Tuesday, May 11, 2010

To Verify or Not To Verify

I'm considering taking word verification off the blog. I don't like slowing people down. Many of you visit a LOT of blogs and every second can count.

But... (there's always a but!) I'm not home most of the time. I'm gone 9 or more hours at the job every day and then another bunch of hours on the weekend. Then there are all the times I'm at home but not on the computer.

In other words, I won't be able to patrol the blog. I'm worried about creepy comments. I don't have a problem eliminating inappropriate, nasty or creepy comments. I'm a teacher - I can shut down temper tantrums and whiners in a heart-beat. But I have to be on the computer to do that.

Our board has updated its policy. We cannot access personal sites or blogs from the school's computers any longer. So if someone leaves a yicky comment it could be quite a while before I get a chance to remove it.

Is this a big deal?

What choices have you made in regards to word verification? If you've removed it (or never used it) have you had any troubles? On the flip side, have you known people who've not bothered commenting or dropping by because of word verification? Or is it not a big deal and I should just leave it on?

Thanks - Any and all input appreciated!

On a side note, Wendy at WM Morrell's Musings from Down Under has passed the Blogger Buddie my way. It's got the sweetest graphic which is totally appropriate because Wendy is one of the sweetest people I've ever 'met'!

Jackee at Winded Words has tagged me in the 5 Questions 5 Way tag game. To see my answers click on this link. Jackee has the coolest job and her blog is definitely worth a visit!

Laura Marcella at Wavy Lines has passed the One Lovely Blog my way. She's got one of those herself and if you haven't made it over, you should. Check out the great zebra while you're there :)

Once again I'd like to pass these along to some friends I've known for a while as well as a few of my newest blog buddies. You can choose whichever you'd like - one of the awards, or the tag game. As always these are no pressure awards - do with them what you will :)

DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude
India Drummond
Kimberly Loomis at The Perpetual Writer
Lynn Simpson at Place to Create
Tamara Heiner at Chasing Dreams

135 comments:

Arlee Bird said...

I took the word verification off some time ago and it works fine for me. I keep comment moderation on so I can screen comments before they appear so that way if something distasteful or that I just don't want to appear publicly comes up then I can reject it for publication. After taking the Capcha off I haven't had much problem with spam and I just delete the ones I do get.
Personally I recommend scrapping Word Verification (Capcha).

Lee
May 17th Fifteen Fantasy Island Favorites

Rebecca T. said...

I don't mind WV itself (I actually gather funny ones and enjoy making up fake definitions) the only time it drives me crazy is when it has to reload in order to insert the WV. That makes me go slightly insane. Seriously.

Laura S. said...

Thanks for your kind comments about my blog, Jemi!

Word verification doesn't bother me. It takes a second. I love my zigzaggers so much I'd swim through an alligator-infested swamp to comment on their blogs!!!

Well, okay, maybe not, but I don't care about word verif. ;) Whatever you decide, Jemi, I'll visit your blog and comment no matter what!

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Lee. I don't really want to leave moderation on - it just takes me too long to get to the blog sometimes. Sounds like you haven't had much difficulty though. That's good to hear. Thanks!

Jemi Fraser said...

Rebecca - I don't mind it much either. But I do know it bugs some people. Thanks for the input!

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Laura - you're a sweetie!

I don't mind doing it myself either. I do have some followers with dial-up and I think it makes it tougher for them.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Jemi, I set mine so that on posts older than four day, blog owner approval is required before a comment posts. I found that removed 99 percent of the spam.

Jemi Fraser said...

Alex - that's a good idea - I like that one! Thanks :)

dolorah said...

I don't think I have word verif on my blog; I don't know, because this new format doesn't asked me for one when I post a comment to it. Is there one on mine? I don't think the word verif does anything for comment moderation, however. Its just making sure your script viewer is reading the right kinds of characters (letters).

I haven't had any rude comments on my blog yet (thank goodness) but I don't have a big following. And I have it closed to annonymous comments. I think that makes the biggest difference to people who would exhibit that kind of behavior.

Personally, I'll leave off the moderation until I'm consistently getting nasty (as in too rude) comments. I don't want my regular visitors to feel I don't trust their intent. And with the moderation turned on, people can't have a regular conversation with myself or other visitors if they choose. I like the open thread idea; stream of consciousness.

I do get a little frustrated at the word verification sometimes. When there is a long list of comments, and you enter your comment, then have to go back after it re-loads the WV, then you have to check to be sure you put all the letters in correctly. I lose a lot of comments because I forget to check that second time. That's just my own fault.

Yeah, sometimes the WV can be pretty funny, but I'm glad if its not on my comments. Waste of time. But its not annoying enough on other blogs I visit for me to really care one way or the other.

........dhole

Eric W. Trant said...

I took off the word verification, no moderation. I haven't seen much in the way of distasteful comments.

And, in all honestly, it'd have to be pretty distasteful to make me mod it anyway.

I'd turn on the word verification if I got on someone's spam list, but so far, so good.

- Eric

Alix said...

I don't have it and I haven't had any problems. I don't mind bloggers WV it's normally straight forward, some blogs drive me insane though.

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Donna - I went over to your blog and posted another comment to check it out. You don't have word ver on.

I think excluding the anon comments if I remove word ver is a really good idea. I don't have anyone now who posts anonymously (I think) so I can't see it affecting anyone.

Good idea - thanks!

Jemi Fraser said...

Eric - good to hear! I'm wondering if the excess amount of spamming I've heard about is more of an urban legend now! So far no one's had much trouble.

Jemi Fraser said...

Alexa - yay - another one with no problems. This is all good news :) Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Aw, shucks. Thanks, Jemi! Congrats on your awards as well - totally deserved in my opinion. :)

As for the comments - WP has its own spam filter so I rarely deal with it. I can honestly say, based upon the comments I see caught by that filter, they're not usually offensive and ones I can't see any blogger seeing and not knowing where they came from. Ultimately, those freak things are not a reflection upon you so do as you need to. :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Kimberly - you're so very welcome!

Good point. I'd really like to make it as easy as possible for people - we're all so busy. Sounds like the spam isn't a big deal for most people. :)

Lorel Clayton said...

I haven't had any problem since getting rid of it. The one time I did have spam, it was with word verification, so all I could do was delete it.

Jemi Fraser said...

Lorel - that sounds like good news too. Thanks for the help! :)

dolorah said...

Thanks Jemi. Good luck with your decision.

....dhole

Jemi Fraser said...

Donna - thank YOU - I'm hoping to decide one way or the other after everyone chips in - I'm leaning towards taking it off right now! :)

Unknown said...

I hope I'm not inviting trouble, but I've never used word verification or moderation and haven't had an issue yet. My work had just the opposite policy change a few months back. They lifted the ban on blogs and email, but their computers are slow, so I take my own netbook to work and use the hospital free wi-fi. I get to pop onto the blog periodically and check things out.

FWIW, in just over two months of blogging, the only spam I saw was just the other day, and it was on a blog with word verification enabled.

Karen Jones Gowen said...

I'm one who comments on a lot of blogs so yes it slows me down considerably and I hate it!!! I haven't had it on mine for months and have had no spam, and a lot more comments since I removed it. Of course if I started to get nasty stuff showing up, I'd put it back up or even do comment moderation (ugh to that too!). Hopefully my blog will stay clean! It's been 6 months without capcha and no problems yet.

Mason Canyon said...

Congratulations on the awards and thanks for new links to check on.

As for word verification, it doesn't bother me but I've wondered about this too. I'm interested in seeing what you decide. As for unwanted comments showing up, I think your regular visitors would understand why it was there until you could remove it.

Good luck.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress

Jemi Fraser said...

Mary - thanks for all the input. We don't have wifi at work so I'm completely out of luck in that department.

It seems like no one so far has had any real problems. That's good news.

Jemi Fraser said...

Karen - that's awesome news for me. I really hate slowing folks down - but I tend to be a bit on the paranoid side :) Slow and steady is basically my style!

Jemi Fraser said...

Mason - thanks :)

You're right - my regular folks are fabulous people - and not stupid to boot. I'm sure they'd understand if something was on for a bit before I removed it. Thanks for the input!

Theresa Milstein said...

I took my word verification off weeks ago and haven't had any problems. If you have issues, you can always put it back. And if I see anything bad on your comments, I'll assume you'll delete it after work.

Yvonne Osborne said...

I don't mind word verification (sometimes the almost-words are oddly appropriate to the subject) and I truly don't think it stops anyone from leaving a comment if they really want to. I suppose we could give it a try and see what happens....

You go first!!

(My word is urgenize. See what I mean?)

Lola Sharp said...

I've had mine off for months to no ill effect.

Congrats on your awards. :)

Love,
Lola

Terry Odell said...

I've left verification on, but don't moderate comments. I can't always be around to approve them, and nobody's complained about the extra hoop to jump through. I have noticed (via subscribing to comments on other blogs) that spam does get through. I'm not concerned with 'distasteful' comments--if they're clearly either spam or someone's idea that putting up obscenities is cool, then I can delete them. I think I've had to do that 3 times in as many years.

Maybe I should ask my blog readers if they feel imposed upon to fill in the words. I know I don't.

Unknown said...

I hate to disillusion you honey, but I am not the sweetest person. You are :)

As for word verification. I took mine off sometime ago. I sort of figure, as I've posted a blog to the public, the public can say whatever they want. Within reason of course. So far, so good :)

PS. Thanks for those most kind words. You are a delight!

VR Barkowski said...

I took word verification off a few weeks ago and haven't had any trouble. But honestly, I don't even notice WV.

When I've personally had spam trouble, it's always been on older messages. So like Alex, any comment a few days old comes to me for approval. That's also helpful in not inadvertently missing a 'real' comment.

Congrats on the awards! :)

Natasha said...

I put in word verification after I got a couple of spam comments, but removed it when a wordpress user requested me to take it off, because she was having a lot of trouble with it.
I've had it off for a bit now, and no problems at all.

Anonymous said...

great discussion you've got here Jemi.
I don't notice the wv on the pop out screen.

Shannon said...

Not sure if blogspot has this or not, but on Wordpress you can require the CAPCHA for first time posters only. Once someone is approved, he/she can comment freely.

Unknown said...

I don't have a problem with word verification (though sometimes, I can't figure out a letter!). I know some are bothered by it but I'm good either way.

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Theresa - I'm glad to hear you haven't had any problems either!

Jemi Fraser said...

Yvonne - lol :)

You're right - I often get a kick out of the words! One night they did kind of insult me, but that's another story.

Maybe I'll urgenize and go first! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Lola :)

Good to hear you've had no problems either. I didn't realize so many people had removed it! Wow.

Jemi Fraser said...

Terry - that's how I feel - it doesn't bother me to fill them in, but it does take that extra time.

I have comment moderation on for comments on posts over a week old, but haven't had any problem in that department either. Hmmm...

Jemi Fraser said...

Wendy - we might just have to disagree on that one :)

I'm thinking I'll take it off at this point - no one seems to have had big issues - just minor things easily deleted. Thanks!!

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks VR! :)

I can't believe how many people haven't had troubles - I'm really leaning towards the urban myth thing :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Rayna - thanks for the input - I hadn't thought of the different blogger-types causing different issues. Glad you're not having any troubles either.

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Michelle - I don't notice it much either - other than to enjoy some of the words - but I think I'll take it off for a bit as an experiment.

Jemi Fraser said...

Shannon - that's a really good idea! I'll have to check into that. I haven't noticed that option before, but I didn't really study it either. Thanks! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Mary. I have had to retype the words more than a few times. I just can't decipher some of the fonts! But I'm like you - it doesn't bother me one way or the other - thanks!

DL Hammons said...

Jemi ~ First...Awwwwww, your such a sweetee!! Thank you for my award! I know you know I really appreciate it!! Congrats to you for being recognized...as you should.

Second, I use the word verification to keep out spammers, which I had a problem with a while back. Honestly though, the word verification doesn't bother me when I'm posting comments. It's become second nature.

Mary@GigglesandGuns said...

I've been considering this also.
If you're dyslexic (me) WV can sometimes drive you nuts. But really either way I don't much care.
I'll read your blog no matter what you decide. (cuz I love it.)
Maribeth
Giggles and Guns

Jayne said...

Hi Jemi. I took word verification off my blog - I think I have the settings so anyone can post for the last 7 days, but anything beyond that is in comment moderation. Funnily enough I did have spammy comments, but only on the older posts that are moderated! So I had the option to delete those straight away. I have noticed more people comment now, but maybe it is because I am commenting more myself, rather than the WV putting them off? Who knows! WV doesn't bother me. :)

TerryLynnJohnson said...

whew, you get a lot of comments! I haven't read them all, so I may be repeating. My opinion is you don't need it. I took it off, and I hardly ever patrol the comments to take offensive down. In fact, I've only ever got one weird spam comment in over a year.
I took it off because I sometimes get frustrated having to go through it when I comment on other blogs. You're right - always so rushed and the extra step is time consuming.

Jennifer Shirk said...

I know I don't like the word verification either. It's a pain. But I tried removing it a few weeks ago and it didn't last 12 hours before I had to put it back. Grrr.... maybe I'll try to remove it again.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Although it doesn't bother me, I know word verification bothers some.

I occasionally get spammy comments. I've just told myself that other commmenters know that it's just spam...and it happens to all of us!

I've minimized the spamming by turning on comment moderation for posts older than several days.

I like the type of word ver. you have on now...where I can type the word right after I write my comment. I don't like the other kind as well (the one where you comment, click submit, then a screen comes up to ask you to do word verification after the fact.)

Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder

Anonymous said...

I don't have word verification. I don't have a problem with spammers leaving messages so why deter visitors from leaving a comment. I think most bloggers don't need it.

I don't like it at all. Makes me mad to have to try and read that stupid word, get it wrong, try it again. Sometimes my PC is slow and its just an overall pain. I'm not sure what I dislike more, the itching, the scratching, or the burning. There. Now you know how I feel.

Stephen Tremp

Shannon O'Donnell said...

I don't have word verification on my blog, and I have never (knock on wood) had any spam or inappropriate comments.

Congrats on your awards! :-)

Lisa_Gibson said...

I've considered removing them from my blog as well. Then I hear various stories of people getting bombared with not so wonderful things when removing the verification. I've just stuck with it for the time being. Let me know what you decide to do and how it works out.

Shelley Sly said...

Hey there. I removed comment verification a few months ago (at least I think I did -- if I didn't, someone let me know) because I wanted it to be easier for blog friends to comment. I personally don't mind the verification when posting on others' blogs, but in case others mind, I was trying to make it more convenient.

Since taking off the verification, I haven't had a single spam comment. (I do get spam emails saying "Dear blogger, please check out this website..." but that's unrelated. Wish those would go away.)

Talli Roland said...

Congrats on the award!

I don't use word verification and so far I haven't hard any issues. I have to admit, word verification drives me MENTAL!

cleemckenzie said...

I've gone back and forth on this Jemi. Wish we didn't have to patrol for the crazies or the abusers. Hate these verifications. The problems I've had are the weird comments in a language I can't read. Who knows what they're saying? Right now I've got the verify back on . . . I think. Guess I should check.

Jemi Fraser said...

You're very welcome DL! I didn't get time to leave a message on your blog - so I'm glad you popped on over anyway!! :)

Hmmm - most people haven't had trouble with spam. I was hoping no one else had experienced it!

Jemi Fraser said...

Karen - lol - that's so logical!! I think you're right :) Very good point!

Jemi Fraser said...

Aww - thanks Maribeth! What a sweet thing to say. :)

I hadn't thought of the impact on dyslexics - I find it hard enough to read the words without that extra level.

Jemi Fraser said...

Jayne - that is really odd that the spammy stuff would be on the older posts. I do have moderation on for posts over 7 days old. I haven't had that yet.

Thanks for the input!

Jemi Fraser said...

Terry Lynn - thanks :)

That's a long time to have no word ver - and only 1 problem! That's awesome! I think I'm really leaning that way!

Jemi Fraser said...

Jennifer - yikes - that's NOT good news! I think it must be luck of the draw if the creeps find your blog or not! Hmmm...

Jemi Fraser said...

Elizabeth - so you don't seem to have much of a problem either. It's really odd how spammers find some but not others. Maybe I should apply for a research grant to study it!! :)

Thanks for the input!

Jemi Fraser said...

Stephen - don't hold back now! :) Love it!!

That's exactly why I'm thinking of removing it. I don't want to drive people batty!

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Shannon :)

That's good news! Hope I'm not jinxing anyone by asking!!

Jemi Fraser said...

Lisa - I will! Right now I'm thinking of just taking it off and seeing what happens. I'll keep everyone up to date as the experiment continues!

Jemi Fraser said...

Shelley - that's good news too. I agree - typing in the word ver isn't a really big deal for me, but it does cost seconds each time and when you comment on a lot of blogs that builds up!

Jemi Fraser said...

Talli - thanks :)

That's exactly why I think I'll take it off and see what happens! Cross your fingers! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

C Lee - lol :) I can see that happening - not knowing which way it's set once I start switching it up!

I comment on a lot of blogs & I can't remember which way most people do it either.

Helen Ginger said...

Having to do word verification slows me down, but it doesn't stop me from commenting. For the first three years or so, I didn't have the captcha letters on my blog. Then, late last year, I began to get hundreds of spam comments. Not on that day's blog, but on past posts. I'd wake up and find emails for hundreds of obvious spam. I'd go and delete them, but as they became more and more, it was taking me forever since Blogger doesn't allow you to mass delete. Each one had to be deleted by hand. I eventually gave up and added word verification. I didn't want to, but had no choice.

Helen
Straight From Hel

Kimberly Franklin said...

I took my word verification off a few months ago and haven't really had a problem. Every now and then I will get a spammer, but not very often. :)

Congrats on your awards!!!

Mari said...

I'd consider the word verification if you got many spammers commenting on your blog, which doesn't seem to be the case.

I also don't see why you would worry that much about nasty comments. You're so nice to everyone, and I'm sure that all your friends are polite and nice back to you, that if a bad mouthed person came over, no one would take much care.

I'd not worry so much. Well, not unless something actually happens.

Congrats on even more awards Jemi! you're a blog superstar! heh ;P

Unknown said...

I just took the word verification off and am afraid about all the spam I am going to get. However, I can always delete those unwanted comments. Good idea and good post!

Jemi Fraser said...

Helen - wow! That's a lot of spam!! That blows my theory of it being mostly an urban legend!

I've got the moderation on for older posts - I wonder if that will help. Hmmm...

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Kimberly!

Your experience seems to be much more common. But Helen's story sets me back a few steps! Hmmm...

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Mari - you're such a sweetie. Everyone seems to be of pretty much the same opinion - we all would recognize spammers and creepy people and would pretty much ignore it. Sounds like a good plan - I think!

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Chary!

I took it off a few hours ago - before I went out to a soccer game. So far so good :) Let's just cross our fingers!

ModernDayDrifter said...

I guess WV is good for creepers and stuff but I don't have it on my blog. Honestly, I haven't even thought about looking into it.

Jemi Fraser said...

Jessica - It obviously hasn't been a problem for you - that's good news!

I tend to be a bit on the worrier side of life - time to let it go a bit and see what happens!

Unknown said...

I use the verification because otherwise I get random spam popping up. I wish I didn't have to but it's just how it seems!!

Yay for awards!! Congratulations!

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Jen :)

I think I'm going to try to go without it for a bit and see how it works. I'm crossing my fingers!

Tahereh said...

you know, this is a really good point, and a question i asked myself when i first started blogging. but i think the word verification is necessary. i also think most of us have just grown accustomed to it.

i certainly don't flinch when i see it. in fact, it seems stranger when the word verification DOESN'T appear. then i wonder how people block all that gross spam.

i wouldn't worry about it too much, love! we'll keep commenting!!

<333333

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Tahereh!

I don't mind it either, but I think I'll keep it off for a bit and see what happens.

Thanks for the help :)

Jan Morrison said...

I took mine off and while I don't get the traffic you do - I've never had a problem. If you do have one - put it back on. I heard a program on CBC radio the other day that someone has figured out a way to use word verification to get text's into computer data banks that formerly had to be done by hand because the words are too faded or whatever to be read by the computers. That seemed cool to me - however I hate doing it as it slows everything down.

Hannah said...

I took down my word verification and haven't had any problems. I also have it set so anonymous users cannot comment. Who knows what will happen in the future but I have a smart phone so the access is here if I need it.

Congratulations on your awards!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I've never used it because it drives me bonkers! I get a few spam, but catch quite a few with owner approval on posts older than a week.

Rosalind Adam said...

I don't like having to use the word verification as I often have trouble making it out and sometimes I get it wrong, which makes me feel stupid. It never occurred to me to remove it from mine but having read everyone's comments above I might do that. The nasty comments (if they were to appear) would happen with or without. I used to moderate all comments but found it too much of a tie. I do have moderation after a few days and that seems to work fine. So now I shall click publish and hope I can make out the funny little word... unless you've already removed it!

Anonymous said...

I've had word ver off for ages, and I've yet to get a creepy comment. I'd give it a shot, 'cause it makes me happy not to have to wait and type something else after I've already written my comment. :)

Elana Johnson said...

Jemi, I took the word verification off my blog and only had about 4 spam comments on really old posts. I deleted them forever, and haven't had a single hitch since.

Congrats on the awards!

Tara said...

Word ver doesn't bother me - especially if it's set to the pop-up box. Takes maybe an extre 2 seconds that way.

I like Eric's idea, maybe I'll remove the word ver. and try that...

Sage Ravenwood said...

On my blog, creepy commenters and spam came from Anonymous. So I simply changed the settings so Anonymous can't comment. Works like a charm haven't had any problems since. (Hugs)Indigo

Jemi Fraser said...

Jan - that does sound cool. I'm going to leave it off for a bit and cross my fingers and hope for the best! Thanks :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Hannah!

I like the "no anonymous" idea - I'm off to click on that option! Good thinking :) Thanks.

Jemi Fraser said...

Good to hear Diane!

I already had the moderation set for posts over a week old - I'm going to keep it on. Glad to hear you don't have troubles.

Jemi Fraser said...

Rosalind - hopefully you didn't have to figure one out today - I think I removed it! Hopefully someone will let me know if it's not on! Thnaks for the input :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Simon - I think most people feel that way. And for the most part, people aren't having too many troubles - although a few have had big troubles! Hope it works out okay :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Elana - that's so good to hear! I'm hoping that's the worst kind of trouble I'll have! It's always good to make commenting as easy as possible. :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Tara - Yeah, it doesn't bother me much, but time is so important for so many people. I'm going to give it a shot and see what happens. :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Indigo! I've now got it set up that way. I'm really hoping to be able to leave it that way. :)

Lisa Gail Green said...

I turned mine off because I saw people complaining elsewhere and saying they won't bother leaving a comment. Personally, I think that's silly. If you've bothered to read and write a comment, why can't you take two extra seconds to type in a word? But, I took it down and I haven't had a single spam yet! Now where's that wood to knock on??

Jemi Fraser said...

Lisa - I feel as you do - it doesn't bother me, but if it makes life easier for people, I'm more than willing to take a chance.

I've been knocking on wood with you! :)

Lydia Kang said...

Congrats on your awards!
I disabled my verification a few weeks ago and so far no spam! I don't mind doing word verification on other blogs but they do slow me down.

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Lydia!

Good to hear! I keep wincing when I open new comments. :) So far so good!

jmartinlibrary said...

I'm okay without the verification. I don't seem to attract meanies and I don't mind deleting a comment if I feel the need.

Jemi Fraser said...

Jenny - sounds good! I'm surprised that very few people have had issues - but a couple had big issues. I'm hoping I'll be okay.

Eric W. Trant said...

Not sure if this got mentioned, but you can ALSO do this:

Turn on the "MEMBERS ONLY" comments. Then only members may comment on your blog. That'd cut out the spam while also not requiring Word Verification.

If I started getting spam, that's what I'd do. So far, though, no problems.

WV DOES serve a higher purpose, though. I watched usenet die a horrible death to spam about five years ago.

My beautiful usenet, reduced to ~~@@!PASSION PARTIES!@@~~ and all sorts of male enhancements.


- Eric

Jemi Fraser said...

Eric - LOL :)

I've seen the members only thingy, but I'm not sure what people have to be members of... I'm so not internet lingo savvy!

Thanks for the input - I'm hoping to not get spammy stuff & that'll be the end of it!

Al said...

I've taken my WV off. I haven't had any problems so far.

It doesn't seem to have encouraged more comments though, that really seems to be about how much a post "grabs" people.

Anonymous said...

Jemi,

Either way, it's not a deal breaker. However, if I find the WV being bullish and asking me twice, I stop trying to comment.

congrats on the awards!

kanishk said...

Congrats on your awards. :)
post free classified ads

Jemi Fraser said...

Al - good to know. I'm thrilled to hear how few people have had trouble. Although some have had it pretty bad. I'm crossing all my crossables :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Cat :)

I'm the same way - there are a few times I've had to give up on trying to figure out the word - usually because the font is too hard to read!

Jemi Fraser said...

Kanishk - thanks so much! Thanks for dropping by :)

Survivormama said...

I took word verification off a long time ago because I got a comment about it from a new follower, also it can be a pain for me to have to do on other blogs as well...I have not had much in the way of spam!

Jemi Fraser said...

Shannon - good to hear! So far so good - I'm hoping it continues :) Thanks for dropping by!

Jackee said...

Congrats on the awards and thanks for the link to your answers! I loved them, though I don't know how I missed that post last month.

I'm not sure how I feel about word verification. I don't like it, but see it as a necessary evil. I took it off a month ago and so far haven't had any spam or not-nice things put on there. I'll let you know how it goes, though!

Have a wonderful weekend, Jemi. You're the best!

India Drummond said...

Aw, thanks for the mention! Very sweet!

As far as AV, I'm so used to it with people who have blogger blogs, that it doesn't bother me.

What I don't like is when people don't allow "anonymous" posts. I know it seems weird to want it, but if people disallow that, I can't put in the link to my website. I had to create a blogger profile for people who did that, because for a while it seemd very common. Now I'd guess that 8/10 of my blogger friends let me enter my URL when I comment.

So, if it was up to me, I'd rather see the WV, but anon allowed. Fortunately, it's easy to try different settings for a week or so and see how it goes, and then switch if something isn't working for you or your readers.

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Jackee! I think it's impossible to catch every post - no worries!

I took it off the other day, so far so good, but I'm still nervous every time I click on update!

Hope your weekend is great as well!

Jemi Fraser said...

India - I've never heard that about the anonymous comments! Wow. Okay I'll check into that too. As you say, you want it as easy as possible for your readers! Thanks for the input :)

Anne Spollen said...

I don't mind word verification. I took mine off for a short time and ended up with long rants about the Chinese government. They were all anonymous and the identical rant appeared on older posts. Go figure.

But I never got anything yucky.

Jemi Fraser said...

Anne - wow! I really don't get what people get out of leaving posts like that - I guess they're trying to spread their word. But they need to have a look at their audience. Hmmm...

Tamara Hart Heiner said...

the only spammers I ever get always write in Korean or Chinese, so nobody can ever tell whatever nasty things they're saying. I always delete them and no harm done. I say take it off.

Roland D. Yeomans said...

Wow, you certainly would have lots of comments to go through to check if any are ugly.

But until people start to complain, I wouldn't change my ways. But that's just me. And does word verification really do away with snarly comments?

Thanks for dropping by my blog, Roland

Jemi Fraser said...

Tamara - What an odd thing for someone to do! I just don't understand the appeal of spamming I guess! If that's the worst of it, I'll be more than happy :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Roland - I guess it'll just be trial and error - nothing can't be changed so I guess it's probably just not as big as a deal as I worry it is!

You're welcome :)

Anonymous said...

Word verification doesn't bother me - it does take an extra minute, but that's OK. I can see why you'd want to avoid those spam comments - they can be pretty inappropriate!

Jemi Fraser said...

Layinda - that's what I'm worried about. I took it off a couple of days ago and nothing so far - crossing my fingers :)

Anonymous said...

I tend to edit comments when they require it and the rest of the time, let people get on and say what they want to say.

Jemi Fraser said...

Cassandra - that sounds like a good plan. I can't imagine needing to delete anything other than spam comments. Crossing those fingers!

Susan Fields said...

I'm so glad you asked this question! I've always had word verification and never thought about it, but now I think I'll take it off. It sounds like some people really don't like it, and not having it doesn't seem to cause a lot of problems. I don't mind the word verification, but I get a little annoyed with comments having to wait for blog owner approval, mostly because if you make a mistake (or make the same comment more than once because you think the first one didn't go through - which I've done), you can't delete it.

Jemi Fraser said...

Susan - yes - it was something I didn't think about much as well - I just put on word verification thinking "it's what everyone does". But it's not!

So far so good - we'll see as time goes on. Thanks for the input!

Patricia Stoltey said...

I don't have any security requirements yet, but if I start having a problem, I'll add it in an instant. Besides, you have lots more visitors who leave comments than I do, so your risk is greater. In your place, I'd leave it on.

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Pat - it's been off for a few days, and so far nothing really. I'm hoping it stays that way. If it does become a problem, I'll pop it back on. Thanks!