I'm of the camp that feels a blog is not a blog without comments. I also feel that there should be as few barriers to entry as possible when it comes to allowing comments. Easy interaction is a huge part of what has made the Internet great, and I'm a huge fan of it.
However, the damned comment spammers have made it impossible for me to run my blog the way I'd prefer. The vast majority of my older blog entries have had their comments closed to keep the spammers at bay, I've added all sorts of anti-spam plug-ins, and I've turned trackbacks off entirely.
And despite it all, especially in the last 48 hours, the comment spam has been overwhelming.
So today, and unwillingly, Captcha verification has been added to the blog comment form (Thanks Scott!). I really wish I didn't have to, but it's either that or go to some form of user registration / comment moderation, and on balance, I think Captcha is a little less of a burden all around.
To all you comment spammers out there who've forced me into this: You suck.
To the rest of you: I'm sorry. I hope it's not too much of a hassle.


Comments (3)
Viagra $1.20, fresh from Chinese pharmacies. Oh, wait, never mind, we just got a recall...
Posted by Rudi | August 24, 2007 7:44 AM
Ditto your comment. And the same for mail. If I add any more filters, I run the risk of not getting mail from friends. I tell you, it really is irritating me.
Posted by Peggy | August 25, 2007 6:10 AM
Death to Spam!
Posted by Dexter Herron | August 27, 2007 6:44 PM