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This is a short post about word verification a.k.a. 'Captcha' on Blogger (Google) blogs.

The purpose of word verification is to prevent automated spam. You may not even realize you have it, because it doesn't require you to do it when making comments on your own blog. But it will discourage visitors from posting comments, so you should seriously consider turning it off.

If word verification is on, your visitors will see something like this when they post  a comment:

After typing their comment, they must decipher and enter the wavy words shown and get them exactly right, caps and all before their comment will be posted. When someone is visiting several sites or posting multiple comments, this gets very old very fast.

From what I've been told, Blogger controls spam fairly well, so this really isn't needed. As an added layer of protection, I restrict anonymous posts to my site. So far, I've not had any problems with spam or inappropriate comments. (5-30-12 Update: I still haven't had trouble, and my settings are the same.)

If you're interested in turning off word verification on your blog, I have two links for you to choose from. One is a blog post with a simple list of instructions. The other (my favorite) is a YouTube video that leads you through the entire process.

*Update 8/15/12: Or you can go to my blog here for instructions and get a Captcha-Free blog button while you're there.

Hope this helps. Happy blogging. = )

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Comments

  1. Carrie ButlerMarch 9, 2012 at 1:09 PM

    I second this! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sarah PearsonMarch 9, 2012 at 1:31 PM

    Please, yes, turn it off! I'm paranoid that mine will accidentally switch itself on, so I'm always signing in from the kids computer :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. S.P. BowersMarch 9, 2012 at 1:40 PM

    Yes, please! Though I was one of the people who had it on for awhile and didn't know it. As soon as I realized I turned it off. I felt bad for making it so hard for people to comment on my blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MelissaMarch 9, 2012 at 1:56 PM

      This is one of the reasons I took time to post this. I wouldn't have known to turn it off if Carrie hadn't told me.

      Delete
  4. Empty Nest InsiderMarch 10, 2012 at 1:26 AM

    I disabled mine awhile ago, and I hope it hasn't come back! I came here via the Get Fired Up Blogfest which led me to Carrie who led me to you. Your blog looks beautiful, and I'm impressed that you even have a badge! Thanks for the great tips in case the dreaded captcha returns! Julie

    ReplyDelete
  5. KSCollierMarch 10, 2012 at 6:00 AM

    Thanks Melissa. I used the YouTube version, and fixed it in seconds. You're awesome. I appreciate the help.

    Kathy

    ReplyDelete
  6. SiobhanMarch 10, 2012 at 7:15 AM

    Thanks for the information, Melissa.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Golden EagleMarch 10, 2012 at 12:22 PM

    Actually, I've never found that Blogger's CAPTCHA requires exact attention to capital and small letters. I wonder why that is--I know for other services it does.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MelissaMarch 10, 2012 at 7:20 PM

      You know what? You're probably right. I've been visiting so many blogs with this campaign that I wasn't paying attention to that. I did wonder why some had caps and some didn't. I stand corrected.
      = D

      Delete
    2. MelissaMarch 14, 2012 at 8:18 AM

      Coming back to say, I visited several blogs on a hop yesterday and I came across a blogger blog that required a capital letter in the word verification. It's apparently not common, but it does exist.

      Delete
  8. cbwentworthMarch 10, 2012 at 6:24 PM

    Those word verifications make me go cross-eyed. And I concur that it does discourage comments - I avoid it when I see it.

    As a google outsider, I might also suggest allowing the Name/URL option. There is an issue with using the Wordpress option (for some reason it doesn't always work). So often, I find a great blog but can't post a comment to save my life. The inability to interact stops me from coming back no matter how great the blog.

    ReplyDelete
  9. MelissaMarch 10, 2012 at 7:22 PM

    I don't know. I think it's the reason behind why the 'Follower' gadget isn't working. Every time I try to add it, I get an error message. I've got to look into it, but I've been so busy with work and the campaign, I haven't had time to do that kind of exploring. Thanks for the heads-up. = )

    ReplyDelete
  10. Julia KingMarch 10, 2012 at 11:31 PM

    I dislike word verification a lot. I used it on my blog for over two years, then I got sick of the funky verifications that I could barely dicipher. Ugh. I turned it off promptly. If I get spam, I'll delete it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. MelissaMarch 11, 2012 at 3:14 AM

    'Melissa tripple threat' - I like it! LOL
    Thanks for visiting. = )

    ReplyDelete
  12. MelissaMarch 11, 2012 at 3:14 AM

    Well said. Thanks for stopping by. ; )

    ReplyDelete
  13. villagedrummerfictionMarch 11, 2012 at 6:17 PM

    I posted a comment yesterday on the Rach Harrie's 4th campaign page to alert people that I have not been able to post comments if they are using blogger and captcha. I felt a need to apologize because I really think commenting is important in these campaigns. I am on wordpress and I cannot post via any of the profile methods when this combination exists. It is so frustrating. Thanks for your post. Hopefully more people will turn captcha off.
    Richard Alan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MelissaMarch 12, 2012 at 6:12 AM

      Wow, Richard. I did not know that. I'm glad you pointed it out. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. = )

      Delete
  14. Brooke R. BusseMarch 12, 2012 at 7:08 PM

    I haven't heard of any other blogs having this problem. It is quite the conundrum.

    ReplyDelete
  15. MelissaMarch 12, 2012 at 8:00 PM

    Yes it is. = \

    ReplyDelete
  16. MelissaMarch 12, 2012 at 8:01 PM

    Thanks for stopping by, Medeia. = )

    ReplyDelete
  17. Darcy FlynnJune 13, 2012 at 10:48 PM

    I hate those things! I usually have to type at least twice before I get it right! lol
    I didn't know you could turn it off!

    Thanks Melissa!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MelissaJune 14, 2012 at 6:44 AM

      You're welcome! I didn't know either until a friend told me. :)

      Delete
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