Have you tried the amazing GASP (GrowMap Anti-Spambot Plugin) to stop WordPress comments instantly from reaching your comment moderation queue. We have been using this WordPress plugin in combination with Akismet for the last few months, and it has dramatically reduced spam comments from overwhelming our comment moderation queue.
GASP (GrowMap Anti-Spambot WordPress Plugin)
QOT gets 1000+ spam comments everyday, and many of these include valid comments by our learned readers. Previously it was impossible to review the spam queue and weed out a few valid comments from thousands of spam comments. So we were lazy to never review our spam queue, and many of the valuable comments which Akismet blocked were lost forever. What GASP does is that it prevents automated spam comments from reaching Akismet, so now our spam queue gets just 5-10 spam comments! Now we actively review and moderate the spam queue and are able to save and retrieve valid comments.
How does GASP integrate in your website design?
It simply adds a checkbox alongside the Post comment button. When your commentator checks this box, then only the comment is allowed to pass through. Typically the alongside text asks users to check the box to confirm they are not a spammer (this text can be changed using the plugin settings).
Is the commentator does not tick the box, he gets an alert confirm he is not a spammer. Note that the comment will not be submitted till the box is checked.
How does GASP stop spam?
GrowMap Anti-Spambot Plugin generates this check box using client side JavaScript. This basically means that automated comment spam bots cannot detect this check box, and therefore will not tick the checkbox, thereby preventing the comment from passing through to the WordPress comment moderation system.
How is this checkbox better than captcha?
Captcha’s are excellent ways to detect humans by displaying text and numbers which human users need to type. But sometimes difficult captchas have unreadable text and numbers which are difficult to type and confuse commentators (especially if they get it wrong more than once) – thereby demotivating them to comment. Is much easier for them to tick on the checkbox.
Should we use Akismet now?
GASP is not a substitute for the amazing Akismet Spam blocking plugin (which has blocked over 3 million spam comments till now on our site alone!). But it works wonderfully in combination with Akismet. We run both these WordPress plugins on our site, and comment spam is not a problem any more.
Try it for yourself and see the difference in your comment spam today.