Home > Blogging, Geeky > What the heck is a “Captcha?”

What the heck is a “Captcha?”

January 6, 2005

“Comment Spam” is when some lowlife uses the comment feature of some Decrepit Old fool’s Weblog to post their web-links about debt consolidation, online gambling, generic viagra, and so forth.  :mad:   I just cleaned out several comment spams that hit this morning.  This caused me to enable “captcha” security…
=-

To combat this comment kudzu, I’ve turned on “captcha” security.  When you go to post a comment, you have to read a word and type it in a box before clicking “submit.”  The word changes each time, and usually humans can read it, while the automated scripts that post the spam cannot.  It’s bothersome to my readers and a real problem for the visually impaired, which is why I have not had it turned on until now.

Y’know the worst thing about comment spam?  I get all excited when I get comment notices. Back in college, essay grades were important, sure, but I was most interested in what the professor had to say about the essay.  I love it when readers leave comments – good ones, bad ones, tell-me-I’m-the-antichrist ones, whatever.  Then it turns out not to be a reader at all, but some idiot selling pecker pills.  What a disappointment.

Please email me if you have any problem using the comment feature.  (By the way, if you’re a registered member, and you’re logged in, you skip right past the captcha.  :-) )

Categories: Blogging, Geeky
  1. MrsDoF
    January 6, 2005 at 11:13 | #1

    This is definitely some security.  Even the Missus had to fill out the Member Registration and get cleared.  The rules say I have to use acceptable language.  I promise to keep it clean and on task.

  2. January 6, 2005 at 11:36 | #2

    Hmm… maybe I should clarify: you can still comment anonymously if you like, just like always.  Registration just lets you skip past the captcha.

  3. January 9, 2005 at 10:40 | #3

    I’ve had some, too.

    Sadly, right now captchas in drupal only work for user registrations and not for content. Then again, I can simply have anonymous registrations require moderator approval. And there’s a spam module, too.

Comments are closed.