More on Comment Spam and WordPress
Jon Levell writes about comment spam and how he, as a WordPress user, can monitor comments before they’re posted.
He also indicates spam controls are part of other blog platforms. Unfortunately, that is not the case with this installation of Manila other than for us to delete each comment spam by hand.
He says Bloglines, a Web-based aggregator, lists popular sites: “Over the last few days either a lot of people have got into online poker at dubious websites or some people aren�t keeping their blogs clean.”
Comment spam came up in the discussion at Saturday’s talk on weblogs and feeds.
Addendum 11/1: As Vernica typed in the /real/ comments below, Scott Young mentions some things Manila is investigating regarding comment spam. He acknowledges the current problem that people who turn off their comments still get flooded with spam, as Vernica herself noted, and that those of us who want comments should have options allowing us to keep our comments while not getting flooded with spam.
I, personally, don’t like the idea of older comments going away. I noticed that on the two Blogger blogs I contribute to this weekend and feel frustrated by it. Why should anyone comment on a blog when their comment is only going to be good for a month or so? If I knew comments were going to be deleted, I would be less likely to comment on someone’s blog. This option could be good for proponents of “blog on your own blog”/”post your comment on your own blog,” though. But for those without without their own blogs who like to interact with those of us who blog, it doesn’t leave a good option for sharing thoughts publicly.
The majority of the 98 spam comments I received the other weekend and those thirty since then came from the same two IP addresses. I don’t want to eliminate comments for everyone when one solution might be to just block those two IP addresses.
November 1st, 2004 at 1:44 pm
I read about a possible solution to the Manila comment spam problem today, and I am testing it out now. Apparently, switching the “Radio Hosting” preference to “no” will stop the flood of automated comment spam. I’ll see what happens.
November 1st, 2004 at 2:57 pm
Thanks, Vernica!
I tried that and all of my comment links vanished (eeeks!), so I don’t think that’s the solution I want for this blog.
If another Manila user wants to try it, it’s under Preferences –> Radio Hosting at the top of the page (http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/yourdirectory/admin/sitePrefs/default$radioHosting) .
November 1st, 2004 at 5:01 pm
I’ve only recently starting getting comment spam with WordPress but it is growing very quickly, if it grows as fast here, deleting them by hand is going to become a real pain, hopefully someone will write an Add-on for Manilla before it gets too bad?
November 1st, 2004 at 5:27 pm
I commented a little too quickly. The option I mentioned above is only for bloggers who want comments turned off. So, it will solve my problem, but it will not help you … It seems that the folks at Userland are working on a solution to the larger comment spam problem. But, I wonder if we will get the updates?
More information at Manila Newbies and at Scott Young’s Radio Weblog.
I promise that this is my last comment on this topic. I don’t want to spam you
.
November 1st, 2004 at 5:30 pm
/Real/ comments are always welcome! I don’t consider your very useful information to be spam.
If Userland develops any solutions, I’m sure we’ll get the updates. I have faith in the Userland Guy (or whatever it is we call him) and our server administrators.
November 1st, 2004 at 10:48 pm
As a previous Radio user I speak from experience when I say that the worst thing abourt userland is their approach to comments. Poor loading speeds, no email / RSS notifications (for commenters like me) and the cumbersomeness of it all.
Don’t get me wrong, without Radio I wouldn’t be doing this, but in the end I shifted to WP (which is much more flexible & developing) and the more I use it and think about how Manila currently works… the more I beg the world to throw up another good enterprise blogging system… so thatUserland will sort Manila out, if nothing else.
Cheers, James
October 16th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
i have got 1200 spam in 2 months! it’s amazing. i hate every spammers