Captcha Issue: Why You WILL Lose My Comment - Possibly My Subscription
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Please don’t misunderstand. I’m all for fighting comment spam as much if not more then the next blogger. If you desire the use of a captcha or two, go for it. I fully support you.
For cryin out loud though people, use one that is CLEARLY VISIBLE.
I read and comment on a LOT of Blogs in the sphere and the pure disdain I have for those teeny tiny little question/answer captcha’s placed in amongst the other fields (name email URL) cannot be measured with todays technology.
A real PITA if there ever was one. Btw, for those that don’t realize, that’s PAIN IN THE ASS. Who’s brainchild were these?
Now I know the first silly question popping off all over, “If you have to fill in those fields anyway, how can you miss it?”
Answer 1: Easily. One click of the AutoFill button within the Google toolbar takes care of it.
Answer 2: I simply double click the field and pick from a saved list. This is useful if I want to change up the URL
Answer 3: If you read and comment on as many as I do on a particular day the fields are already filled in when you get there. I never even look up.
None of which takes more then a second or 2.
I take as much care as humanly possible to always leave a proper comment. Whether it’s useful to the post, the blogger him/herself, other readers/commenter’s or whatever.
I am so tired of having it all wiped out in the blink of an eye because I missed the ridiculous tiny captcha and have to back-space!
Final thoughts, then it’s your turn…
I’ve never personally used, need, or wanted anything other then Akismet. But like I said, you want a captcha, go for it.
Captcha’s are their to foil ELECTRONIC BOTS. Size makes no difference to a bot. Why make it that much more difficult for the human element that you DO want on your blog?
And finally - Fair Warning: If your silly little captcha catches me at the wrong time, you WILL lose my comment. That’s a no-brainer.
Even worse, you will very possibly lose my readership - and since ALL the blogs I read more then once are through email subscriptions…..you just LOST A SUBSCRIBER.
For no good reason whatsoever.
OK your turn - am I spot on here or do you enjoy having to rewrite comments, taking up your precious time?
Please let me know…:-)
Never stop pushing forward!
Dennis
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Tags: Blogging, blogs, comment spam, email subscription, google, google toolbar, RSS, spam
July 7th, 2008 at 8:10 am
You’re right on, actually.
I’m toying with the idea of losing Recaptcha and instead, using the math thingee for spam protection - not everyone knows you can click the little ‘refresh’ button on the Recaptcha to get a new image.
Data points,
Barbara
July 7th, 2008 at 8:54 am
ACK!!! Nooooooooooooo those friggin math thing’s are exactly the type I’m referring too…or at least one of them.
NAME
EMAIL
math captcha with the tiniest font imaginable
URL
Yours is RIGHT IN MY FACE - perfect! And even better now since it seems to have moved up some with the new theme.
You have a good point though, I only found the refresh aspect as a sour of the moment test.
Can you add a line through admin stating “refresh for new captcha”….something like that?
If you do, please let me know. I’ll update my post and point to yours as a good example
July 7th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
I can surely relate to this. I get used to copy my comments before hitting the submit button, especially longer ones.
However, I dislike blurred captcha most. It is hard to read and causes more troubles than it helps.
Hendry Lees last blog post..Search Everything — A WordPress Plugin to Search Pages, Comments, and More
July 7th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I copy my comments now too, when I remember too.
Funny, earlier I was discussing Recaptcha with Barbara Ling (1st comment) and that one is blurry….it has lines through it.
She wants to switch because most people don’t realize that you can REFRESH the page until you get one you can read…a small tip for ya
July 7th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I can´t stand them, you are so right! I have lost quite some comments because of the captcha system, never get to rewrite them once lost in cyberspace!
Anyways, thought I´d visit you after your comment on my blog, will try posting on the linkbuilding strategy this week
cheers!
Mirjams last blog post..What is More Important, The Product or The Sales Technique?
July 7th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Damn it’s frustrating ain’t it? Thanks for dropping by?
Which link building strategy are you referring to?
July 7th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
OMG OMG OMG, I so feel you on this, some of those captchas are SOOOO LAME and I am with you, I don’t spam, I read blogs that are helpful to me and when I take the time to leave a comment, it is to be helpful and join in a discussion, and if I have to jump through hoops with some lame PITA (I love that Dennis :-)), too small to read captcha then I’m out of there.
And you are right Dennis, AKISMET is all you need, that takes care of the spammers, why would any blogger want to irritate visitors and commentators I will never understand, and I wonder if they even check how the captcha looks on their site?
And thank you for your active participation on my site.
Thanks Dennis,
JR
July 7th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Absolutely right, and honestly we really don’t need external captcha’s at all.
If you don’t like Akismet, there are plenty of other INTERNAL spam killing plugins to choose from.
Thanks for dropping by, and no reason to thank me…you have some awesome stuff on your blog
July 8th, 2008 at 12:40 am
I know what you mean!!!
Work At Home Mom Taras last blog post..Want to develop an attractive personality?
July 8th, 2008 at 5:13 am
LOL Thanks Tara
July 8th, 2008 at 8:37 am
Captcha sucks big time. I use Aksimet and would much take the time to approve or deny comments.
Half the time they are so hard to see and perpetually pain in my butt.
Good way to present your views on them. Oh yeah got via Top CommentLuv site. Just so you know it is working.
wendys last blog post..Links for 2008-07-07 [Digg]
July 8th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Wendy - I edited your first line a bit LOL but you’re quite correct!
The big “complaint” most have about Akismet, is the fact that it sometime catches legit comments.
So? If it takes more then a minute to scan the spam then you are just not doing it enough, and I KNOW these people are in there blogs at least every other day.
Right now I have 49 comments in Akismet, I think I’ll take 30 seconds now to scroll it
July 8th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Dennis,
Nice and on-point post. I know I have battled the spam using multiple plugins and I know first hand how hard t is to find the balance between fighting the comment SPAM and rewarding good commenters, such as yourself.
Great point made here!
Alexs last blog post..How To Setup A BANS Store In Minutes
July 8th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Thanks Alex, I appreciate the kudos! Keep up the great work on your own blog as well
I believe it was your old math plugin that was one of the “final straw” prompters that started this post.
Although I never actually “left” your blog because your particular info was/is worth the hassle, I’m very happy to see it gone
July 8th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
I love the ones that are simple and ask questions like ‘What colour is an orange’
Tom - StandOutBlogger.coms last blog post..10 Simple Tips To Maximise Your Comment Results
July 8th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Is fire hot or cold? Yea I like ‘em too as long as their clearly visible before hitting submit.
Thanks Tom
Dennis Edells last blog post..Captcha Issue: Why You WILL Lose My Comment - Possibly My Subscription
July 8th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Yeah, I will not jump through hoops to leave a comment either! No one has the time for it.
July 8th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Exactly right!
July 11th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
I hate the ones that are bloody illegible because of the image used. Like you, depending on my mood I leave these without leaving a comment.
Sires last blog post..Fridays Funnies #3 Sex And The Old Couple
July 13th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Heyeah! You’re being popular. I always see your name in most blogs with top commentators
Husseins last blog post..Free Premium WordPress Theme From UBD
July 14th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I hate the ones that mix letters together. Obviously a lot of us are real commenter’s. Most blogs that have comment capatcha turn me away and I don’t come back..
how to earn onlines last blog post..Moneybites Affiliate Challenge Results
July 15th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
I agree and disagree…. I usually don’t have to re-write a comment because of those kind of captchas….
But, i hate captchas that have horrible fonts w/o a refresh button, to get a new captcha code to enter.
But, i very much can tell and understand where your frustration is coming from.
(BTW, i responded to your comment response on Blog About Your Blog’s No Self-Ping post… check it!)
Link Building Bibles last blog post..Link Building Tip: List of SEO Friendly Directories
August 8th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
I am in a pickle about this one. My friend and I, our site uses Akismet, and it started getting lots of spam recently and Akismet is doing its job. I was debating on whether to use Captcha.
After reading this, I think I have decided to just have Akismet do its thing and take the time to just look through the comments and approve if needed.
Thanks a bunch Dennis for putting this in light.
August 19th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Ha, ha, ha… Oh Dennis, I occasionally have a similar rant on - not only about the clarity of captcha images - but the size of the post text! One could be forgiven for wondering whether some bloggers suspect Google of slapping sites for presenting posts in a comfortably readable font size (oh, and don’t get me started on font color and backgrounds)!
In a tolerant mood, I’m willing to accept that young minds don’t give a thought to the fact that not everyone has young, fully functioning eyesight like they do!
Now look what you’ve done! OK… check blood pressure…. breathe deeply… think about fluffy white clouds and a calm blue ocean….
Layne | Reward Rebels last blog post..SezWho Says Sayonara
September 4th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Hello everyone! I am so sorry for the extremely late replies; I just spent nearly 2 months in rehab due to a torn ligament in my knee….look for my next post explaining it.
September 4th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Sire - exactly, too bad so sad for the blogger
September 4th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Hussein - thanks buddy, promote promote promote!
September 4th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
How - I get your frustration on those as well
September 4th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Link - spot on buddy, and I’ll check the BAYB post as soon as I can.
September 4th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
John - you’re quite welcome and thanks for the comment. Akismet does do quite well, and you just reminded me of another post I shall make
September 4th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Hi Layne! Hmm, do I see another post regarding blog designs? Heh heh
September 10th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
There is a new Captcha-like tool that actually helps digitize out of print books using human eyes where software can’t understand it.
Jonathan (loves Innovative Marketing)s last blog post..Inn-0-V-Eight
September 10th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Jonathan - what is the name of the tool?
October 7th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Agreed. Most captchas are annoying and difficult to read. And I still have good eyesight…I can’t imagine how it must be for people with vision problems.
Not sure which plugin it is, but I’ve notcied some blogs asking simple math questions like “2+2=” instead of a captcha.
Mike Collins´s last blog post..Using Htaccess To Mask Affiliate Links
October 7th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Mike - those are the exact ones I’m referring to
There are different ones though…the ones that irk me to death are the teeny tiny numbered ones right in-between or right below the Name/URL fields
My eyes skip right over them to the comment box, Arg.
October 8th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Yea. I understand your feeling. Some of the word verifications are so hard to read and it looks as if it is trying to keep human out of the system instead of bot.
@Mike: I think those are simply called Math captcha
An example of it for wordpress plugin will be Math Comment Spam Protection - http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/math-comment-spam-protection/
Just google for Math captcha plugin and you can get them.
Wystery´s last blog post..London Restaurant takes dining experience to next level
October 9th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Oh Mike please don’t, as you see the Math ones aggravate me the most! LOL
Wystery - a little comfort with the word verifications is the fact that you can refresh until you get one you can read
October 11th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I really like what you had to say here! It’s about time! Would you mind if I placed a link back from my blog?
October 11th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Please do and thanks!
Interesting blog ya got there
Please note though, I fished you out of my spam filter.
October 21st, 2008 at 9:26 pm
now I remember, this was the post that I tried to comment but could not due to the error you had.
well, captcha is fine for me as long as it’s easy to read. a too complicated captcha will surely keep your visitors off from commenting
Acakadut´s last blog post..hugh everett
October 21st, 2008 at 11:18 pm
That’s right, which is what makes it so silly. Captchas are there in the first place to catch automated spam…why risk losing human readers?
October 30th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
ah well. i do get that they’re important, but they can indeed be a pain. some are easier to make out than others though. the blogger captchas i can deal with usually. the math ones, i’m actually fine with.
it’s the more unintelligible ones which really do me in though sometimes. 
kouji´s last blog post..autumn haiku poem
October 30th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
I just refresh those until it is readable
October 30th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Captcha is an all around PITA and just reminds me how much Spammers ruin it for everybody.Ideally we wouldn’t need this sort of system at all!
Dot Com Dud´s last blog post..How I Promoted My First Blog Contest
October 31st, 2008 at 7:45 am
Oh…can’t agree more with Dot Com Dud. CAPTCHA is a PITA. There are very few of them that I can read. I’m a much bigger fan of the ones that don’t obscure the text at all, but rather ask you to answer a question.
Like: “Enter the answer: 1+1″ or “Type the word foo” , etc.
bill´s last blog post..At risk of home foreclosure ? Get the right kind of help.
October 31st, 2008 at 9:15 am
@dot and bill - I couldn’t agree more! Except for the math ones, as those are the ones I’m bitchin’ about most LOL
The little tiny ones in between the other lines….always pass right by ‘em, arg!
November 8th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Oh Dennis,
And I thought I was the only one having this problem. Now with your post I can say I HATE CAPCHAS. Some of them are not meant for humans anyway. You have to second guess what the hell is written. Would you call them alphabets if they were blurred or crossed out or funny shaped. It’s an insult to humans to be subjected to this ‘are you human’ test. Possibly meant for aliens, or Terminator.
Peter Lee
November 8th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
The ones I hate are the ones that are so hard to read sometimes I get them wrong. Then they erase my comment and I have to start over. Sheesh.
The math ones don’t bother me I usually get them right : -)
November 9th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Peter - You hit my second main point on the head my man. “Bots” have no idea between one captcha and another…why turn away legit humans by pissing them off?
November 9th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Ned - Welcome to the community!
Exactly right my friend. I’ve since come to learn though that if you refresh enough times (before writing) you will eventually come up with a clear one.
LOL I always get them right too, WHEN I notice them….the itty bitty ones that you pass right by are the ones that get me.
Although I have hit some that actually get the math wrong..I think I know what 1+1 is and it tells me no?
November 17th, 2008 at 6:14 am
Hi Peter -
I just installed Captcha and I tried to pick one based on readability. I did it because for some unknown I started getting a lot of spam. I use AKISMET also but it’s not perfect. I have found perfectly good comments flagged as possible spam by AKISMET and some missed that went to moderation.
Since I started using Captcha I have had one spam comment. I had no intention of using Captcha at first but when it started getting 30 spam comments in a half hour I changed my mind.
John´s last blog post..Why Buy A Domain Name When Using Blogger Or
November 17th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Hey John, I don’t mean to jump in front of Peter, but just to say welcome to the community! I hope to see you around more often.
I’m off to check out your affiliate blog now.