Blog Comments - Captcha Sucks ! Or: What is 6 +1 ?

Blog Comments – Captcha Sucks ! Or: What is 6 +1 ?

On March 15, 2011, in Networking, Social media, Video, by Oliver

Blog Comments – Captcha Sucks ! Or: What is 6 + 1 ?

You may or may not know that I comment on a lot of other people’s blogs because I learn to love from other people and to give them feedback and speak my mind by leaving blog comments.

Blog commenting is beneficial for everybody – for the blog owner as well as the visitors.

Some people however seem to miss the boat.

If you have ever wondered why you don’t get any comments on your blog, I have an idea for you to think about:

It is legitimate to fight spam blog comments.

But there are better ways than scaring people away with Captchas or complicated math problems

Look at my comment section and that of many of my blogging friends:

You have to check a little box that you’re not a spammer and then you’re fine. If you’re really not a spammer of course, that provided.

Spam bots can’t read this check box and so you don’t get any spam comments from bots.

The plugin I use is called G.A.S.P. – Growmap Anti Spambot Plugin.

It allowed me to get rid of Akismet and Captcha which is relief for both my readers and me.

The result: Happy visitors, spam comments close to zero.

What else do you want ?

What is your opinion ?

I always love your reaction, so please leave me a comment down below with questions, thoughts, or feedback.

And (yes, here’s my call to action) please share this post with your Twitter and Facebook friends by clicking on the share buttons. I appreciate you telling others.

To a prosperous life,

Oliver Tausend
+1 201 984 5664 office North America (anytime)
+49 1512 9125216 office Germany & other countries (anytime)
Skype ID: guernsey2016 (anytime)
wordpress@olivertausend.com
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42 Responses to “Blog Comments – Captcha Sucks ! Or: What is 6 +1 ?”

Nail Yener says:

March 15, 2011 at 10:51

Oliver,

I totally agree with you. When I first started blogging, I put a captcha on my comment form as if my blog was getting hundreds of comments daily. Then I realized that the most popular blogs in the IM world didn’t have a captcha form or silly math questions. And I am sure they are getting way more spam comments then me. So, I removed the captcha and noticed a slight increase in my real comments.
Nail Yener recently posted..The Concept of Generating Passive Income Streams Online

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 10:54
Hi Nail,

thanks for your comment. Thanks to the GASP plugin, I got rid of Akismet, Captchas and automated spam.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]
Nail Yener Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 11:13
Well, honestly I haven’t heard of that plugin before, I will give it a look now.

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 11:16
Cool. Let me know how it works for you

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Jayne Kopp says:

March 15, 2011 at 17:12

HI Oliver, I have to agree that capcha’s are frustrating. Particularly as you say when they don’t go through.

It is much better to use GASP and as you say, your spam comments are close to zero.

Great idea sharing this plugin!

See you soon!
Jayne Kopp recently posted..Join Our Blog Marketing Forum Pull Together There’s Strength in Numbers!

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 19:23
Hi Jayne,

thanks for your comment. It’s really amazing how well GASP works, I even was able to get rid of Akismet.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Heather C Stephens
Twitter: stephensheather
says:

March 15, 2011 at 17:43

Yes Oliver!

I TOTALLY agree with you. I hate captchas! The GASP plugin works great and is the perfect solution for bloggers who want to control spam and keep their readers engaged!

Heather
Heather C Stephens recently posted..Scared or Broke Which Online Marketing Opportunity Are You Choosing

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 19:24
Hi Heather,

Thanks for seconding me on that and also thank you for your comment.

Take care

Oliver

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Mavis Nong
Twitter: MavisNong
says:

March 15, 2011 at 18:43

Hey Oliver,

I couldn’t agree with you more! I hate Captchas. I love the Growmap Anti Spambot Plugin. And I don’t even use Aksimet anymore.

Thanks for sharing.

All the best,
Mavis
Mavis Nong recently posted..How to Beat the Changes to Organic Traffic Generation Rules

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 19:24
Hi Mavis,

I also removed Akismet and everything’s fine. I don’t like systems that think too much

Thanks for your comment.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Nelly Paekukui says:

March 15, 2011 at 18:56

Hi Oliver,

I always wondered about those captchas on some blogs. It can get frustrating when the comment doesn’t go through.

Great topic to address and thank you for the plug-in suggestion too.

Nelly
Nelly Paekukui recently posted..Tsunamis Network Marketing Loved Ones Indescribable

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 19:25
Hi Nelly,

thanks for your comment and your appreciation. It’s really frustrating and not motivating at all. We can’t expect that our readers interact with us if we make it too difficult.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Lisbeth Tanz says:

March 15, 2011 at 18:56

Oliver, I love learning about things that can make my readers’ experience with my blog easier and more enjoyable. I’ll go check out the GASP plugin. I’d love to get rid of some extra weight on my blog. And (sheepishly she admits) I just put captcha on my blog!
Lisbeth Tanz recently posted..Google Goo Ga Ga

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 19:28
Hi Lisbeth,

thanks for your comment. I had it as well, actually it was one of the first things I installed on my blog – that was before the GASP plugin appeared.

The trouble: You don’t get feedback. Very few people actually take the time to tell you that your Captcha plugin is a concern. They simply leave your blog and most likely don’t come back anymore.

I was able to drop Captcha and Akismet, as far as extra weight on my blog was concerned

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Ilka Flood
Twitter: ilkaflood
says:

March 15, 2011 at 20:56

Hi Oliver,

Are you sure 6+1=7? Just kidding you.

I do get very annoyed at Captcha as well. Some are even so hard to read that you are doomed from the start. And the worst thing like you pointed out is when you know you entered it correctly and your comment still doesn’t go through.

I have some blogging friends who still use Captcha and because I value their friendship and their information I still leave them my feedback. BUT…I highlight and copy my comment first before hitting submit just in case it doesn’t go through so I don’t have to write it again.

Great post and video! I, as many of my fellow bloggers know your pain.

Have an awesome evening!

Ilka
Ilka Flood recently posted..Google Sneezed Did You Catch a Cold Blog Commenting a Great Backlink Strategy

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 18th, 2011 at 16:45
Hi Ilka,

thanks for your comment. No, I wasn’t sure anymore after my comment didn’t go through

Yeah, we really have to copy our comment before we submit it, that’s a secure way and I also apply it occasionally.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Martha Giffen says:

March 15, 2011 at 22:01

Agreed. It’s not worth it to have to jump through hoops, avoid the fire, and then pee in a cup to post a comment. You said it nicely!

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 18th, 2011 at 16:38
Hi Martha,

thanks for your comment.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Stacy
Twitter: growwithstacy
says:

March 16, 2011 at 00:35

Hi Oliver,

I couldn’t agree more! Captcha is really annoying and it seems like half of the time that I enter the code it tells me that I’m wrong and often my entire comment has been eaten up. If leaving a comment on a blog ends up being stressful I will be leary of leaving another comment on that site, and only if the site is extraordinary will I come back for more!

I think that GASP is the best anti-spam plugin out there. Akismet blacklisted me and there was a period of a couple days when I couldn’t comment on almost anyone’s blog – and I couldn’t figure out why because I wasn’t even using Akismet myself at the time! Clicking a button instead of typing in captcha is so much easier and I get so much less spam than before too!

Stacy
Stacy recently posted..Are You Missing Out by Not Being on Blokube

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 18th, 2011 at 16:36
Hi Stacy,

the best thing is that my good friends like you don’t get marked as spammers

Thanks for your comment, couldn’t agree more with you.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Steve Shoemaker
Twitter: steveshoemaker
says:

March 16, 2011 at 00:45

Oliver nice topic. One that is overlooked but glad you addressed it. I sometimes don’t really like going to blogs that have the captcha form.

It is a real time waster especially if your browsers is not up to snuff and times out and you have to go back and enter it again.

Almost makes it to annoying to comment. Great tip here with the plug in I wondered what that was see it a lot lately.

Steve
Steve Shoemaker recently posted..How To Add A iframe Tab To Your Facebook Like Page With This WP Plugin

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 18th, 2011 at 16:34
Hi Steve,

thanks for your comment. It’s really annoying and when I leave a comment on a Captcha blog, I am not willing to comment twice if the first comment gets lost.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Marty says:

March 16, 2011 at 00:53

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It’s ok Oliver. I’m just kidding! I ditched Captcha a while ago shortly after I moved over to WordPress. I never even started using Akismet. Thanks to Stacy I use the “confirm you are not spam” plugin.
I do still comment at places that use Captcha, but as you say, it is a little annoying. In my experience, when I’ve left a blog page dormant, that is when spam tends to come in. I’m using DISQUS which seems to work quite well. I’ve seen a couple of people use that and not had problems with it.
Marty recently posted..Communicating online- Top tips for success

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 18th, 2011 at 16:32
Hi Marty,

thanks for your comment. I also leave comments on Captcha blogs, but I am not willing to post anything twice if a comment gets lost. The plugin you mention is the GASP plugin, works very well.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Steve Nicholas says:

March 16, 2011 at 03:04

Great post, Oliver! I think that it is vital to have effective ways to fight spam. Some of the frustration with some of the captcha programs is when some of the letters are so tight together that I can’t tell between an r and an n, for example, so I have to keep cycling through. I keep other programs because I’ve noticed that there are people who spam in their comments who aren’t robots, so this is a good way for me to check, but you are right that there needs to be something that works for both the blogger and the commenter.
Steve Nicholas recently posted..Motivation is Not Enough

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 18th, 2011 at 16:27
Hi Steve,

I finally decided that I don’t want to punish my honest readers. 99 % of the comments I get are legitimate and written by honest people.

I’d rather spam a comment after it got posted instead of un-spamming false positives.

Thanks for your comment.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Linda says:

March 16, 2011 at 21:16

We appreciate your input, and I’m getting truly interested with Growmap, I just finished reading some of Growmap’s blogs as well. Internet Marketing is a serous business, we need those valuable ‘missing comments’.

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 18th, 2011 at 16:17
Hi Linda,

thanks for your comment.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Kesha says:

March 16, 2011 at 23:01

I never liked Akismet personally and now use WP-Spamfree and G.A.S.P. as it’s soooo much easier for people to use.

Captchas turn a lot of people off and really there’s no need to use them…especially with WordPress and better theming options these days, no one really has to.

Thanks Oliver for sharing!
Kesha recently posted..One Killer Best Practice of Marketing Is…

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 18th, 2011 at 16:15
Hi Kesha,

thanks for your comment. Some people don’t seem to know that there are better alternatives.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Delena Silverfox says:

March 18, 2011 at 03:39

Oh, it’s a hard debate on whether I’d want to deal with captchas or get a tooth pulled without novocaine. If they don’t go through, or you forget to check one box, or miss anything, you just kept getting sent back to the frustration.

I comment on a lot of blogs for clients, and 50% have captchas. I. Hate. Them.

Delena
Delena Silverfox recently posted..epc Belfast

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 18th, 2011 at 16:07
Hi Delena,

there’s no denying the fact that Captchas are very annoying. Most people know that there are better ways of spam protection.

Thanks for your comment.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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raymund says:

March 23, 2011 at 07:38

Thank you for informing your readers about the power of GASP. It is the best anti-spam in the 21st century

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 25th, 2011 at 21:33
Hi Raymund,

thanks for your comment. GASP is awesome.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Marcus Baker
Twitter: marcus_baker
says:

March 24, 2011 at 06:12

Hi Oliver,

I have used GASP almost from it’s first day of release and it works brilliantly all on its own.

Captchas have never brought the best out in me but then these days I find it quite amusing that something so silly can get me so worked up. LOL

~Marcus
Marcus Baker recently posted..Why you Want Your Facebook Friends to Come to Your Funeral

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 25th, 2011 at 17:21
Hi Marcus,

as a matter of fact, I have it from you

Thanks for your comment.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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john says:

March 26, 2011 at 19:25

nice info.post.its useful.i like this plugin.its so much useful to all.

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 27th, 2011 at 14:37
Hi John,

thanks for your comment. Glad you find my information useful.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Tech Crates says:

March 29, 2011 at 15:08

Strongly agree with you…. Everyone should adopt the use of GASP …its pretty easy to check a box than working out on maths capcha’s
Tech Crates recently posted..Nokia C5 – C Series Smartphone Review

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 29th, 2011 at 16:15
Thanks for your initial comment on my blog.

Come back soon and take care.

Oliver

[Reply]

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Oliver says:

August 1, 2011 at 10:45

Hi Kyle,

so true, I am asking myself the same questions…

Thanks for your comment.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Oliver says:

August 1, 2011 at 10:46

Hi Kyle,

thanks for adding ths. That’s really a fun way of doing Captchas. Thanks for sharing.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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