Ideas

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Blog Comment Spamming

Although I use a few different methods of controlling these unwanted comments, I am truly getting tired of having to deal with them on a near daily basis.

I have been keeping track of the root IP addresses these comments are originating from. I am also finding a great deal of these IP addresses are from places that apparently have little regard for what they are being used for.

For those that only occasionally splog my blog I generally will manually remove the comments from the logs, but for those that are insistent and continue to be annoying, I will simply ban the IP address, or range of addresses. Some of these offenders have been banned at the server level, which is on a case-by-case decision.

So far, there have been several Panamanian IP addresses; quite a large range of addresses apparently originating in Russia; and, a couple from China. This is also quite unfortunate as there is a remote possibility that a legitimate reader would like to post a legitimate comment, but now they will have to deal with their Internet Service Provider (ISP) to start the process of clearing their name (read: IP address).

I see this as a very serious ongoing issue that world ISPs need to address. To date, I have not seen any relevant success with notifying administrative contacts (as noted in various DNS records) for these IP ranges.

I can only suggest more site administrators start banning these comment spammers at the server level; and, perhaps a critical mass of blockages will finally get through to these ISP companies. They are just as responsible for the spamming as the actual individuals who are issuing this unwanted time wasting text.

How do you handle comment spam?

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Snow – Revisited!

Back a little while ago I wrote a little post as a reminder and a thank you to WordPress for their Snow extra.  I think this is a great visual effect for a blog, and I appreciate the automatic nature of its display for the Christmas season.

I am also thinking that this whole Snow thing should be revisited. Where I live we have been having a great deal of snow falling this winter, and I think it would only be appropriate if we could have snow falling on our blogs for longer than the current settings allow.

I propose the Snow effect start with the same day, but extend for the entire winter season; and, Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

What do you think? Let’s have a show of comments.

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Free Book Contest (fiddyp.co.uk)

As I was catching up on some WordPress readings I came across a write up for a plug-in called CommentLuv.

Click over to http://www.fiddyp.co.uk/wordpress-for-business-bloggers-book-review/ have a read and do not forget to read about the author’s plug-in here: http://www.fiddyp.co.uk/commentluv-wordpress-plugin/

Both the contest and the plug-in are great ideas for generating traffic to a blog.

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IE6 Is Still Out There

Sure, it is an older browser version but it is still being used by many people and organizations.  Do you worry about making sure your web designs and graphics appear correctly in this older browser iteration? Perhaps, perhaps not.  The choice is one of aesthetics and target viewing groups.

Personally I would much prefer to ignore it, but given recent review of server logs there are still a fair number of hits being made by people using Internet Explorer 6.  Of course the majority of Internet Explorer users have IE7 installed, with a small sampling of Internet Explorer 8 (beta) users starting to show up.

Although I have several computers at my disposal I went in search of an “IE6 emulator” to load onto either my primary computer or secondary computer. After several days, I quickly came to the conclusion I did not like any of the emulator solutions I was coming across.

Upon further searching and a bit more general approach I did come up with a solution that appears to work just fine, and believe it or not, it is a Microsoft solution, as in the application and concept are available from Microsoft!

Here are a set of simplified steps for a basic Internet Explorer 6 solution (There are more possibilities that can be found with the following links.):

  1. Download the Virtual PC 2007 via this link
  2. Download the Virtual Hard Drive (VHD) image via this link
  3. Install the Virtual PC 2007 (works with XP or Vista)
  4. Expand the VHD downloaded files
  5. Create a default virtual machine
  6. Point the new virtual machine to the expanded VHD file
  7. Start your new Virtual PC and open Internet Explorer 6
  8. Surf to the URL of your choice and enjoy your time machine.

Of course Microsoft still has to maintain their controlling nature, so there is an expiration date on these installations but fortunately they can be updated with new VHD files in the future.

This is just a basic overview, a more detailed explanation of each of the above steps would be an exhaustive entry in comparison to this one.

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Writing

People seem the most blind when they look inside themselves. It’s not easy being self critical, and actually gaining anything from it. Constructive self criticism is the Holy Grail of self help, and much like the Holy Grail an illusive goal to achieve.

I often write a phrase, or a sentence, or a paragraph. Then I almost invariably rewrite it; I often rewrite it again; and, not uncommonly I will rewrite it once more … or several times more.  I’ve already lost count of the amount of times I have rewrote the last sentence, all my typical typos aside.  I imagine it was fine some three or four revisions ago, but that is just one example of being blind to my own workings.

The release is in the writing; prose to free the mind and unfetter the soul.

Of course, this phrase just seemed to pop right out of thin air. Fortunately I was able to write it down without edit or thought of change, and it remains because some times you just have to take a chance that your subconscience knows what you are doing and your conscience mind should just stay clear of the matter.

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Believe

The ideals you hold dear to your heart are important and a part of who and what you are. These ideals will also shape the person you will become. Follow what you believe in your heart and you will be able to hold you head high in the knowledge you are following your heart.

I cannot teach you violence, as I do not myself believe in it. I can only teach you not to bow your heads before any one even at the cost of your life.
~~ Mahatma Gandhi

As Gandhi says, violence is not the answer, nor a means to promote your ideas. Hold your ideas aloft for others to see and be prepared to explain them to those that may not understand. It is with the discussions and the exchanging of ideas, and ideals, that we grow and that we learn. It is only when we believe in ourselves that others will believe in us.

Share your beliefs with others, but do not expect them to be blindly followed. Teach your beliefs to others so they may learn and believe for themselves.

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Take Ownership

Seems like a simple idea to me, take ownership. Take ownership of your actions. Take ownership of your words; your writing; your speech. Take ownership of your life. I mean be responsible for what you do and how you do it, and more importantly be prepared to acknowledge and, if necessary, defend your position.

For example, as a forum administrator I accept the responsibilities that are required to insure the forums I manage run smoothly. I do not hide in the shadows. I do not ignore questions. I make every effort to not appear capricious or cavalier about what I do.  If there are concerns or questions from members, I address them appropriately. I take ownership of the responsibility involved in my actions.

Even as I write this post, I am preparing for any comments, whether they are made or not. Do I take on the role of agent provocateur, no. I may take the position of devil’s advocate, as I see it, but I am not looking to incite anyone or any group. My greatest hope is to have people think for themselves and take ownership of their thoughts; believe in what they say and do; and, be prepared to stand up for, or explain, or discuss, these dialogues and deeds. To take ownership.

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Their They’re There

Different words sounding the same, spelled differently, and having different meanings.  Homonyms by definition. How often people confuse one word with the other, one meaning with the next, and then not understand why they could not get their point across.

Not that I am pointing out an issue with education, which I feel this is. This is not necessarily an issue with an individuals education but more likely an issue with the school system the person graduated from.

How often have you read there, when the correct word is they’re.  When a person is denoting ownership, it is not there’s but theirs.

What I am getting to here is the importance of understanding an individual and communicating in terms that are understood by all parties involved. Their, they’re, there; these three simple words can be found misused in many places where everyday people write to communicate, such as forums, and blogs, and emails, etc. These really are simple to correct, but what about those words or phrases that one person believes to mean one thing, yet another person believes it to mean another.

Write, or speak, in clear terms; never assume you are using words that the reader, or listener, will take for the meaning you intend. When you write, keep in mind that a word or phrase can carry a connotative meaning, a meaning that people believe to be correct (but not necessarily correct); and, when you speak with another person, take care to make sure they understand what you are saying in terms they can relate to.

And so we begin …