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My host actually does not allow new users to use MovableType due to the problems with spam (they also claim other security reasons too). Unfortunately not everyone takes the time to learn about all the plug-ins & things you can do to the standard MT to fix it.
Damn spammers.
Jon, if she had 15K comment spam, what about trackback spam? I know that was a problem for me with only about 1,300 visits a day to my site. I can’t even imagine what Heather’s daily count is. Isn’t trackback spam a problem for her as well?
I’m clueless about how blogging software works, but am very curious as to how, as Dooce writes, comment spam, “the majority of which existed on entries where comments were closed or were never opened in the first place”, gets entered into your database.
How does a spammer post comment spam in a closed comment?
chevy > “They should just start a Dooce worship/lame statements chat room on yahoo or something.”
chevy: we have “started a Dooce worship/lame statements chat room on yahoo or something.” it’s at http://groups-beta.google.com/group/dooce . not creepy at all. also, how does jon prevent mass comments spamming? maybe dooce can use that, or a members-only, login area.
for some people, it might be hard to follow. however, if you just click on “view titles only,” it’s very very simple to see when the last subject was updated and by whom. that’s about all there is to it! with 59 members, i’m thinking it’s working out okay.
If any of you bring shit here from dooce, I’ll ban your ass. I will take NO SHIT.
That includes any “regulars”. I’m in an ass kicking mood today, because I installed stuff using power tools. If you don’t have a space online to do your thing, I’m not going to host it.
No-one wants to ‘bring shit here from Dooce’. Some of us didn’t tolerate the shit. That’s why we set up the forum.
Anyway I’m kinda getting the gist of this comment spam thing…just found out about it to my peril last week when hundreds of ‘advert’ comments appeared on one of my clients’ sites. Now I have to go through and delete them all cos I don’t have any fancy plugins…YET. Thanks for all the techie info Jon, it comes in useful!
Scott says:
For some reason, I had a sudden homoerotic urge when Blurb got all Snake Plissken on potential Dooce commenters.
Do it again.
HAH! Gotta love quotes from video games. I can sympathize with blurb however, I started up a B2 blogger account on my ipowerweb account a LONG time ago and before I even had 5 posts to it I was getting hit with about 5-10 spam comments per entry a day. My solution: B2 plugin deactivated, about a year later, opened a blogger.com account.
Dale Cruse’s question still remains, which is that if commenting was disallowed, how did anything ever hit the database? I have Spam Karma on WordPress dumping all kinds of crap that I get (comments and trackbacks) and none of it gets saved anywhere…that’d just be dumb. And I certainly don’t get comments on stories marked closed to commenting, cause what sane blogging system would allow such things? If the reason to close commenting was really, as posted, because of the spam problem, aren’t there less drastic solutions, like getting whatever plugin you need that makes it so comments that should never have gotten there in the first place don’t get there anymore?
Danny, bots hit the cgi and post bogus comments. AFTER they hit the cgi, the plugins take over and do their thing, which was mostly successful. However, because of the desire to allow legitimate comments, one has to allow that everything goes into a moderated state. That means it lives in the database, but is not published on the site.
Short of a server solution, as long as one runs cgi, any agent can run the script. There is no plugin to absolutely stop unwanted comments short of typekey or other user authentication system. I believe WordPress uses a login for users wishing to comment, so that would fall under “other user authentication system”. Movable Type has TypeKey.
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May 6th, 2005 at 4:47 pm
I’m surprised the Dooce Comments Army hasn’t made its way over here to hijack your comments section.
May 6th, 2005 at 5:52 pm
SpamLookup has saved my site from approximately 1000 evil trackbacks and comments A DAY. It’s madness out there! http://bradchoate.com/projects/spamlookup/
May 6th, 2005 at 7:12 pm
No kidding, Jen. They should just start a Dooce worship/lame statements chat room on yahoo or something.
May 6th, 2005 at 7:40 pm
My host actually does not allow new users to use MovableType due to the problems with spam (they also claim other security reasons too). Unfortunately not everyone takes the time to learn about all the plug-ins & things you can do to the standard MT to fix it.
Damn spammers.
May 6th, 2005 at 8:24 pm
Jon, if she had 15K comment spam, what about trackback spam? I know that was a problem for me with only about 1,300 visits a day to my site. I can’t even imagine what Heather’s daily count is. Isn’t trackback spam a problem for her as well?
May 6th, 2005 at 8:27 pm
I’m clueless about how blogging software works, but am very curious as to how, as Dooce writes, comment spam, “the majority of which existed on entries where comments were closed or were never opened in the first place”, gets entered into your database.
How does a spammer post comment spam in a closed comment?
chevy > “They should just start a Dooce worship/lame statements chat room on yahoo or something.”
You’re so cute when you’re jealous.
May 6th, 2005 at 10:51 pm
There have been forums set up for dooce fans-
http://dooce.migrantroo.com/
Maybe that will help with some of the unnecessary comments daily.
May 7th, 2005 at 7:47 am
That’s crazy. I thought my 18 poker spams were bad.
May 7th, 2005 at 9:21 am
word on comment spam: wordpress. that dooce forum is creepy.
May 7th, 2005 at 1:43 pm
chevy: we have “started a Dooce worship/lame statements chat room on yahoo or something.” it’s at http://groups-beta.google.com/group/dooce . not creepy at all. also, how does jon prevent mass comments spamming? maybe dooce can use that, or a members-only, login area.
May 7th, 2005 at 1:49 pm
The google dooce group thing sucks. It’s hard to read/follow.
May 7th, 2005 at 1:54 pm
for some people, it might be hard to follow. however, if you just click on “view titles only,” it’s very very simple to see when the last subject was updated and by whom. that’s about all there is to it! with 59 members, i’m thinking it’s working out okay.
May 7th, 2005 at 2:49 pm
I so want to be snarky right now.
May 7th, 2005 at 5:15 pm
***hugging strizz***
May 8th, 2005 at 1:08 pm
If any of you bring shit here from dooce, I’ll ban your ass. I will take NO SHIT.
That includes any “regulars”. I’m in an ass kicking mood today, because I installed stuff using power tools. If you don’t have a space online to do your thing, I’m not going to host it.
Just to be clear.
p.s. happy mother’s day!
May 10th, 2005 at 7:17 am
No-one wants to ‘bring shit here from Dooce’. Some of us didn’t tolerate the shit. That’s why we set up the forum.
Anyway I’m kinda getting the gist of this comment spam thing…just found out about it to my peril last week when hundreds of ‘advert’ comments appeared on one of my clients’ sites. Now I have to go through and delete them all cos I don’t have any fancy plugins…YET. Thanks for all the techie info Jon, it comes in useful!
May 11th, 2005 at 5:52 pm
For some reason, I had a sudden homoerotic urge when Blurb got all Snake Plissken on potential Dooce commenters.
Do it again.
May 11th, 2005 at 8:54 pm
i was just now thinking how he IS kind of erotical when he talks all geekish - just like dooce said he was!
May 15th, 2005 at 12:32 pm
Scott says:
For some reason, I had a sudden homoerotic urge when Blurb got all Snake Plissken on potential Dooce commenters.
Do it again.
HAH! Gotta love quotes from video games. I can sympathize with blurb however, I started up a B2 blogger account on my ipowerweb account a LONG time ago and before I even had 5 posts to it I was getting hit with about 5-10 spam comments per entry a day. My solution: B2 plugin deactivated, about a year later, opened a blogger.com account.
http://edfarker.blogspot.com for those that want to read.
I plan to move my blog to my site to use Moveable Type soon, any suggestions to keep the spammers out?
May 17th, 2005 at 4:26 pm
Dale Cruse’s question still remains, which is that if commenting was disallowed, how did anything ever hit the database? I have Spam Karma on WordPress dumping all kinds of crap that I get (comments and trackbacks) and none of it gets saved anywhere…that’d just be dumb. And I certainly don’t get comments on stories marked closed to commenting, cause what sane blogging system would allow such things? If the reason to close commenting was really, as posted, because of the spam problem, aren’t there less drastic solutions, like getting whatever plugin you need that makes it so comments that should never have gotten there in the first place don’t get there anymore?
Just askin’.
May 17th, 2005 at 4:33 pm
Danny, bots hit the cgi and post bogus comments. AFTER they hit the cgi, the plugins take over and do their thing, which was mostly successful. However, because of the desire to allow legitimate comments, one has to allow that everything goes into a moderated state. That means it lives in the database, but is not published on the site.
Short of a server solution, as long as one runs cgi, any agent can run the script. There is no plugin to absolutely stop unwanted comments short of typekey or other user authentication system. I believe WordPress uses a login for users wishing to comment, so that would fall under “other user authentication system”. Movable Type has TypeKey.