January 15, 2004

Dude! I just upgraded to MT 2.65, now this?

Liza Sabater

Movabletype.org News : Version 2.66 Released

As a stopgap before we release comment registration in Movable Type 3.0, we've released version 2.66 of Movable Type, which includes some protection against comment flooding. We've included a throttling measure so that comments from the same IP address can only be posted every N seconds, where N is configurable (documentation on the setting that controls N). We've also added a measure to automatically ban an IP address based on an abnormal number of comments from the same address in a short period of time. Of course, there are no perfect defenses, and if you're truly concerned about the comments on your weblog, the best defense is prevention by closing old comment threads.

Is this comment spam issue really getting out of hand?

What is interesting about this particular vignette is that Ben Trott seems to agree with Ross Mayfield on the issue of comment spam: In doubt or in desperation, turn off comments.

Yes, I do get comment spam as well, especially gems like this one: c u l t u r e k i t c h e n: Fresh Spam, served daily. Still, what's the point of a blog if it acts like a regular website?

I hate it when I go to a blog and there is no way to comment of even trackback. Blogs are supposed to be platforms for the exchange of ideas from one (or some) to many. To cut out comments or trackbacks is to take away from blogs their social significance.

I think of comments as the anonymous conversations I sometimes have with people on the bus or subway. I live in NYC and New Yawkers are known to be robustly opinionated. Yes, you sometimes have the wacky guy that mumbles to himself or the lady that never knew a bar of soap but most of the time a person will sit across from me, we'll see something happen, like a bycicle messanger cut in front of the bus and, presto! we're talking about the socio-economics of poverty in New York City. The bus opens, the person is gone, but not necessarily the thread of the conversation.

On my blog, I at least can get rid of the scumbag trying to use my vehicle on the web to push their drugs. I can't do that in a New York City public bus. Life on the web may imitate life on the streets but it does not even come close to the real deal.

Posted by liza at January 15, 2004 10:50 PM
Comments

Like you, I allow for and encourage comments on my weblog. I am trying to create a dialogue with people who are looking to expand their minds and horizons. That is how MY weblog is structured. However, there are many fine weblogs that are designed as vehicles to distribute information and commentary, not intended as interactive vehicles. In those cases, not wanting comments could make sense. In any event, if a viable method to block comment spamming is not developed, the whole concept of interactive weblogs will go down in flames.

Posted by: David Slachter at January 16, 2004 11:34 AM

this poses another interesting question:

if you are not using a blog like a blog, should you use something other than the blog aesthetic? should you change the look of your site to signify "this is a medium for diffusion, not interaction".

just thinking out loud.

Posted by: liza at January 16, 2004 12:42 PM

I love getting comments too, but had to take the painful step of closing down comments on one of my blog entries recently. I got flooded by 150+ comments from some script kiddy, I don't even know why (50% of the comments were complete gibberish, random letters and numbers, the other 50% just contained text lifted from a page on rotten.com), I assume it had something to do with my site getting picked up by Metafilter.

Worst part is, none of the solutions I've seen so far could prevent this. The IP address thing is a non-starter, this guy was "clever" enough to relay his posts via a large number of DSL users' home machines. And although I've since installed MT-blacklist, it can't "learn" gibberish.

Posted by: Dan Sumption at January 18, 2004 1:01 AM

Haha! What an ironic thing to double-post (I'm sure I only hit that button once. Wh'appen?

Posted by: Dan Sumption at January 18, 2004 1:06 AM
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