Executive Decision
I really hate to do this because it reduces the spontaneity of a blog (and therefore, it diminishes at least some of the fun), but I am moderating blog comments for an undetermined length of time because pimply-faced spamweasels filled my blog comments sections with advertizing for a variety of fake drugs that will
Incidentally, in the midst of my crankiness, I googled "spam" and found a delightful blog, Spam Poetry: poetry written using only the subject line from hundreds of spam emails! It looks like it has recently stalled, though. Hrm, I'll bet we all have a few thousand spams to donate to kick-start this worthwhile project.
© 2004, 2005, 2006 by GrrlScientist
posted by GrrlScientist at
22:46
9 Peer Reviews:
The spammers have made email practically useless. I have set my filters so high that I miss a lot of legitimate email trying to kill the spam, which still makes it through. Now the spammers are after the blogs. Something needs to be done.
Where there is a chance of making a buck there will always be a way, and it usually is over the bodies of legitimate users.
Do whatever you nned to do to make the space for comments a place for discussion and thoughtful community.
I'm very close to making the same decision, namely to turn on comment moderation on my own blog, having had a bunch of spam from site advertising various blood pressure devices and remedies and another site advertising a Pink Panther DVD collection. Apparently the spammers have found a way around the word verification. My first move was to delete all the spams and turn off commenting for the posts in question that were more tha a couple of months old. If the spam continues, my next move will be to do what you are doing and turn on comment moderation.
I don't like it either, but I may have no choice.
Astroprof; I think all spammers should have their fingers chopped off in a public square and ground up into .. spam! that they are then forced to eat in public.
Tabor; and there ya go; I want to know who are these morons who order fraudulent drugs and medical devices from typo-ridden emails??
RD; thanks.
Orac! It's so good to see you here again! I've missed you. Comment moderation is not too bad, I guess, but it is annoying if you prefer your blog to be a spontaneous/interactive place. Approving comments feels sorta .. weird. I had always let all comments stand on my blog, regardless of what people said, but things got absolutely ridiculous recently. but on the other hand, I don't like this moderation option. AT ALL.
GrrlScientist
I was going to suggest word verification, but it looks like you already have that. It seems to work for Ann Althouse (althouse.blogspot.com) though...she has open comments and her blog gets lots of traffic but she doesn't seem to have a problem with comment spam. You might ask her if she's doing something different.
Jack; i learned a trick from a reader who told me that i can stop accepting new comments on old essays, while still preserving the comments that are already present. i wonder if that's what ann is doing?
Doesn't the word verification stop the spammers?
not all of them, Alon. just this evening, i intercepted TWO messages from a spamweasel named William trying to post real estate ads here (are you reading this William? if so, you should be ashamed of yourself! what would your mother say if she knew that her son is committing acts vandalism?).
i am still wondering what real estate has to do with avian influenza.
GrrlScientist
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