Tag: Akismet

Categories
General

After using DISQUS for a month

A month ago, I migrated this blog commenting system to DISQUS and I notice that I got zero spam. Great! Previously, I used Akismet and it also worked great. Akismet can identify comment spams but the they still entered the system database.
I know, this blog doesn’t have a huge amount of traffic. But for a low traffic website, Akismet detected hundreds (and sometime thousands) of comment spams — according to the Akismet statistics in my blog. Not good. Thinking of using DISQUS for my other blogs I maintain.

Categories
General

Now, this blog is using DISQUS

I decided to switch the commenting system for this blog, from WordPress’ built-in commenting system feature to DISQUS. I was not sure which hosted service I wanted to use — DISQUS and Intense Debate came into consideration. Here are some reasons why I use external commenting system service right now:

  • DISQUS provides integration with other services like Twitter, Facebook and also OpenID. This features can be activated on WordPress-powered blogs using plugins. But, if DISQUS already has this feature, why not?
  • DISQUS also offers spam filter mechanism. I’m tired of spam. Akismet and TypePad Antispam plugin did a great job. Right now, I rely on DISQUS spam filter. And I have Akismet activated also.
  • I’m happy with how DISQUS display blog comments. Options can be managed directly from the dashboard.

The migration process was easy. It took less than 30 minutes to import all my comments (there were around 3,100 comments), and I got zero problem. It just worked.

Categories
General

Haikumattic

I think I like the concept behind new Automattic’s website. The products and descriptions are haiku-powered. This is how they explain about WordPress.com service:

Hassle-free blogging
Even with your own domain
Freemium model

About Akismet:

Remember the days
Innocent inboxes gleam
Be spam-free again.

For complele list, go to Automattic’s site.

Categories
General

Stop spammers and unwanted traffic

If you have your blog installed in your own webhosting account, there is another nice strategy to combat spammers and also unwanted traffic by Donncha O Caoimh (he is a WordPress developer). It’s because sometime antispam plugins like Akismet or TypePad AntiSpam are not enough. They can blocked comments, but do they also block unwanted traffic? I mean, they can filter comment spams, but that’s after the spammers’s comment being processed by the system (blog engine).
I think the approach offered by Donncha is very useful. Right now, I use another method to fight the spammers (and also unwanted traffic). For my WordPress, I have TypePad AntiSpam and Yawasp (Yet Another WordPress Anti Spam Plugin). I decided to remove WP-SpamFree for now. It’s a great plugin, anyway. But, sometime it caught real readers from sending comment, just because their browser settings are not cookie-enabled.
About dealing with unwanted traffic (it’s not directly related to spams), I use hotlink prevention using .htaccess. Another method is by having list of IP addresses in my .htaccess. I got the IP address from antispam plugins. If I got spammers, I just put their IP address into my ban list. I have some of them.
By this, I have less visitors (if I checked from my webhosting analysis tool). Probably, it’s because it checks all visitors (spammers and human). But, I’m fine with that. I think I will try the strategies mentioned by Donncha now.

Categories
General

Akismet 2.1.2

Akismet 2.1.2 Screenshot
New version of Akismet (blog spam filter plugin) for WordPress was released few days ago. This updated plugin will filter comment spams by their types. The word “types” here means comments and trackbacks.
If you want to use this latest plugin, just download it right away. Since I have some other WordPress-powered blog to maintain, I think I’ll upgrade their Akismet plugin. It’s easy, and I believe that it’s better to have updated plugins. :)
Added later: There’s another plugin update. It’s 2.1.3 now. I have upgraded Akismet for some WordPress-powered blogs. Let’s see how it goes. Thanks Deny for the info.

Categories
General

Dashboard Editor Plugin for WordPress

For bloggers who use WordPress as their blogging platform, there is a new useful plugin. It is called Dashboard Editor created by Aaron Dowden. What does this plugin do? Here’s a short description:

This plugin allows you to add whatever you want to the WordPress dashboard through PHP and HTML even Sidebar Widgets. You can also wipe the entire dashboard or individually remove some of the more irritating sections like the Dev news, Planet WordPress and the getting started section.

After logging in to your WordPress administration panel, you will be brought to a main page called “Dashboard”. There, you will see some elements such as shortcuts to common administration pages, news from WordPress Development Blog, posts from Planet WordPress aggregator, comments and posts activities, and basic blog statistics. There might be another element e.g. an Akismet statistic — if you install it.

Continue reading “Dashboard Editor Plugin for WordPress”