BLOGS - Anti spam pluging now working

sven · 26th August 2006, 14:03

The new plugin to stop blogs from being spammed now works for the following blog templates:

3-column-liquid
almost-spring
aubmach
blorange
blueish
blufill
Boxed
Boxed-Green
bubble-blue
buddha
cab
connections
darkfire
dots
grey
ice
standard
standard_green
standard_happy
standard_red

In the next couple days I will update the remaining templates as well. If you have any trouble with the changes, please PM me.

Cheerio from the land downunder!

***schford*** · 26th August 2006, 15:19

Great job Sven,

When I finish upgrading templates and SEO and a few other bits and bobs I will rejog the fornt pages to get some blog entries back on them.

Stuart

***ScubaDadMiami*** · 27th August 2006, 03:56

I changed, temporarily, to one that has the anti-spam plug in. However, I was using Human Condition (I think that was the name) before, and will change back to that once the plug in is done.

sven · 27th August 2006, 11:54

All,

If you have created a blog, you may have experienced the problem with spam bots creating large numbers of comments. That is a major nuisance for many of us and one of the reasons why the blogs have been very quiet in the past couple of months.

In recent weeks, I have looked for a solution and found a suitable plugin for LifeType (the blogging software used for Rebreather World blogs). The plugin shows a "Catcha!" - a number in front of a background picture, which the person who want to comment need to type into a field on the form. Without this number, no comment can be posted. The Catcha! is not (easily) machine readable, so only users who are alive and breathing (pun intended

) can post comments and the spam bots are out of the picture.

The plugin is now installed and works with all blog templates.

If you want to use the new plugin, in order to allow people to comment on your blog, without being spammed by bots ... follow these instructions:

How to find out which template your blog uses and/or change it:
(1) log on to your blog, you will get to the "Dashboard" screen
(2) click on your blog name, next to "Login"
(3) click on Control Centre in the menu
(4) under "Settings", click on "Blog settings"
(5) in the "Template" tab, the name of the chosen template is shown in the drop-down box
(6) you can chose another template if you like
(7) if you have selected another template, click on the "Update" button at the bottom of the page to make the change permanent

How to enable and configure the plugin
Follow steps (1) - (3) above
(4) in the "Plugin Centre", check the "auth_image" plugin is shown
(5) click the "Back" button in your browser, or, select "Control centre" in the menu again
(6) at the bottom, under "Anti Spam Management", click "AuthImage"
(7) under "Configuration", activate the "Enable" checkbox, then set the length of the key (default is 6), select a background picture if you want (default is "sky.gif")
(8) click on the "Update" button to make the changes permanent

Don't forget to enable comments in you blog!
(1) Under "Control centre", "Settings", "Blog settings" you can activate the "Enable comments by default" box. This setting will be the default for all posts in your blog. If you only want to enable comments for some posts, you can do this when you create/change a post in your blog.
(2) click on the "Update" button at the very bottom of the page in order to save the change.

Here is a list of the templates that are now working with the anti-spam plugin:

3-column-liquid
almost-spring
aubmach
blorange
blueish
blufill
Boxed
Boxed-Green
bubble-blue
buddha
cab
connections
darkfire
dots
drove-all-night
FastTrack
flower
flyupsky-daytime
flyupsky-evening
greenmarinee
GreenTrack
grey
gutenberg
human_condition
ice
lemons
LiteWinter
Mac-Stripe
mars-spirit
Matrix-Code
minitemplate
Modish
mtplog
ocadia
outback
pastel-blocks
pink_lilies
reic
reic1
roodoplog-2-column
roodoplog-3-column
roof
rubric
ShadedGrey
silver
SimpleRules
simple_sky
Soft-Blue
Soft-Green
Soft-Red
splat
spring
standard
standard_green
standard_happy
standard_red
StreetCorner
toni
toto
tribal
v4ny8_lt
Very-Clean
Vicksburg
water_play
white
zen

If you need help, please reply to this post or PM me. Also, if you find any problems, please let me know.

One last thing: I have not yet found an easy way to delete the existing spam comments. I'll keep you posted if anyone is interested.

Cheerio from the land of Oz!

sven · 27th August 2006, 11:59

Quote: (Originally Posted by ScubaDadMiami)

I changed, temporarily, to one that has the anti-spam plug in. However, I was using Human Condition (I think that was the name) before, and will change back to that once the plug in is done.

The "Human Condition" template is now fixed. Please try it out and let me know how it works.

BTW: Nice blog!

***schford*** · 27th August 2006, 12:54

Great job Sven....

Now is it possible fo ryou to delete all the comment spam we have recieved to date with your admin powers :-)

Stuart

sven · 27th August 2006, 13:33

Quote: (Originally Posted by schford)

Great job Sven....

Now is it possible fo ryou to delete all the comment spam we have recieved to date with your admin powers :-)

Stuart

Hmmm - that is a problem I am working on. An admin cannot edit/delete people's blogs and/or comments. They are protected (as they should be). But I am sure, I can find a solution in the next couple of days.

Does anyone have any objections against me trying to delete the spam comments from their blogs? If so, please PM me in the next couple of days!

sven · 10th September 2006, 06:33

Quote: (Originally Posted by sven)

All,

If you have created a blog, you may have experienced the problem with spam bots creating large numbers of comments. That is a major nuisance for many of us and one of the reasons why the blogs have been very quiet in the past couple of months.
...

All,

Rebreather World blogs have now been setup to enforce the comment anti spam plugin. If you receive an error message when posting a comment in a blog (see picture below), please PM me and I will assist you in fixing it.

You can still follow the instructions in my previous post and configure the plugin (code with more than 4 digits, different background, change the encryption key, etc)

I am now in the process of MANUALLY deleting all spam comments.

It may take a while ... as I have to go through each post individually. In order to do that, I will have to temporarily take ownership of the blog that I am working on.

You can help me:

Could all blog owners please go and delete

all unused posts
all spam track backs
all the spam comments

for all of your posts?

That would be greatly appreciated! Please PM me if you want to clean up your blog yourself.

The link to my previous post has more detail on the Rebreather World blogs & the anti spam plugin.

Cheerio!

sven · 10th September 2006, 08:06

All,

FYI: I am in the process of deleting the automatically created "Congratulations" post in all blogs, as one step in my quest to clean up the spam comments.

I assume that nobody will miss these meaningless messages?!

26th August 2006, 14:03	#1 (permalink)
sven Blogs Admin / Forum Mod Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Evolution Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sydney Posts: 574	BLOGS - Anti spam pluging now working The new plugin to stop blogs from being spammed now works for the following blog templates: 3-column-liquid almost-spring aubmach blorange blueish blufill Boxed Boxed-Green bubble-blue buddha cab connections darkfire dots grey ice standard standard_green standard_happy standard_red In the next couple days I will update the remaining templates as well. If you have any trouble with the changes, please PM me. Cheerio from the land downunder! __________________ Regards, Sven [SIZE=1]The Sydney Project website: [URL]http://www.sydneyproject.com[/URL] My Blog: [URL]http://sven.rebreatherworld.com[/URL] "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." Mark Twain[/SIZE]
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26th August 2006, 15:19	#2 (permalink)
*schford* Despotic Overlord Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Sport Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: London, UK Posts: 3,660	Re: BLOGS - Anti spam pluging now working Great job Sven, When I finish upgrading templates and SEO and a few other bits and bobs I will rejog the fornt pages to get some blog entries back on them. Stuart __________________ Bailout and Kit Management account for Murphy's Law The only bad question is one you did not ask and later wish you had. Use of Rebreather World is subject to the Rebreather World Terms & Conditions of Use
(Offline)

27th August 2006, 03:56	#3 (permalink)
*ScubaDadMiami* Moderator Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Florida, USA Posts: 1,890	Re: BLOGS - Anti spam pluging now working I changed, temporarily, to one that has the anti-spam plug in. However, I was using Human Condition (I think that was the name) before, and will change back to that once the plug in is done. __________________ Howard Packer IANTD CCR Instructor Miami Beach, Florida CCRDiveTraining.com
(Offline)

27th August 2006, 11:54	#4 (permalink)
sven Blogs Admin / Forum Mod Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Evolution Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sydney Posts: 574	BLOGS - Anti spam pluging now working for ALL blog templates All, If you have created a blog, you may have experienced the problem with spam bots creating large numbers of comments. That is a major nuisance for many of us and one of the reasons why the blogs have been very quiet in the past couple of months. In recent weeks, I have looked for a solution and found a suitable plugin for LifeType (the blogging software used for Rebreather World blogs). The plugin shows a "Catcha!" - a number in front of a background picture, which the person who want to comment need to type into a field on the form. Without this number, no comment can be posted. The Catcha! is not (easily) machine readable, so only users who are alive and breathing (pun intended ) can post comments and the spam bots are out of the picture. The plugin is now installed and works with all blog templates. If you want to use the new plugin, in order to allow people to comment on your blog, without being spammed by bots ... follow these instructions: How to find out which template your blog uses and/or change it: (1) log on to your blog, you will get to the "Dashboard" screen (2) click on your blog name, next to "Login" (3) click on Control Centre in the menu (4) under "Settings", click on "Blog settings" (5) in the "Template" tab, the name of the chosen template is shown in the drop-down box (6) you can chose another template if you like (7) if you have selected another template, click on the "Update" button at the bottom of the page to make the change permanent How to enable and configure the plugin Follow steps (1) - (3) above (4) in the "Plugin Centre", check the "auth_image" plugin is shown (5) click the "Back" button in your browser, or, select "Control centre" in the menu again (6) at the bottom, under "Anti Spam Management", click "AuthImage" (7) under "Configuration", activate the "Enable" checkbox, then set the length of the key (default is 6), select a background picture if you want (default is "sky.gif") (8) click on the "Update" button to make the changes permanent Don't forget to enable comments in you blog! (1) Under "Control centre", "Settings", "Blog settings" you can activate the "Enable comments by default" box. This setting will be the default for all posts in your blog. If you only want to enable comments for some posts, you can do this when you create/change a post in your blog. (2) click on the "Update" button at the very bottom of the page in order to save the change. Here is a list of the templates that are now working with the anti-spam plugin: 3-column-liquid almost-spring aubmach blorange blueish blufill Boxed Boxed-Green bubble-blue buddha cab connections darkfire dots drove-all-night FastTrack flower flyupsky-daytime flyupsky-evening greenmarinee GreenTrack grey gutenberg human_condition ice lemons LiteWinter Mac-Stripe mars-spirit Matrix-Code minitemplate Modish mtplog ocadia outback pastel-blocks pink_lilies reic reic1 roodoplog-2-column roodoplog-3-column roof rubric ShadedGrey silver SimpleRules simple_sky Soft-Blue Soft-Green Soft-Red splat spring standard standard_green standard_happy standard_red StreetCorner toni toto tribal v4ny8_lt Very-Clean Vicksburg water_play white zen If you need help, please reply to this post or PM me. Also, if you find any problems, please let me know. One last thing: I have not yet found an easy way to delete the existing spam comments. I'll keep you posted if anyone is interested. Cheerio from the land of Oz! __________________ Regards, Sven [SIZE=1]The Sydney Project website: [URL]http://www.sydneyproject.com[/URL] My Blog: [URL]http://sven.rebreatherworld.com[/URL] "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." Mark Twain[/SIZE]
(Offline)

27th August 2006, 11:59	#5 (permalink)
sven Blogs Admin / Forum Mod Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Evolution Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sydney Posts: 574	Re: BLOGS - Anti spam pluging now working Quote: (Originally Posted by ScubaDadMiami) I changed, temporarily, to one that has the anti-spam plug in. However, I was using Human Condition (I think that was the name) before, and will change back to that once the plug in is done. The "Human Condition" template is now fixed. Please try it out and let me know how it works. BTW: Nice blog! __________________ Regards, Sven [SIZE=1]The Sydney Project website: [URL]http://www.sydneyproject.com[/URL] My Blog: [URL]http://sven.rebreatherworld.com[/URL] "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." Mark Twain[/SIZE]
(Offline)

27th August 2006, 12:54	#6 (permalink)
*schford* Despotic Overlord Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Sport Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: London, UK Posts: 3,660	Re: BLOGS - Anti spam pluging now working Great job Sven.... Now is it possible fo ryou to delete all the comment spam we have recieved to date with your admin powers :-) Stuart __________________ Bailout and Kit Management account for Murphy's Law The only bad question is one you did not ask and later wish you had. Use of Rebreather World is subject to the Rebreather World Terms & Conditions of Use
(Offline)

27th August 2006, 13:33	#7 (permalink)
sven Blogs Admin / Forum Mod Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Evolution Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sydney Posts: 574	Re: BLOGS - Anti spam pluging now working Quote: (Originally Posted by schford) Great job Sven.... Now is it possible fo ryou to delete all the comment spam we have recieved to date with your admin powers :-) Stuart Hmmm - that is a problem I am working on. An admin cannot edit/delete people's blogs and/or comments. They are protected (as they should be). But I am sure, I can find a solution in the next couple of days. Does anyone have any objections against me trying to delete the spam comments from their blogs? If so, please PM me in the next couple of days! __________________ Regards, Sven [SIZE=1]The Sydney Project website: [URL]http://www.sydneyproject.com[/URL] My Blog: [URL]http://sven.rebreatherworld.com[/URL] "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." Mark Twain[/SIZE]
(Offline)

10th September 2006, 08:06	#9 (permalink)
sven Blogs Admin / Forum Mod Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Evolution Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sydney Posts: 574	Deleting all "Congratulations" posts in blogs ... All, FYI: I am in the process of deleting the automatically created "Congratulations" post in all blogs, as one step in my quest to clean up the spam comments. I assume that nobody will miss these meaningless messages?! __________________ Regards, Sven [SIZE=1]The Sydney Project website: [URL]http://www.sydneyproject.com[/URL] My Blog: [URL]http://sven.rebreatherworld.com[/URL] "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." Mark Twain[/SIZE]
(Offline)

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