MT: Replace Image with ALT Text
Fri
5
SEP
2003
Friday Feast #58: RSS Validator Update, Check Your Sites, Comments Spam
Today’s Feast covers ad-blocking software, a new domain for the RSS feed validator, and a fun collection of typography-related photos to browse. Happy weekend, everyone.
New RSS Feed Validator URL
Now I know why I couldn’t access the RSS Feed Validator earlier this week. It has a new domain name: http://feedvalidator.org/. That ought to be easy to remember now, too.
[hat tip: Mark Pilgrim]
Check Your Site with Ad-blocking Software?
Ad-blocking software bans images from certain directories, as explained in Vincent Flanders' article, Bad names to use for directories or “Check your site with ad-blocking software.”.
OK, so just how long will it be before the ad spammers change their directory names? Probably not long.
[hat tip: List of Ad Blocked Directories, Gadgetopia]
Preventing Comments Spam
Spammers have been invading weblog comments with their absurdities about various body parts and links to sites whose names alone make me cringe. Thankfully Anil Dash shut down one of the spammers today, and in true community form, many have been talking about workable approaches to preventing spammers from leaving their unwanted and unwelcome spam at our websites, including sharing blacklists, scripts, a Wiki, and more:
- Ken MacLeod started CommentAuthentication, a new Wiki to gather information about approaches to authenticating comments. [hat tip: John’s Jottings]
- Comment Domain Blacklist from Adrian Holovaty. As John Dowdell mentions, Movable Type users can convert the blacklisted domain names to IP addresses via Sam Spade. [hat tip: JD on MX]
- Simon Willison offers a blacklist, too, and he writes his thoughts about blacklisting and comments spam for his post Blacklisting Comment Spam.
- Andrea Peltrin offers a freely available python blacklist script that also updates from Simon Willison’s blacklist script. [hat tip: Simon Willison’s Weblog]
Addendum October 12, 2003:
See my new post that covers more on this topic: Friday Feast #61: Unwanted Comments. You’ll find lots more information, resources, and tips there.
Type I Saw Today©
Phil’s Fonts provides daily photos related to typography, lettering, and type design at Type I Saw Today©. To get an at-a-glance view by the month, check out the Type I Saw Today© main index and click on one of the months. I found this way to apologize to someone rather unique, too.
More
09:02 pm, pdt
5 September, 2003 Comments, Trackbacks (4) ·
Categories: Development, Friday Feast, Internet, Movable Type, Photography, Typography, Weblogs
Comments
Comments, Trackbacks: 4 so far. Add yours!
What on earth is a Wiki?
05:45 am, pdt
6 September, 2003Comment by SianHi, Sian,
I started to write an answer here but I ended up writing a post about it, as I suspect many folks aren’t sure what a wiki is, even if they’ve seen the term. So check out Saturday’s post, What’s a Wiki.I hope that helps solves the mystery. ;-)
01:35 pm, pdt
6 September, 2003Comment by Shirley KaiserSeminars and workshops, like vacations, just put you so far behind. It's my belief that vacations aren't to give relaxation...
06 Sep, 2003
Trackback from Rodent Regatta I was absolutely horrified when I read Phil Ringnalda's comment spam alert story last year in which a Las Vegas real estate agent used a script to try to autogenerate comments to every single one of Phil's entries, including links to the spammer's real...
04 Oct, 2003
Trackback from Brainstorms and Raves
This discussion has been closed. Thanks to all who participated.
