This is a screen shot of my settings page with regard to blog comments. Please click to enlarge to see the details. For some time we've been experiencing troubles here on the Bridge and Beyond with people who used to comment regularly having trouble. Some of the problems were people who were now getting those awful captcha things. I hate them so much, I typically won't visit a blog that has them enabled. I've had probably 15 blogs over the years in several different blog mediums. Spam has truly NEVER been enough of a problem that I felt inconveniencing my faithful blog readers was worth it. It seems like inviting someone to your house and not opening the door when the door bell rings. AND, it puts the work on the reader vs me the blogger, which I also believe to be wrong. Working through many different blogs through the last 10-15 years, I've settled here on blogspot. They've always had a very good filter, and weeded out 99.9% of the spam without my using the captcha. However, it seems now even with my purposely choosing NOT to use the captcha it's there for many of you, who visit and comment. This apparently is triggered by anonymous comments. Sadly, we've lost many of our faithful and vocal supporters because of it. I've researched this problem high and low over the last couple of months and it seems "they" (Blogger/Blogspot) have decided even if it's not enabled it might be used for some people when comments are made using anonymous. I apparently can't control that anymore. Looked at using other formats for blogs and find, many of the options are no longer free so will be staying right here on blogspot.
Moving on now to problem #2. Experimenting around, as well as researching.......I find I am not able to delete anonymous as an option and keep the name and url option. I've always suggested to people to not use the anonymous option, as their comments often end up in the spam folder; to instead use the name and url option and simply leave the url space blank if they do not have a blog url, or facebook or ravelry profile url. In the past that worked fine. Sally and Marjorie, two of our best supporters by way of comments have been two of the people who've let me know they're not able to comment and or if they do it takes multiple tries and they get the captcha. I'm not clear how many others we've lost that haven't communicating directly with me to let me know; but I do know our stats across the board are indeed down. Our comments are down, page visits are down, donations are down. It would seem this could be all tied in together. Though I know many people simply change whom they donate too based on a new interest so I can't completely say that's the only thing causing the numbers to decrease vs grow as they have every other year since beginning the blog back in 09 or 08.
My options are to do away with anonymous, but then it seems if our faithful knitters and crocheters who don't blog, or have an open ID (meaning they would still need to register somewhere) wouldn't be able to comment at all. So, that doesn't seem like a good solution either.
My sincere apology to those who dislike the captcha as much as I do, have trouble seeing and or hearing it. I've tried to get several people to test things for me, to let me know if they're a blogger, to let me know what they see, and whether or not they get the captcha; but haven't succeeding in getting enough people that's it's a valid test. I've even asked that they do screen shots so I might see what's going on at that end, but many folks don't know to do that, so haven't received any. For the time being, it seems the best I can do is to again ask people to use the name and url option if they aren't bloggers, to avoid the anonymous option and to keep communicating with me.
I've been making a few changes here and there on blog and will possibly be using a new template...though I'm not sure it will change the comment problem, it might help with more then just a new clean fresh look here on Bridge and Beyond.
Did you see the year end totals? If not, click HERE
Did you read specific details regarding Afghans? If not, click HERE
Please pop in tomorrow for details on stats regarding scarves and more.
All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.
Very interesting Sandy. I use the name not the anonymous and I still get the captcha. Some times I have to try a few times when it gives that crazy printing. It is sometimes very hard to read the letters. I know it is important to make comments, so I will try again.
ReplyDeletePostage has gotten higher over the years, so that is also a factor in donations being down.
I don't know about creating blogs. Good luck with it.
Thank you SSeger, for the visit and comments; much appreciated. Right you are, postage does factor in, I should have added that as well.
DeleteThanks for the info Sandy, I have not had any problems leaving any comments. Last week in error I tried to comment on a much older post- that did not work. I have a gmail account and that's I use to sign in.
ReplyDeleteThanks Barbara F for the visit and the comment, appreciate the feedback about what's going on here on blogspot. I did manage to fix the reply feature when I switched blog templates. I like the reply right after someone's comment, makes it more conversational, but for some reason I couldn't get that to work on the other template. So, I guess that's one foot forward.
DeleteHope you can correct the problem, I'm using my gmail account and so far no problem.
DeleteI've been reading about it off and on for several months and there sadly doesn't seem to be a fix, it's part of their format using the captcha when I've chosen not to use it. Totally baffles me why it's an option if they choose to randomly use it.
DeleteI do find that captcha thing a pain, only because as many times as I refresh for a new one, because I can't read them being blind in one eye and the other not so good anymore. I use google to sign in and am trying it now.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry totals have been down. I should go through my yarn and do some stash busting. A lot of my scarves and things have been going to local families as we live in a very poor community. And I sent some in for the elementary school for kids who don't have them to use during recess so they don't have to stay in.
Kim Anderson
Thanks for popping in to help me test things here on the blog Kim, must appreciated. You might try listening to the captcha as that's always an option when you're having trouble seeing it. Thank you also for doing what you can to aid people in need with your scarves for local families and kids in school. Kids need to get outside at recess with their friends, making them stay in because they don't have warm clothing singles them out, and they don't need that.
DeleteSweet. Signed in no problem
ReplyDeleteThanks for the follow up on posting with being signed in etc. Looks like you have a blog, so will hop over and take a look.
DeleteCorrection, it's your google/blog sign in. Hope to see you here often on Bridge and Beyond, visits and comments are also a way of helping, even if you're knitting etc is helping elsewhere. Keep up the good work.
DeleteWill try my best :) and thank you
DeleteI'm not a blogger at this point in time. Yes, captcha is thoroughly annoying but I've had no problems when using my google account.
ReplyDeleteThanks Antonia for checking it out for me, much appreciated. Hope you'll stop by more often, it truly helps the blog.
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