Comments on: My battle with Comment Spam, and my latest solution. http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/ Internet Marketing, SEO, and Link Building. Fri, 16 May 2008 20:10:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Jim http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3344 Jim Wed, 24 May 2006 15:18:20 +0000 http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3344 I actually did it by hand....opening up just about 250 posts, and unchecking 2 boxes "Allow for comments" and "Allow for trackbacks" - then saving. It took close to 2 hours....but at least I've only been blogging for 6 months.. FYI, me blog designer is working on this issue via your imputs here. We should have a new "solution" soon....but I doubt that I'll take the additional 2 hours to recheck them damn boxes again...dunno. I actually did it by hand….opening up just about 250 posts, and unchecking 2 boxes “Allow for comments” and “Allow for trackbacks” - then saving. It took close to 2 hours….but at least I’ve only been blogging for 6 months..

FYI, me blog designer is working on this issue via your imputs here. We should have a new “solution” soon….but I doubt that I’ll take the additional 2 hours to recheck them damn boxes again…dunno.

]]> By: Vincent http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3340 Vincent Wed, 24 May 2006 10:26:06 +0000 http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3340 Hi This is interesting and I'm glad this thread is started. I would like to know how I can turn off the ability to post in anything older than a month. Lately I have been hit hard by spam on older post, it's a nuisance. It's not 'live humans' doing this but 'spam bots' I can tell, I delete one link and another is back real soon and it goes though phases of these bots recognising patterns in human-user-behaviour. If any could enlighten me how to set this to stop comments on older psot, I would be grateful. Hi
This is interesting and I’m glad this thread is started. I would like to know how I can turn off the ability to post in anything older than a month. Lately I have been hit hard by spam on older post, it’s a nuisance. It’s not ‘live humans’ doing this but ’spam bots’ I can tell, I delete one link and another is back real soon and it goes though phases of these bots recognising patterns in human-user-behaviour.

If any could enlighten me how to set this to stop comments on older psot, I would be grateful.

]]> By: Lea http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3323 Lea Tue, 23 May 2006 20:49:41 +0000 http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3323 Fair enough :) But if you say 'captcha' to most people, they will think of the word-in-an-image implementation :) (Psssttt.... Jim - draw lines on the booze bottles before you give Bill the keys! I've heard stories about him ;)) Fair enough :) But if you say ‘captcha’ to most people, they will think of the word-in-an-image implementation :)
(Psssttt…. Jim - draw lines on the booze bottles before you give Bill the keys! I’ve heard stories about him ;))

]]> By: IncrediBILL http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3318 IncrediBILL Tue, 23 May 2006 18:06:44 +0000 http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3318 Lea, what you're describing is also a CAPTCHA, captcha's can take on many forms but they are all intended to pose a problem that only a human can solve. One of my classicly BLONDE captcha's is a form that just says: "Sometimes we have to make sure you're a human and not an automatic crawler stealing our content, sorry for the interruption" With a big "CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE" button in the middle. The trick is, the form had no information in it that a bot could pick up, the CLICK TO CONTINUE executed Javascript to continue to the next page, which stopped most bots without any goofy graphics, nothing. Lea, what you’re describing is also a CAPTCHA, captcha’s can take on many forms but they are all intended to pose a problem that only a human can solve.

One of my classicly BLONDE captcha’s is a form that just says:

“Sometimes we have to make sure you’re a human and not an automatic crawler stealing our content, sorry for the interruption”

With a big “CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE” button in the middle.

The trick is, the form had no information in it that a bot could pick up, the CLICK TO CONTINUE executed Javascript to continue to the next page, which stopped most bots without any goofy graphics, nothing.

]]> By: Todd http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3315 Todd Tue, 23 May 2006 15:52:31 +0000 http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3315 I'd second Akismet...it's been quite helpful, an probably got rid of 98% of my comment spam with no false positives in the few months I've had it installed. I’d second Akismet…it’s been quite helpful, an probably got rid of 98% of my comment spam with no false positives in the few months I’ve had it installed.

]]> By: Greg Hartnett » Blog Archive » Trackback Spam Attack http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3313 Greg Hartnett » Blog Archive » Trackback Spam Attack Tue, 23 May 2006 15:24:29 +0000 http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3313 [...] Jim Boykin’s Spam Problems Scoble’s Trackback Spam - a bunch of people in the comments report of similar issues [...] [...] Jim Boykin’s Spam Problems Scoble’s Trackback Spam - a bunch of people in the comments report of similar issues [...]

]]> By: Lea http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3301 Lea Tue, 23 May 2006 11:22:01 +0000 http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3301 I don't like captchas specifically, as there is a huge accessibility problem there (do you have any blind readers? How would you know? :( ), but I do like testing the user. Simple stuff like 'whats {small number} + {small number}?' or a half a dozen revolving questions like 'Whats Jim's first name?' have worked for me in the past. The trick is to have an independant implementation, because most of the spammers don't actually view your site, they only look at it through their software. I wish they would go away! I don’t like captchas specifically, as there is a huge accessibility problem there (do you have any blind readers? How would you know? :( ), but I do like testing the user.
Simple stuff like ‘whats {small number} + {small number}?’ or a half a dozen revolving questions like ‘Whats Jim’s first name?’ have worked for me in the past.
The trick is to have an independant implementation, because most of the spammers don’t actually view your site, they only look at it through their software.
I wish they would go away!

]]> By: Brian Turner http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3300 Brian Turner Tue, 23 May 2006 10:02:54 +0000 http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3300 Had a big problem with a chunk of domains all spamming my blog over the weekend, even after blocking 125 IPs - all the domains looked very similar so ran a few WHOIS checks and tracks them down to all being hosted at Moniker. Sent a complaint to the CEO, and the spam is now stopped: http://www.platinax.co.uk/blogs/brian/21-05-2006/moniker-vs-platinax/ Spam it's a problem I expect to have to deal with in my comments - it comes with the territory - but normal spammers seem to hit in small amounts, then move on - but a couple of times you get some moron who wants hundreds of links to their domains on every one of their pages. That's when I do a WHOIS to see if I can stop it at the host. Had a big problem with a chunk of domains all spamming my blog over the weekend, even after blocking 125 IPs - all the domains looked very similar so ran a few WHOIS checks and tracks them down to all being hosted at Moniker. Sent a complaint to the CEO, and the spam is now stopped:
http://www.platinax.co.uk/blogs/brian/21-05-2006/moniker-vs-platinax/

Spam it’s a problem I expect to have to deal with in my comments - it comes with the territory - but normal spammers seem to hit in small amounts, then move on - but a couple of times you get some moron who wants hundreds of links to their domains on every one of their pages. That’s when I do a WHOIS to see if I can stop it at the host.

]]> By: bigcrags http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3299 bigcrags Tue, 23 May 2006 08:44:34 +0000 http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3299 I'm relying on Akismet just now and though a few spams have got through, most have been caught. Just wish there was a plugin to get more real comments. I’m relying on Akismet just now and though a few spams have got through, most have been caught. Just wish there was a plugin to get more real comments.

]]> By: IncrediBILL http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3297 IncrediBILL Tue, 23 May 2006 06:15:45 +0000 http://www.jimboykin.com/my-battle-with-comment-spam-and-my-latest-solution/#comment-3297 Jim, be careful handing me the keys, your bourbon will be the first to go. Email me and let me know what you have in mind and I'll tell you what I'd recommend. Jim, be careful handing me the keys, your bourbon will be the first to go. Email me and let me know what you have in mind and I’ll tell you what I’d recommend.

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