This photo, taken a few days ago, has nothing whatsoever to do with this post. Okay, maybe a little whatsoever. After all, pileated woodpeckers can be very annoying and repetitive just like the spammers I've been finding here lately, ten or so just this morning.
You'll not believe what I've been doing for the past twenty minutes. I've been knee-deep in manure photos because that's what I really want to talk about this morning—c.r.a.p.
"So," I can hear you say, "tell us what you really think, Vee." Sure!
I think that spammers are lower than the scum off a lizard's hind tooth. I think that Blogger should have figured out a way to dispatch them long ago. I think that it is unfortunate that bloggers must add word verifications, etc., because it prevents many good comments from coming in and bogs down blogs in annoying ways.
This blog will not accept "anonymous" commenters any longer. This is a problem for me because I have a few friends who sometimes wish to comment, but do not have Google accounts and so forth and I will miss hearing from them in this forum. As for word verifications, I'll rail against them forever and pray that I don't have to wind up using them myself.
So that's my rant for the day. Have any of you come up with alternative solutions?
I am as frustrated as you are. The only step I have taken so far is to moderate my comments.
ReplyDeleteThe spammers seem to be stepping up their game. More and more all of the time.
Oh Vee....I understand your irritation with this. To me it rates right up there with the "varmit" that sent us a malware virus recently....let's not even discuss the fact that my Norton didn't catch it....and the bill from the computer shop....arrgg!!! I wish I had an answer-but sadly, I dont!!
ReplyDeleteHi Vee! It has been annoying me as well! I have noticed that most of the spam has been on older posts, so I have begun to moderate comments on posts more than three or four days old. By doing this the spam is never posted (so no one will click on it), and I just delete it when I log in to my dashboard.
ReplyDeleteA lot more people seem to be moderating their comments which I assume is for this reason.
Wordpress has the means to stop spam when you post using them, but that was the only plus of using wordpress (you have to pay for an upgrade to "dress up" your blog).
Maybe is enough people complain to Blogger administrators, they can come up with a similar program.
Enjoy your weekend!
Jennifer
I get some spam even with word verification on. When I turn off word verification I get hammered. So sorry for the inconvenience, but I, too, hate the c.r.a.p.
ReplyDeleteVee,
ReplyDeleteI have been forced to use word verification for the same reason. It does prevent some from commenting and I am sorry about that but I don't want unwanted links attached to my blog, especially like some of the vile ones that were showing up. Even though I have word verification I am even seeing some show up on older or random posts and they are attached to businesses but they have actual generic vague comments that make on wonder if someone is paid to select random posts and leave actual comments for linking purposes. Oh well, we cannot solve all of Bloggers ills but maybe if we all make them aware that we are disgruntled they will look into the issue.
Issues aside, I hope you have a great weekend!
Vee, I'm with you on the c.r.a.p. I've been debating myself about doing moderating. I don't like doing it - takes up more time. I don't like word verification either, but am considering it again, too. I've not had a big problem with spam,but am hearing it from others, and I don't wanna go there.
ReplyDeleteSooooo, we'll just do what we have to do to keep enjoying each others' company!
so sorry you are having to fuss with this
ReplyDeleteterrible irritation. reminds me of the pest
who roams around tormenting us!
what does the spam look like?
feel badly about your anonymous friends,
because my two closest friends are always
anonymous, too.
if it is any comfort, word verification has never
discouraged me from leaving a comment.
you should see my husband pop out of his
chair at the sound of a woodpecker! he is
sure they are all out to get his house. )
They have become terrible these past few months.
ReplyDeleteSince I have comment moderation, I can catch them but it is annoying one has to do so.
I'm sorry you had to go through this. Two days ago I had what I call a "troll" enter my sacred space. And I have a number of blogs. She hit three of them. Before then, I did not moderate and didn't care to, but now for one individual I am forced to do so. And this person wasn't anonymous so I was able to track her back to her blog, but I decided that two wrongs won't make a right and let it go...but I highly resent someone calling me looney and crazy on my own blog. If you're beliefs are different than mine, then just move on. Why comment?
ReplyDeleteMary
Yes, I agree it's very frustrating. I do use word varification because it helps to prevent some of this. I also delete unwanted comments permantly. That at least helps them from coming back more than once. It's a shame that we have to do this sort of thing but it's the way of the world these days.
ReplyDeleteI've been getting a lot of spam too lately. It seems to come in batches.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a solution. I just delete them and try not to let it bother me. I don't like the word verification either and don't want to use it.
I feel your pain!
ReplyDeleteI don't use word verification either, Vee, as I dislike it and especially how in new blogger formats that it requires three clicks sometimes for a comment to take.
Your anonymous friends can open a blogger account without having a blog! They just have to register. My daughter and husband did that so they could comment on the private blog my son and daughter-in-law keep for my grandson.
I have eliminated allowing anonymous comments because of spam. I also delete comments that have ad links in them like "work at home India" even if they comment on what I wrote.
I also moderate all my posts after three days, after I noticed spammers were trying to hide their spam on old posts. That is easy to do by going to Blogger dashboard, click on comments moderation, scroll down an enter the amount of days you would want any post to require moderation and then save the changes. I've killed quite a bit of spam before it had a chance to go on my blog that way!
I think spam is a lot like junk mail and annoyance calls ...no matter what a person tries to do they always find a way to leave a message...thank goodness we can DELETE them ! :-)
PS I lOve your photos of the woodpeckers!
ReplyDeleteComment Verification Setting On.
ReplyDeleteWe all read our Comments, don't we? Sure we do. So I put Comment Verification Setting on, and I read the Comments which come to my blog, BEFORE I Publish them. No SPAM or crapola gets in my Comments.
And I do NOT have to make my readers do Word Verification, in order to Comment.
What possible problem can there be, with this?
As to your Anon. friends who like to Comment... It's easy for them to get a Blogger Profile Page or whatever it is. I have Commenters who do that. Even though they don't blog.
Love those woodpeckers...most pretty! I hope they haven't picked a tree outside of your bedroom.
ReplyDeleteI use word verification...simply to keep out the spammers. It seems to work!
Hey Gals! Comment Verification does NOT take up more time.
ReplyDeleteNot unless you don't make a habit of reading your Comments.
I simply read my Comments on my Dashboard, BEFORE I Publish my Comments. No extra time.
The ONLY thing it does is make people wait, to SEE their Comment show up on my blogs. And this is a very tiny thing for them to have to *put up with.* IMHO.
If you want to be safe, you have to do FULL Comment Verification. Not that thing of Verification only on 3-4-day-old posts.
ReplyDeleteWhat good does that do?
Oh I know how you feel..they are like door-to-door salesmen, or telemarketers, or or or..well, that just about covers is..Hope your weekend gets better and better..and can we have a "no soliciting" sign please??
ReplyDeleteI hear ya! The spammers really ticked me off about a month ago, and I had to change to settings to no longer allow anonymous comments. I have friends and family who can no longer comment now, because of rude and crude foreigners who want to sell me male enhancement aids. Yeah, like THAT'S gonna happen, LOL! I also have to moderate my comments. I took off the word verification step after changing the settings for registered bloggers only.
ReplyDeleteHi Vee,
ReplyDeleteI love your background and header!!!. I agree, it is frustrating.
But we love to blog so we must word verify. I don't really mind to much.
Have a great weekend,
hugs, Elizabeth
Hi Vee, I have 5 blogs. Only one of my blogs has been flooded with spam and crap. Why that particular one, I don't know. I have deleted the comments, had comments come back about my deleting them and so on. I think I have word verification off. I just am hoping it will go away.Beautiful photo.
ReplyDeleteQMM
Bad spammers, cute pileated woodpeckers. Hang in there sister. Hugs, Terri xo
ReplyDeleteI have no answers as to what to do about the spammers. But I am going through something similar myself right now. You would think that some people would have something better to do with their time!
ReplyDeleteI better be grateful then, for after reading everyone's comments about spammer problems, I must say I've had no problems on that end. I've had the odd one come through, but only rarely.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I never mind using word verification if it helps to keep our blog world a little more 'crap' free.
No problem with spammers here, as my blog is private. I would like to have your problem! ;-)
ReplyDeleteWord verification doesn't bother me when I have to do it.
I wish I had a solution. I've been hit by spammers too, so I had to turn on the word verification. I hated doing that annoying option, but I was having to filter out so much garbage that I had too!
ReplyDeleteWish blogger could figure something out to stop them. I hear your frustration Vee, me too!
The spammers seem to be out in full force of late. I have recently started moderating comments which, while seemingly effective, is a pain in the ***.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a big fan of word verification either. I always wonder how it deters spammers because can't anybody type in those silly letters (even spammers)?
It seems some mornings lately I have more spam comments than good comments. Almost always they are anonymous, but occasionally they aren't. They just say strange things so I delete them.