Comments on: How that worked out: an election followup http://newsrackblog.com/2008/12/04/how-that-worked-out-election-followup/ a citizen's journal by Thomas Nephew Thu, 17 May 2012 23:57:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Thomas Nephew http://newsrackblog.com/2008/12/04/how-that-worked-out-election-followup/#comment-3576 Thomas Nephew Sat, 03 Jan 2009 21:41:13 +0000 http://newsrackblog.com/2008/11/16/my-yard-signs-election-08/#comment-3576 Thanks for the information -- happy new year to you, too! Thanks for the information — happy new year to you, too!

]]> By: WorldWideWeber http://newsrackblog.com/2008/12/04/how-that-worked-out-election-followup/#comment-3575 WorldWideWeber Sat, 03 Jan 2009 21:30:25 +0000 http://newsrackblog.com/2008/11/16/my-yard-signs-election-08/#comment-3575 P.P.S. Happy New Year! P.P.S. Happy New Year!

]]> By: WorldWideWeber http://newsrackblog.com/2008/12/04/how-that-worked-out-election-followup/#comment-3574 WorldWideWeber Sat, 03 Jan 2009 21:29:49 +0000 http://newsrackblog.com/2008/11/16/my-yard-signs-election-08/#comment-3574 P.S. Here's a relatively even-handed <a href="http://www.pallab.net/2008/07/01/wp-spamfree-banish-comment-spam/" rel="nofollow">review</a> of WP-SpamFree. P.S. Here’s a relatively even-handed review of WP-SpamFree.

]]> By: WorldWideWeber http://newsrackblog.com/2008/12/04/how-that-worked-out-election-followup/#comment-3573 WorldWideWeber Sat, 03 Jan 2009 21:18:08 +0000 http://newsrackblog.com/2008/11/16/my-yard-signs-election-08/#comment-3573 <blockquote>Seems like the mechanism you describe would (eventually) let *human* spammers through.</blockquote>With WP-SpamFree I get 0 spam. Then again, I get 0 comments. But WP-SF has blocked 12,916 spam comments <b>before</b> they're sent, let alone received, which is cool, in my book. And I have yet to see a human spammer. Have you? (I'm being serious. I think 99.9-overbar% are bots working from zombie computers.)

Seems like the mechanism you describe would (eventually) let *human* spammers through.

With WP-SpamFree I get 0 spam. Then again, I get 0 comments. But WP-SF has blocked 12,916 spam comments before they’re sent, let alone received, which is cool, in my book. And I have yet to see a human spammer. Have you? (I’m being serious. I think 99.9-overbar% are bots working from zombie computers.)

]]> By: Thomas Nephew http://newsrackblog.com/2008/12/04/how-that-worked-out-election-followup/#comment-3491 Thomas Nephew Fri, 12 Dec 2008 23:09:51 +0000 http://newsrackblog.com/2008/11/16/my-yard-signs-election-08/#comment-3491 Yes, I use Akismet. I assume Nell did something or other differently than usual, since this doesn't usually happen to her comments (and hasn't since). Seems like the mechanism you describe would (eventually) let *human* spammers through. It seems like Akismet does catch some of those. Yes, I use Akismet. I assume Nell did something or other differently than usual, since this doesn’t usually happen to her comments (and hasn’t since). Seems like the mechanism you describe would (eventually) let *human* spammers through. It seems like Akismet does catch some of those.

]]> By: WorldWideWeber http://newsrackblog.com/2008/12/04/how-that-worked-out-election-followup/#comment-3490 WorldWideWeber Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:08:57 +0000 http://newsrackblog.com/2008/11/16/my-yard-signs-election-08/#comment-3490 Are you using Akismet? (I don't see a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captcha" rel="nofollow">CAPTCHA</a> mechanism, so I assume you are.) Maybe you could try the WordPress plugin <a href="http://www.hybrid6.com/webgeek/plugins/wp-spamfree" rel="nofollow">WP-SpamFree</a>. One nice thing about it is that the user is notified immediately if the message is flagged as spam (i.e., it's intercepted before it's submitted). If the poster is a real person and not a spam bot, they can often correct the problem. Basically, there are no false positives with WP-SpamFree. Are you using Akismet? (I don’t see a CAPTCHA mechanism, so I assume you are.) Maybe you could try the WordPress plugin WP-SpamFree. One nice thing about it is that the user is notified immediately if the message is flagged as spam (i.e., it’s intercepted before it’s submitted). If the poster is a real person and not a spam bot, they can often correct the problem. Basically, there are no false positives with WP-SpamFree.

]]> By: Thomas Nephew http://newsrackblog.com/2008/12/04/how-that-worked-out-election-followup/#comment-3474 Thomas Nephew Sun, 07 Dec 2008 19:45:12 +0000 http://newsrackblog.com/2008/11/16/my-yard-signs-election-08/#comment-3474 Your comments had been put in the "spam" queue for some reason. Don't know why that happened, but I have emancipated them to full-fledged comments! I think the system learns from its mistakes, so I hope that won't happen again -- I always try to take a quick look before killing off spam comments, though. Your comments had been put in the “spam” queue for some reason. Don’t know why that happened, but I have emancipated them to full-fledged comments! I think the system learns from its mistakes, so I hope that won’t happen again — I always try to take a quick look before killing off spam comments, though.

]]> By: Nell http://newsrackblog.com/2008/12/04/how-that-worked-out-election-followup/#comment-3473 Nell Sun, 07 Dec 2008 18:17:13 +0000 http://newsrackblog.com/2008/11/16/my-yard-signs-election-08/#comment-3473 I left two longish comments on the 'What a shame' thread, neither of which appear to have taken. Any chance they're in a moderation queue, or are they lost to the ether? I left two longish comments on the ‘What a shame’ thread, neither of which appear to have taken. Any chance they’re in a moderation queue, or are they lost to the ether?

]]> By: Thomas Nephew http://newsrackblog.com/2008/12/04/how-that-worked-out-election-followup/#comment-3472 Thomas Nephew Sun, 07 Dec 2008 17:42:49 +0000 http://newsrackblog.com/2008/11/16/my-yard-signs-election-08/#comment-3472 Thanks! Jamie (actually Jamin) Raskin is the <a href="http://www.senatorjamieraskin.com/" rel="nofollow">state senator</a> for my district (we have 1 state senator and 3 delegates). He's a very nice guy, I've spoken with him now and then -- he happens to live nearby, and some of his kids go or went to the same school mine does. Politically, among other things, he's on the right side of -- and actually working on -- difficult and important justice and civil liberties issues; e.g., he's working on ending the death penalty in Maryland and on ending/preventing state police spying of law-abiding protest groups. Thanks!

Jamie (actually Jamin) Raskin is the state senator for my district (we have 1 state senator and 3 delegates). He’s a very nice guy, I’ve spoken with him now and then — he happens to live nearby, and some of his kids go or went to the same school mine does. Politically, among other things, he’s on the right side of — and actually working on — difficult and important justice and civil liberties issues; e.g., he’s working on ending the death penalty in Maryland and on ending/preventing state police spying of law-abiding protest groups.

]]> By: Nell http://newsrackblog.com/2008/12/04/how-that-worked-out-election-followup/#comment-3469 Nell Sun, 07 Dec 2008 00:45:57 +0000 http://newsrackblog.com/2008/11/16/my-yard-signs-election-08/#comment-3469 Happy belated birthday! And congratulations on your well-deserved shout-out from Del. (Sen.?) Raskin. Happy belated birthday! And congratulations on your well-deserved shout-out from Del. (Sen.?) Raskin.

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