Friday 9 December 2011

comments and word verification

On Wednesday, Jennifer at Ellison Lane Quilts posted this discussion starter about how to make commenting easier.

 
Basically, she posed a question about the number of blogs that have word verification and how life would be easier for readers if they didn't have to go through that process.

 
As many of you know, I read and comment on lots of blogs every day (there are 165 on my reading list) and, as I commented to Jennifer, I am so used to word verification I hardly give it a thought. It is easier on some blogs than others; some are so difficult to read it takes me two or three attempts to get it right! And sometimes it's Blogger that makes things difficult! My on-again-off-again internet connection doesn't help either!

 
It would, of course, be faster for me to leave comments if I didn't have to go through the word verification process then wait to see that my comment has gone through.

 
Jennifer's post gave me cause to think. I use word verification on my blog. In what I now think may be overkill, I also use comment moderation. I think I have always used word verification to keep out spamming and when that didn't work (I had spam a few days in a row), I added the moderation.

 
So, how do I choose to respond to Jennifer's thought provoking post?

 
It seems I have four choices:

~ Do nothing.
~ Remove word verification.
~ Remove moderation.
~ Remove word verification and moderation.

I have chosen to take up the challenge and remove verification from my posts! I can always put it back if spam becomes an issue. I am still thinking about the moderating; one step at a time please!

If you are using Blogger, and want to remove word verification from your comments, Jennifer has the technical know-how on her post so there is no point in me repeating it here.

So, do you use word verification? What do you think about not using it?

12 comments:

  1. Hey Lynne, still no package :(
    I like your version right now. This is the second easiest I think. I dont even know how mine works for others. I started to use word verification (which can be very entertaining at times), when I got my first spam comment. Since then I've been fine.

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  2. I wouldnt wanna moderate each comment I get (not that I get so many) but if something would really upset me I can always delete it.

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  3. I don't use word verification and have since soon after I started my blog. I occasionally get spam but the spam has never posted to my blog (knock on wood).

    I have "comment moderation" on comments on posts older than 7 or 14 days... I forget which.

    I've been happy with how these settings are working.

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  4. I think I have had 2 dodgy comments on my blog all year. They were links to some sort of computer shop but the comment said they were something else. I keep a fairly low profile and don't make controversial posts so I haven't bothered with any verification or moderation from early days. If I started getting hateful comments I would go for author moderation but my circle of friends is pretty nice. Word verification doesn't bother me too much on other people's blogs.

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  5. Lynne, I reluctantly started to use a verification word when I had several spam items in one week. I'm not fond of it but have had no more spam since I set it up. As to verification on others' blogs, I just fill it in and pass on to the next.. I do admit that I really don't see need for moderation and verification together, but then I've found verification sufficient.

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  6. I don't use word verification on my blog and comments only come to me for moderation if they're from someone who hasn't previously been approved. I NEVER get spam - Wordpress picks it up every time.

    I have to say that I sometimes don't bother to comment if there's word verification (except on your blog of course).

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  7. I use word verification because I got spammed-hundereds of profane comments encouraged me to use the higher security and never a problem since!

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  8. Like you, I don't really give a second though on typing out the word verification. I've read somewhere that it might put some people off commenting but it hasn't put me off. I do moderate all my comments since I don't get many but Wordpress has a great plugin for blocking spam.

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  9. I have to chime in....I enjoy the ease of no verification. It sometimes shocks me to not find it. I also enjoy the funny words that verification sometimes comes up with. (It is almost as funny as the words that spell checker sticks in text messages.).

    The way I see it, being able to share pictures and thoughts with people around the world is a privilage. How they choose to allow me access to themselves is up to them. They have to do what they have to do to feel safe. Iam thankful for the opportunity to peek into their worlds.

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  10. As you know, I have word verification, which I added a while ago, to minimise spam. I've had some spam comments on old posts recently, so have added comment moderation for posts over 14 days old. Word verification doesn't bother me in the slightest - it is just another polite step to follow in a "conversation" with another. I figure if someone has gone to the trouble of writing a comment on my blog, they won't mind typing another word, in the same way that I do it for other bloggers.

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  11. I don't know if i have it or not! Will have to check. It is a good preventative measure against drunk commenting ;)

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  12. You know, I have no idea if I have word verification for comments on my blog! You'd probably have a better idea than me! I think there's no word verification but there is moderation in place for new commenters.

    As a commenter, I don't mind going through word verification/moderation. Word verification doesn't take long to get through, and I don't notice moderation at all.

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Hi. Thanks for dropping in. I look forward to reading your comment.
I like to answer comments; if you are "no-reply blogger" I will try my best to get back to you on your blog! I'm not on FaceBook so I can't contact you there!