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Teh Spam Filter goes off the rails
By Gina Spadafori
July 19, 2010
Recently the spam filter started deciding up was down and left was right, leaving obvious spammers in our “first-timers for approval” folder while sending the comments of all the regulars — including ME — straight to the spam folder.
Mike Linville of the awesome Black Dog Studios, our webfolk since Day One here, got my e-mail at 6:30 a.m. PT this morning and answered before 7:30 a.m.:
Just updated the akismet plugin on WordPress not sure if this will help or not. According to the Akismet site there are a few reasons why these could be showing up. The most likely is that your comments may have been flagged as spam on another blog (akismet isn’t just a local application – it actually connects to external servers that “learn” what spam is and isn’t).
For the ones that get flagged as spam make sure you go into the comments section and flag them not as spam (we can do this if you want to provide me with a list of valid emails). What this will do is sent a message back to the Akismet server letting them know that the comments are in fact not spam and neither is the commenter.
We’ll see if the upgrade helps. In the meantime, if your comment disappears, don’t repost. Let us know and we’ll liberate it from Teh Filter.
Update: Yes, it’s still doin’ it. Told Mike, and he responds: “The Akismet site said it usually takes a day or two once these items have been flagged as not spam to register but I will investigate further.”
See? I do NOT retain Black Dog just because the company was named after a flat-coated retriever by the name of Henry. Although I probably hired them because of it. :)
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LOL. If I were the suspicious type, I might think this was a clever insider manipulation of the timing of incoming comments…Perhaps so that one might increase their chances of winning the Houlie Pool? Totally just kidding. ;)
Comment by Rori — July 19, 2010 @ 9:40 am
Whoa! Really?
I JUST THIS A.M. went into my blog and activated the Akismet! What timing. (do do do do… theme…)
Comment by Ericka Basile — July 19, 2010 @ 10:20 am
Perhaps so that one might increase their chances of winning the Houlie Pool?
Comment by Rori — July 19, 2010
DAMN! I’ll NEVER win the Houlie Pool again now that everyone knows.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 19, 2010 @ 10:34 am
Okay okay share….What’s the Houlie Pool?
Comment by Liz Palika — July 19, 2010 @ 11:42 am
The Houlie Pool is a leetle joke I made.
I kidded that we bloggers have a pool in which we take guesses as to how long it will take Ms. Houlahan to point out that something you can buy is: 1) Not necessary; or 2) Can be made at home for a fraction of the cost.
:)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 19, 2010 @ 11:57 am
Ah ha! Now it makes sense. Okay, thanks…..snicker…..
Comment by Liz Palika — July 19, 2010 @ 12:03 pm
Tonight’s post is my free hayrack.
Comment by H. Houlahan — July 19, 2010 @ 1:35 pm
This morning’s funniest spam comment, by “Penis Enlargement”: “Help! I’m being held hostage by the Russian Mafia!” followed by a whole page of spam links.
First, I would guess being held hostage by mobsters would have the opposite effect of enlargement;
Second, apparently the mobsters force their hostages to work as spammers;
And finally, my people clearly missed the boat by not trademarking the term, “Mafia.”
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 20, 2010 @ 6:07 am
First, I guess that depends on that individual’s particular kinks, now doesn’t it?
Second, what makes you think they don’t? We already know that the Chinese mob has long forced people to work in fortune cookie factories. I bet the Russian mob has spam farms. Collectivized spam farms in the fertile Ukraine, say.
Finally, if you are gonna trademark it, you’d better produce. Eighteen years married to a Jersey Siciliano, and I still can’t get anyone whacked, no matter how deserving.
Comment by H. Houlahan — July 20, 2010 @ 8:10 am