Comment spam.
September 18, 2007, 7:18 am
Posted by Grant Gallicho
A small housekeeping matter, dotCommonwealers: We’ve been hit with our first comment spam (took them long enough), so we’ve had to implement image verification with every comment. I know it’s a pain in the neck, but spammers are a clever lot, and this is a relatively painless way to keep our blog free of their clutter.
Update: Be aware, the image-verification system is case-sensitive.
Another great idea — if you could snag the tech guy before he disappears again — is to allow commenters to use italics tags or even
, so that (as is the case with just about every other blog in existence) there’s some obvious way of demarcating quoted text.
And since I’m having to retype this comment, another request that I’m sure will soon be echoed by many other people: The text in the captcha below is very small and hard to read, even for someone with perfect eyesight (i.e., me). If you type it wrong for any reason, you are taken to a page that scolds you for the error, and there’s no way to recover the comment. Again, every other blog out there seems to have some way of allowing a commenter to try again, without ditching the whole comment.
Well, I had to try three times. Apparently the captcha system is CASE-SENSITIVE, which reaches new heights of inconvenience and frustration.
Some sort of irony going on here, and I spoke too soon about “new heights.” I had to try twice with that second comment, because the captcha system used a zero and a capital letter O right next to each other, and they were barely distinguishable from each other.
We made this special for you, Stuart. Be patient, we’ll have a new system soon enough.
I was afraid of that . . . probably all the liberal commenters just have to type in a single letter in 36-point font. :)
Darn, I must be turning into a liberal, this is so easy.
Still, it pays to select all text in the comment box, right click, and “copy” before attempting to post.
Alas, I have become a relativist. My good liberal dogmatism against capital punishment goes south when I consider a just penalty for spammers.
(Stuart, you are not alone. This is my second–now third– try).
David,
Krugman would be astonished, simply astonished.
Besides, this is my third comment without a hitch, and I still use quill and parchment.
Here goes nothing!
I am 66 with crappy eyesight and got through on the first try.
You young whippershappers should be ashamed! Ashamed, I say.
No problems with the verification.
(And thanks for making available the single letter “L” shortcut for posters of the liberal persuasion.)
Well, a 2 looked awfully much like a z, but I did get it. For those unsure, you need to select the text in your comment and hit ctrl+C, and then, if it doesn’t go through, go back to square 1, and hit Ctrl+V and try, try again, without retyping text.
Okay, so obviously these housekeeping matters are important, but why isn’t anybody posting on the Pope’s rather astonishing private homily last Sunday?
It’s news in India.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pope_warns_Catholic_theologians_against_arrogance/articleshow/2381250.cms
And what’s the difference between an O and a 0?
This is the transcript (in German).
http://www.radiovaticana.org/ted/Articolo.asp?c=155479
For what it’s worth, I don’t think the India Times is right in drawing such a strong parallel between this homily and Fr. Phan. I can imagine the Pope saying this to his doctoral students without any particular reference.
Sorry to change the subject!
Just testing the verification system. I didn’t succeed yesterday.