This is just a quickie between appointments and projects. We have had to make a small change to our blog format – from now on you’ll have to type a verification word in order to post a comment. If you aren’t familiar with that, it’s just a little thing that Blogger will ask you to do – type several letters into a box, repeating what you see above the box.
Why did we make that change?: SPAM. Not the lovely Hormel meat product in the can, the odd stuff that comes unbidden when you use the Internet. We were getting messages asking us to try Viagra, go to websites that showed girlie (and God knows what else) connections, and to learn how to make money on the Web or at home stuffing envelopes or stuffing sausages or stuffing turkeys, I don't know because I got rid of them as quickly as I could.
We’ve always used Comment Moderation, which means that when you (or some freak hacker) left a comment, it was up to us to decide whether to post it. Other than the SPAM crud, we’ve only rejected one other comment. But if we didn't have that, you’d have been able to try Viagra or stuffing turkeys or watching girlie stuff. If you want to do that it’s your business, but we won’t be passing it on for your choice.
Hope you don’t mind! By the way, it was our good Canadian friend Rick Doyle who showed us the way to make this change. Rick is the consummate non-geek geek who has helped a lot of us RV bloggers make improvements or get around hitches in our blogging. And we owe Rick about three dozen cowboy cookies for all his help. You can thank Rick for our ability to continue telling you about … Our Life on Wheels!
No problem Jerry. Many other blogs have this added feature. I get emails often that let me know my LG washer and dryer are ready for pick-up...and I never even ordered a pair.
ReplyDeleteHey, it works! Three dozen Cowboy Cookies, eh? Can't wait to get down there next month! Now, to see if I can successfully enter the secret verification word!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it a shame that you have to make it more difficult for readers in order to keep the spammers from ruining the whole concept of blogging. I know I am going to have to make changes one of these days, but so far have been pretty lucky.
ReplyDeleteThe more I hear about cowboy cookies the better they sound!
Spam ain't no fun....if you read my earlier post about spam. The spammer idiots use a program (a bot program)that searches for email addresses and cannot read the little word you have to type. Yes, it is sad we've come to this which is one reason I use my gmail address. I had to change my primary ISP email address once because they got me gooder...real gooder to the tune of 200 junk mails a day (don't try singing that tune). So I'll see your girlie site and raise you two auto warranty sites.
ReplyDeleteJerry, Thanks for the advice. I've turned on word verification for comments on my blog, too. I've only gotten a couple of 'weird' comments, which I blocked through moderation. But today I got one filled with URLs for several other sites, none of which I would want to foist on my readers!
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