Blogcritics.org is now running MovableType 2.661, which provides some support for dissuading comment spammers from their trade.
Among other things, this version changes the way comment URLs work. Previously, if you specified an URL when commenting, your name would be linked to your website, providing readers with a chance to find your site and also providing just a little hint of Googlejuice for your site. Now those links take the form of http://blogcritics.org/mt/mt-comments.cgi?__mode=red&id=12345 (NOT a valid link), where the number at the end dictates where you'll end up. Readers can still find your site easily, but it eliminates the Googlejuice, and therefore the motivation for the comment spammers.
For now, links are still allowed within comments, but we may end up doing something with that, too.
Some dedicated commenters will undoubtedly be disappointed by this, and I'm sorry about that. Life is often like that: a few knuckleheads spoiling things for the rest of us. I've been thinking over ways to reward frequent commenters despite this new restriction, and I suspect some variation on the Leaderboard will be the answer. In the meantime, don't worry about it. Just keep going about your business and doing your thing, and know we're looking out for you.
As always, if there are any problems with the upgrade, please let me know. I re-applied the site customizations, so things shouldn't be any different for Blogcritics posters. Thanks!
Article comments
1 - Phillip Winn
The changes, for anyone who cares, are as follows:
And, you know, other internal things.
2 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Phillip, I hope it helps and I hope it doesn't mess any REAL commenters up.
3 - Eric Olsen
I've found a problem: once you click over to a commenter's site, you can't click back, the redirect doesn't work in reverse.
4 - Phillip Winn
What browser are you using? I tested on Mozilla/Win and Safari/Mac, both 'Back' just fine.
I did note that MSIE/Mac requires two back-clicks, since for some reason it misinterprets the sort of redirect offered. Is that what you're seeing?
5 - Eric Olsen
I couldn't get it to go back at all, no matter how many clicks.
6 - Mac Diva
When did the upgrade occur? The worst spam attacks I've seen occurred this week. One was by a crazed lyricist who hit just about every comment.
And, I am still wondering if Blogcritics can be made viewable on a PDA. Being able to post from a phone or handheld, as some of us have tried to do with unfortunate results, would be great.
7 - BB
Have my eyes miraculously improved or is it really the font that seems larger?
8 - Phillip Winn
Eric: Er, MSIE has a little tiny drop-down indicator next to the back button, and you should be able to click that to go back two hops at one.
It's a shame that the browser used by the most people is the biggest pile of crap. Consider using, well, just about anything else.
MD: About five minutes before my post. :)
BB: The word "miraculously" might be a stretch, but I didn't do anything explicitly to make fonts larger, and I haven't noticed it myself. Different computer, different installed fonts, perhaps?
9 - Eric Olsen
I see - very tricky
10 - BB
What a disappointment. I was hoping for a healing. Actually Phillip I changed nothing and the rest of the internet appears normal except for BC. Am I the only one who noticed the fonts are larger. Hmmm... that is weird. Maybe I need an exorcism?
11 - BB
BTW, I notice the home page doesn't fit like it used to. I now have to scroll to the right to see it all (sorry but I'm technically challenged with a 17" screen). And on the archive pages it seems the right frame is wider than it used to be. Or is this also my imagination? Perhaps that exorcism really is in order ;-)
12 - bhw
BB, did you change the resolution on your screen, by any chance?
13 - Steve Rhodes
I hope you won't ban links within comments.
It would be a shame to let the spammers win and take away our freedom to link.
14 - BB
Update: as soon as posted the last comment the right frame resized back to normal. I can hear the exorcist music now.
15 - Bb
No Phillip I haven't changed any of my computer settings including the screen. The home page seems to have resized back to normal again but the fonts still look large. I don't believe it is my computer. Have you been changing any settings at your end since we started this confab?
16 - Phillip Winn
BB: Nope. Anybody else seeing the same change?
Steve: No plans to, but spammers suck, so we'll see. Never can I imagine completely banning links, but we may redirect them at some point in the future, as with author URLs now. I hope not.
17 - TDavid
Spammers fuck everything up it seems these days. Good to see Ben & company fighting the eternal struggle.
On this machine running IE 5.5 (yeah, I know got to upgrade this) I'm with BB, the fonts in IE are larger.
This can be fixed locally though. In Internet Explorer, just go into VIEW->TEXT SIZE-> and change to 'smaller' and at least the text size goes back to normal in the comments and the article section. The stuff in the side bars in IE still look one or two font sizes larger than normal, perhaps 12 instead of 10.
I haven't checked in any other browser. Have the newest version on other machines, along with a half dozen or so other browsers (mozilla, netscape, konqueror, irider, aohell, etc).
18 - BB
Thanx for the tip TD. I forgot about that and it worked. I'm surprised (and pleased) that it didn't affect my surfing of other websites either. Must be a glitch in the upgrade with IE. It's good to know I won't need that exorcism after all.
19 - gonzo marx
one small Question..
you want to protect "real commenters"
what about us Surreal Commenters..
just because i am a figment of some digital Imagination doesn't mean i don't have wants and ....
needs...
but i digress...
nice work..hope it severly fucks up the spammers more than a trip to the vivisectionist...
but there's always my woodchipper if they get to bothering you...
nuff said?
Excelsior!