Comments comment, the damned spammers
Panbo’s often interesting comments section has been regularly filling up with spam drivel, despite all efforts to block it. So I’ve finally curtailed anonymous and immediate comment posting. Oh, you can still speak your mind (please do) without giving up your e-mail or anything else, but it won’t go up on Panbo until I’ve had a look at it. (By the way, please do include your e-mail and then I can contact you directly, sometimes useful; we will absolutely never misuse it).
I’m also working to enable a service called TypeKey, which identifies you to any site using Movable Type blog software while still letting you be anonymous if you wish. After their first post, TypeKey users will have their Panbo comments immediately approved and posted.
Comment spam is horrible stuff. I had a few comment spammers hit my blog a few months ago. As a result, I turned on comment moderation, and everyone has to have their first comment approved by me, or one of my other admins, but once they’ve been approved, they can comment without further moderation.
Fortunately, my regular readers are good enough not to be spammers…although the cynic in me is waiting for a spammer to post a good comment to get approved and then start spamming with that identity… I hope it won’t happen, but we’ll see.