tina, word verification works really well. I still have a few legitimate anon commenters, but most of those are really attempts for free advertising.

Sue, blogger does have an option for "sometimes" moderation, but the idea of being able to approve folks seems excellent. I do get a lot of one time only comments, most of them honest, so I reckon it would still be a bit of work. I'd rather spend the time reading my commenter's blogs!

Quinn said...

Of course you must do what you think best...it's your blog, after all, and what you have to say is more important than comments, however interesting they may be.

My gripe with the blogger word verification is that, as you point out, it is SO difficult to interpret the letters! If my "guess" doesn't work the first time I try to post a comment, I say "grrrr" and forget about posting the comment I've written. In fact, I rarely comment at all on bIogger blogs anymore, because I rarely have anything "worthwhile" enough to bother with the word verification hit-or-miss.

And personally, I find that "prove you are not a robot" line extremely annoying. It pisses me off every time I see it. If the folks at blogger are trying to be witty, I think they really missed the boat on this one.

Wow. Sorry for the ranting tone...not directed at you or your blog, obviously!

Farmer Barb said...

I vote no anonymous comments. I sometimes have difficulty with the verification words, but mostly because I am half blind and old! I would do the kind of thing that works for you. We will keep up with you any way that works.

All that deleting is ANNOYING!!! We have three minutes free in every day, waste none of them!

Leigh said...

Quinn, I think blogger needs to know this stuff. In fact, I recently did a "send feedback" about the problems with word verification and the fact that legitimate folks are no longer commenting. The worst part is, the spammers seem to get one over on us no matter what we do. They probably think it's funny, but how pathetic a life some folks must have if they have nothing better to do than annoy folks.

Barb, actually eliminating anonymous comments would eliminate most of the spam I'd think. It's almost all anonymous, both the obnoxious stuff and the sales comments. However, as you can see in the poll so far, it's the least favored option.

Have you tried the audio option? I did once, crazy! It sounded like 5 or 6 people all speaking gibberish at once. Who in the world could make that out?

Actually Ya'll, others who have eliminated word verification said they had the worst problems with spam the first week, and after that it trickled down to next to nothing. I had tons the first couple days, but today, so far(!) none. Having said that, I'll probably get a couple dozen in my inbox in the next hour or so, LOL

Ngo Family Farm said...

Ugh! I hate spam with a passion, too, just as much as I hate junk mail! Fortunately I haven't had to deal with too much of it, but interestingly much of the spam I've had is not anonymous. I read that other sites, especially if they want to boost their google page rank by getting more hits, actually pay people to post comments on blogs and forums all day long. Slimy.

So, I would say it's picking the lesser of the evils - at least the spammers who have to go through word verification to get in might be shelling out money only to be deleted anyway :D Ah...now that makes me feel much better about a little inconvenience on my part. Thanks for asking our opinions, Leigh!

Jaime

badgerpendous said...

I voted for no anonymous comments, but I'm happy with any of the three choices.

Grish said...

The reason mine are turned off is I'm not updating any longer but when I was it was Word verification.

Anonymous said...

Leigh, Word verification is so common that I don't find it annoying. As you said, some of the letters are hard to read, but making a mistake and trying again the second time when a new word is put up is no hassle, for me anyway. --Sue in MA

Leigh said...

Jaime, you're welcome! Even though I blog a lot for myself, I love my readers and care what they think! And how despicable to cheat like that. Hits and ranking mean so little actually. They only mean someone ended up at the page, if only for a nanosecond. They don't mean anyone actually read it, liked it, appreciated it, bought the product, or found it otherwise useful.

Badgerpendous, no anons would actually take care of most of it. Interesting though, that folks seem to prefer word verification of the three options.

Grish, thanks for coming back to clarify! Actually, you've gotten me thinking about closing comments on some of my older posts, especially the house remodeling ones that get a lot of sales spam (the kind that often gets through the spam filter.)

Sue, I appreciate your chiming in. Actually, as Renee said earlier, if one hits the reload button for a blurry word, the 2nd one is always simpler and clearer.