Math Question Blocks Most Wordpress Spam Comments
December 6th, 2007Many wordpress bloggers test a simple math question for posting comments for spam protection. I recently installed the Math Comment Spam Protection and comment spam for moderation is almost zero, and Akismet spam is down to a minimum.
Math Question for Spam Protection
Akismet is a powerful spam comment blocking tool we use and it blocks over 2000 spam comments daily. But still a few spam comments still managed to slip through. After I installed the math comment spam protection wordpress plugin, spam comments to moderate have gone to zero and Akismet detected spam is also significantly less (from 2000 per day to 100 per day!). Previously I used to simply delete all Akismet spam (impossible to scan 2000 spam looking for the 1 valid comment, a big blogger time wasting habit I fixed), now I can easily scan my spam comments as it is a manageble number.
This has also fixed my missing WordPress Database Backup Emails, due to huge database size following huge Akismet blocked spam. Now smaller number of Akismet blocked comments mean the plugin has a smaller database to back up and works well.
Unless you want to try an illegible and barely visible captcha, the plugin is highly recommended. After the usual installation via FTP and activation via the plugin admin area, you need to paste a strip of code in your comments.php to integrate the math question. The code works well if your comments template is based on the default comments.php file. It worked fine on my template and works great. Try it.
Earlier I was getting spam emails from my contact form. When I installed a new more secure contact form which also used a math question to confirm human user input – the spam emails stopped totally from that day.
These math questions are a simple yet effective tool to identify human input, block automated spam requests and saves you lot of time.
Update: I have stopped using this plugin on this blog since several readers reported that although their total was right, the plugin kept persisting the total was wrong.
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I once had this type of spam captcha installed on my blog but I found out that it caused conflict with incoming trackbacks. I know it was caused by the plugin because after I uninstalled it, the issue was resolved.
I might just have to try this. Thanks!
Indeed, works perfectly combined with akismet.
It is really working well for me with Akismet. Now I waste less time filtering spam.
Sum of 6 + 7 ? is an arithmetic question not a math question. a common mistake.
I once had this type of spam captcha installed on my blog but I found out that it caused conflict with incoming trackbacks. I know it was caused by the plugin because after I uninstalled it, the issue was resolved.I might just have to try this. Thanks!
I am not bothered with comments spam because Akismet has been doing very good work for me. However I am bothered about spam trackbacks.
But I guess Akismet has started to block those too recently.
a really great and useful tool, thanks for it
a really great and useful tool, thanks for it
It is really working well for me with Akismet. Now I waste less time filtering spam.
I might just have to try this. Thanks! Indeed, works perfectly combined with akismet.
a really great and useful tool, thanks for it
I might just have to try this. Thanks!
I have stopped using this plugin since several readers reported that although the total was right, the plugin kept persisting the total was wrong.
I might just have to try this. Thanks!
spam captcha installed on my blog but I found out that it http://www.wowgoldsell.com caused conflict with incoming trackbacks. I know it
a really great and useful tool!!
thanks editors
I might just have to try this.
I’ve been looking for something like this. Hopefully it will do the trick