For each of you who choose to come and spend time here at The Wink,
Have any of you noticed the new requirements hoops and BS necessary to comment on the normally friendly and accepting Wink? It was with incredible sadness that I logged in and dove into the blog management tools to initiate comment moderation and word authentication. I loathe being prompted to enter a series of random numbers and letters before having my comment publish, as it is not uncommon for me to fail to get the sequence right. How awful does that feel? The screen mocks me with a blaring:
INCORRECT. Please try again if you want your comment to ever see the light of day.
I have been proud to not enforce those sort of rules, hoping to encourage commenting and cultivate a sense of I belong here. Unfortunately the other day I woke up and checked my email and from that moment it was the beginning of the end. There in the inbox were 27 new messages. My heart soared, my tummy did little flip flops and my mind raced with the knowledge that I had touched you. I’d written something that you related to and felt compelled to comment on, we’d begun a conversation. I was elated to be starting the day in this fashion.
Watch out world, Amanda is here, and she’s feeling like she can make a difference.
Upon opening my email I noticed an odd similarity in the 24 new emails that were not from Daily Candy, a site I am studying in the hopes of putting my friend Melissa on their radar. Anyway, back to the emails, they all had odd code in the From section, little carrots and strange spaces. Most of them had something to do with medic or pharmacy. I started clicking them and quickly realized that at long last I was a victim of some sort of spam-bot. I was crestfallen, unsure if this meant I’d made it, or that I’d been irreparably corrupted.
I deleted the emails and moved on, disappointed, but grateful for the legitimate comments from the ever witty Janet and the hilariously biting Hotfessional. Then I moved on with my day, not quite so sure I’d conquer the world, but ok. Demonstrating my unerring faith in good things happening, as the next day’s sunrise came with another, bursting at the seams inbox, I swooned again, delirious with anticipation, Who wrote today?
More of the same, comments like, “Articles is great” and “Please write different stuffs” and “Is like good.” I sputtered, the line about writing different things hitting me like a slap in the face, even though I knew it was some computer generated drivel. Instead of deleting the emails I clicked on the link to the posts upon which they had been published and went about the tedious process of deleting them. After that I made the official change to a blog that inists that you prove that you are human before you will be allowed to coment. I am hoping that after running into this wall a couple of times, these ghouls will fade away and we can go back to the old fashioned, “Now don’t you worry Mrs. Ingalls, we’ll just put that on your tab and you can pay it when you’re able. We’re all friends here in Walnut Grove.”
Think you can bear with me, maybe even comment, while we wait for peace to once again fall on our beloved little Walnut Grove? I hope so, because we really are all friends and for that I am more grateful than you will ever know.
-Amanda
I ususally get the word verification wrong, too. And it makes me feel old. Or at the very least, visually challenged.
This is the third post I have read like this since last night. The whole spam thing must be on the rise. It really stinks.
A little word verification won't chase me away from commenting!
Let's blame Nellie. She was always up to no good.
You know I'm here forever! You could make me put chains on my hands and type with my toes before I'd stop visiting and commenting!
Besides, sometimes the word verification is cool:
"itdvzm"
ITs Damned ViZual Mommy
See?!?
My favourite is "please write anything else" – which I assume is probably meant to mean "please write more" rather than "stop writing this crap." I've been getting multiple spams on a handful of posts – if it keeps up I might try turning off comments on those particular posts. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the spambots will go away. If not, I'll be right there with you with the word verification.
I am sorry, I only hope that you get even more REAL comments to make up for the disappointment.
I haven't run into this problem. Yet.
And, yes, I always feel a little less competent when I have to perform word verification (she hangs her hand and mumbles this next part)- – I almost always have to enter the letters twice.
But a few hoops won't deter me from commenting, my dear. I lurve me some Wink and Tumble Dry!
Also? My word verification on this post is "jhdtcapt" which I think is short form for "J is handicapped." I don't think it's very nice to make fun of someone else's ineptitude in entering random letters. Yes, I'm talking to YOU Blogger!
No problem, chickie! I have word verification too. At least I think I do. It's a small price to pay.
I had to put up word verification at my place yesterday for the SAME REASON!
I'll take it down again in a few days. Pack of robot spamming jerks.
My spam was totally out of control. Thank god for WordPress Plugins. And the weirdest ones I got?
"My grandpa is a train fanatic" from findurhusband.com.
Where do they come up with this stuff. And ps – wild horse comment validation couldn't keep me from commenting!
I just enabled comment verification as well. It sucks. But after getting hit with some of these bots as well, it seems quite necessary.
My favorite spam comment thus far? 'Magnific!' (Sigh….)
I have to do the letter verification at a gaming site I go to only it's not nearly as clean as it is here. I always end up doing it 3 or 4 times before I can pass through the magic gate.
I think people are getting used to it by now.
So please write more š
When the comment moderation stuff came up I knew it had to be for a reason. Was pretty doggone sure that you didn't all of a sudden lose your mind and decide you were going to start approving 'pretty comments' only!
Not to worry, your crowd is pretty loyal. There is a reason for that, the same reason I knew you wouldn't moderate to only get pats on the back.
You're the real deal, a lady who is truly genuine.
Oh, and I frequently get those word verifications wrong too. A little embarrassing but I'll live. š
I dislike word verification, but I HATE spam a million times more!!!
Bless all of you who fessed up to being denied access once, twice, and maybe even a third time when facing down the verification hurdle.
Kelly and Beck- Here's hoping we can uncheck that obnoxious box soon!
Oh, and to everyone, I bought earrings from BetteJo's shop on Etsy. They came today and they are gorgeous. Check her stuff out.
And, lastly, thanks for commenting, or even if you don't, thanks for coming!
It happens to us all unfortunately.
oh i screw those things up all the time…especially when there are a couple of letters half morphed together!
you know, word verification won't stop the ones who love you from comment…don't forget that! š
yes! that just happened to me too! and i just added word verification too! so annoying. š
this seems to be happening quite a lot lately what a huge pain in the ass. i read you though, i just suck at commenting
Just testing.
(And it works! No problem, no worries. Is like good.)
Word verification won't keep me away!
I'm getting them too and in Word Press, the first time commenter is moderated so that I have a chance to mark it as spam. It seems to work pretty well. Have no fear, I'll gladly word verify.
Huh.
I was so expecting a Red Sox post.
I. Am. A. Human. (Said in high-pitch, robot voice)
i loved this post. not the part about getting all the dumb robot comments but about how getting so many comments made you so excited.
i'm the exact. same. way.
I would jump through hoops to leave comments for you, m'dear! So no worries.
*yawns*
Damn baseball has tuckered me out. Finally can go to bed at a decent hour tonight!
(Yay Sox!)
Bossy is holding the spam at bay, she is deleting, she is reporting, she is a one-woman army, she isn't taking prisoners.
Must have been in the water… I had to go to Word Verification for the same reason.
I have been hoping to avoid this for the same reasons you mentioned, but when I need to I will turn it on as well. Don't feel the need to apologize. Won't keep me away. š
Oh how annoying! I haven't been hit yet with a spam bot… But I'm sure my days are numbered. I, too, frequently get the verification wrong, but it will not stop me from stopping by to comment and say hi (even though I've been a major comment slacker lately!!).
Nice site – thanks.
Can I just tell you how hard I just laughed at myself? HARD!
I slay me.
You slay me too.
I would just like my own spammers to get it through their thick heads that I do not sport a small penis. Or a large penis for that matter!
Same thing happened to me last week — "articles is great" and all sorts of "med" stuff.
I, too, deleted and deleted (argh!) and then implemented word verification.
Reluctantly. But the emails! Ridiculous.