CAPTCHAs Gone Wild!

I received quite a shock when I went to send out the notices for being included in our [Sites ToSee #419].  For by the time it was all over with, there was only five out of the original ten remaining.

You see, I just cannot abide with the hated word-verification spam-protection thingy being engaged.  It is for this reason that I leave comments beforehand to check if it is (because some have it to where the insidious monster does not show itself until after an attempt to leave a comment is made) so that a site can be included in the series.  Lo and behold, there was the CAPTCHA box now clearly in-place on five of the ten.  Therefore, I was legally-obligated to remove the offenders from the lineup.

Oh, but the fun I was having was not to end there.  For when I went to leave comments on [Adullamite’s] and [Ann’s] respective sites, there was the hated word-verification thingy clearly in-place!  Now, I could understand why Adullamite might do this.  For he is the epitome of a cantankerous ol’ (rather ancient, actually) true Scot, but Ann has expressed her hatred for CAPTCHAs at least as much I have.  So, what was going on?

I still don’t have a definitive answer, but the great increase in word-verification engagement seems to be coming from Google/Blogger.  For after I contacted Adullamite via email about the problem, he told me that he had not put it there and instructed me to go ahead and leave the comment without completing the CAPTCHA requirement.  Since he says a lot of things on a regular basis, I was somewhat skeptical, but after I went ahead and hit the publish button (without completing the CAPTCHA requirement) the comment went through.  The same thing happened when I went to again leave a comment on Ann’s.

Now, for all of you who insist upon being anti-social, Google/Blogger has made it mandatory for all anonymous commentators to have to successfully decipher a CAPTCHA code.  This went into effect several weeks ago, and I have not received a spam comment since.  Whereas, I was receiving dozens almost every day beforehand.

Okay, there are some spammers willing to actually register a screen-name (albeit fake).  So, it might not be a bad idea to still have comment moderation in-place, if you are so inclined.

Alas, I recently asked someone to change to comment moderation to make it easier for me to leave comments, and he insisted that he did not have the time to sort through the good and bad.  Please forgive me for saying so, but that is nonsensical.  For when I was receiving dozens upon dozens of spam comments a day, 99.9% of them went into the spam folder automatically.  Since mistakes are bound to happen, I would highly recommend checking to see if an alleged spam comment really is one before deleting the contents of the spam folder.  That is, unless you really could not care less about interacting with your readers and possibly developing a relationship with them, of course.

P.S.: It appears that only sites with their comment location set as a pop-up window have been effected by the current Google/Blogger word-verification glitch.  For this site has not had a problem, and I have it set to “embedded” while both Adullamite and Ann have it as a pop-up window.  So, if you would like to find a fix as soon as possible, go to your Google Dashboard>Settings>Posts and Comments.  At the top of the Comments section, you will see where you have several options for “Comment Location.”  If you now have yours set on “Pop-Up Window,” change it to “Embeded,” and that should do the trick until the current glitch is corrected (hopefully).

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[Arlynda Lea]

[FishHawk Droppings]

[The Tribulation Times Herald-Exhorter]

Come Monday...Changing The View

“Come Monday…” is a weekly series that will involve a review of, or commentary about,  websites, movies, documentaries, television shows, sports, music, and whatever else may tickle my fancy at the time.  Be assured that these reviews will be generally positive, as in accordance to the Jimmy Buffett song “Come Monday.”  This is subject to change, however.  In fact, I would be most derelict in my duties to neglect going on a rant every once in a while.  For rants promote change, and change can be good—right?  Therefore, since good is generally considered as being a positive force in 99.3% of the parallel universes that I am aware of, even a rant could be considered as being something positive, and a genuine hissy-fit would be even better (so I’m told).

The view that I am referring to has to do with the content of a typical [Sites ToSee].  For I am currently obsessing over the number of sites that still insist upon employing the [word verification] option when the basic Blogger spam filter is sufficient to block 99.999999999% of the spam comments that may be left.

Okay, I may be guilty of embellishing for dramatic effect.  For the basic Blogger spam filter may only block 99.999999998% of the spam comment that may be left.  Happy now?

I am sorry for being so testy.  This subject has become a huge sore spot for me since my eyesight has become so poor, and I am finding it irksome to place a ***Word Verification Engaged*** under the name of a site that I am attempting to call attention to.

If you must know, the main reason why I place a ***Word Verification Engaged*** and/or a ***Auto-Play Site*** notification under the name of a site is to leave the owner a clue about something they are doing that is undoubtedly costing them repeat visitors.  For I do not know of anyone who will want to come back to a site on account of the music (or whatever) that may start playing upon their arrival, but I do know of many who will not on account of that.  It is the same with word verification costing them comments, of course.

No, I have not appointed myself chief of police over the blogosphere, but like it says in the opening disclaimer, the Sites To See series is meant to call attention to sites that I think many would find most interesting—in one way or another.  Therefore, why would I want to promote a site that many would find irritating?

Yes, the opening disclaimer also mentions that I have included sites that are rather disturbing to me, but what is being addressed here is different.  For it is possible to find even something as disturbing as white supremacy interesting (albeit in a morbid sort of way) while requiring a reader to jump through another unnecessary hoop just to leave a comment is simply asinine—especially when they cannot see well enough to complete the task!

The thing is that I do not quite know what to do about it yet.  For in many cases, the word verification thingy doesn’t pop up until after you have hit the “submit” button, and I do not go to leave a notification of being included in a Sites To See until after it has been published, which has forced me to have to go back and add the ***Word Verification Engaged*** under the name of an offending site.

Yes, I suppose the only thing to do is to start leaving comments on sites on the list ahead of time, but this is going to cost me a lot more time and effort.  For I am still having a great deal of trouble with reading and typing, and just thinking about having to leave at least 25 more comments a week (also counting those for A Sunday Drive) is giving me a headache.

No, most of the sites that are included in a typical Sites To See and A Sunday Drive are not ones that I regularly visit.  In fact, very few are.  For they were found on somebody’s blogroll (these days), and it is often just on account of the site having an interesting name that attracted me to it in the first place, with artistic sites being an exception to that rule.

Alas, it is really not easy being me.  My wife would gladly pay someone a quarter to put me out of your misery.  It used to be a dollar, but times have got hard around here.

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[FishHawk Droppings]

and

[The Tribulation Times Herald-Exhorter]

Splatter Spam and CAPTCHA Hate

Evidently, there are some huge fans of [Charlie Daniels], [Sawyer Brown] and [roosters] at Splatter Spam Central.  For up to five spam comments a day on each of those three posts have attempted to slip past the [Blogger spam filter] over a course of 3-4 months now.

Did you catch the significance of attempted to slip past the Blogger spam filter?  For not one did.

Hence, one of the reasons why I am calling these barrages splatter spam.  For I figure that the reason why so many are attempted within a span of just a few seconds is to overwhelm the Blogger spam filter, and I have this image in my head of those spam comments splattering against the wall that has remained intact.

Since the Blogger spam filter has proven to be so trustworthy so far, why are there still so many who have not disabled the [CAPTCHA] option?  If it is simply a case of not knowing how, [this] video tutorial should prove very helpful.

In most cases, however, the reason why the CAPTCHA option is still employed is quite simply just on account of the owner of the blog not caring if they ever receive any legitimate comments or not.  Subsequently, why would I want to help drive traffic their way by including them in a [Sites To See]?

In all fairness, the CAPTCHAs were merely a mild irritation to me before my eyesight went downhill in a hurry, but they are a nightmare now—even when using [page zoom]!  Of course, adding insult to injury is that the comment is still subject to moderation even after jumping through the CAPTCH hoop.

Therefore, I will no longer be including sites with a CAPTCHA form in a Sites To See after the [Thinking of Christmas Gifts in July] series ends this coming Sunday.  Be assured that I would like to put this new policy into effect immediately, but that would be unfair to the remaining ones.

Please Also Visit:

[FishHawk Droppings]

and

[The Tribulation Times Herald-Exhorter]