Let's talk about spam. Specifically, spam comments, because I've been getting loads lately. Across all my blogs, but mostly here on New Amusements. This is the kind of thing I've been getting:
Wow! this is amazing! Do you know your hidden name meaning? Click here to find your hidden name meaning
These things seem to come around every so often. Last summer, I had loads that begun like this:
Straight away after Dr Osauyi cast the Lottery spell for me, I felt enveloped by the control of the lotto spell...
You can guess the rest.
I mark all these comments as spam, hoping they'll improve whatever algorithm Google use to weed this kind of rubbish out (if, indeed, they do - I assume so, otherwise why would they have a "mark as spam" facility?), but God, it's tiring. What to do, then? I mean, I have fairly liberal comment moderation settings, because I get few enough comments as it is, and don't want to put undue barriers in the way of more. Anyone can comment here, and I don't moderate by default, but you have to do a Captcha-style word verification. I don't want to make it account holders only, as some of my oldest readers prefer other attribution methods, and I don't want to moderate everything, as that would be as much work as deleting the spammers.
So basically, no solutions, just a problem. Sorry.
P.S. Even if I did limit comments to account holders only, it wouldn't have stopped this recent comment - is it spam? A joke that I'm not in on? Or just vitriol?
I don't think Casey's comment was SPAM as he seems a legit blogger. I think he's quoting something... just not sure what.
ReplyDeleteYou know you can set comments more than 1 week old to moderate first? I find that's the easiest way of dealing with repeated spam bloggers... they only get a couple of posts before their comments aren't automatically published. It's easy enough to block delete any older ones then.
Yes, Casey's comment is definitely different, and something of a puzzle.
DeleteI've got the "moderate old comments" feature turned on for some blogs, just not New Amusements... until now!
"Click on all the squares that contain traffic lights" Ok but what counts as a traffic light? Just the light? Or the frame/post as well? Ah fail. Ok now cars, but there's a tiny bit of car in that square maybe, is there? Argh!
ReplyDeleteI understand why but my heart sinks when I see those things after constructing a comment. Wish me luck this time.
I know, a royal pain, right?
DeleteI think therefore I am,
ReplyDeleteI'm pink therefore I'm Spam.
Hope that helps....��
Wise words as ever, my friend.
DeleteCasey's comment made me laugh. No messing about, he just came straight out with it. Perhaps he has a form of commenters' Tourettes (in which case it was at least really quite mild).
ReplyDeleteI hate those Spam checkers too, so often they are photos of strange American things which I don't fully understand like mailboxes or parking lots and I get all panicky. Wondering what I'll find this time...
And what did you find?
DeleteI was ushered straight through, no security checks, didn't even have to open up my handbag...
DeleteAh, the perks of being a frequent flyer...
Delete