Pest control pointers

  • demonweed · Member ·

    I just read through pages of forum titles and couldn’t come up with anything on point with this. After a certain amount of effort, it occurred to me others might also benefit from a fresh thread on this even if there are some really old ones in the mix.

    My question is, “what are the best methods here for controlling a comment pest.” I don’t want to make a stink and report the kid for abuse, but at the same time I have a hunch just deleting his comments would become a labor-intensive task (I’m pretty sure I’m dealing with a mentally ill person here.)

    Is there a way to put one e-mail or IP into a filter that automatically categorizes comments from that source as spam? If one of his comments is unapproved, will that prevent others from slipping through automatically in the future? Just what are the best approaches to gagging someone who adds only ugly noise to discussions he enters? Pointers to old threads or other helpful documents will be welcome . . . I just couldn’t find anything specific to this subject after digging around a while.

  • timethief · Member ·

    I recommend that you post a comments policy on your blog. By doing so you define the criteria upon which you will not post a comment but will choose to delete it instead.

    -> Options -> Discussion
    scroll down to:
    When a comment contains any of these words in its content, name, URL, e-mail, or IP, it will be held in the moderation queue. One word or IP per line. It will match inside words, so “press” will match “WordPress”.

    — blacklist here —

    Comment Blacklist
    When a comment contains any of these words in its content, name, URL, e-mail, or IP, it will be marked as spam. One word or IP per line. It will match inside words, so “press” will match “WordPress”.

    — blacklist here —

  • thesacredpath · Member ·

    {waving to TT}

    removed by author – simultaneous typing.

  • timethief · Member ·

    {waving to thesacredspace and going back to my offline work} :)

  • demonweed · Member ·

    Ah, you people have done me a great service here. Perhaps in time I would have turned it up on my own, but I’m inclined to think this tidbit deserves more prominence since the problem probably isn’t that rare. Thanks and thanks again for steering me in the right direction for gagging a timewaster. On behalf of my tiny handful of sane readers, I add more thanks to the mix.

  • timethief · Member ·

    Thanks for the thanks and best wishes. :)

  • raincoaster · Member ·

    I actually prefer to antagonize them. For one thing, they appear to love that, and for another, it is fantastic for hits. But only you can tell how much drama you want in your life.

  • thesacredpath · Member ·

    @rain
    A battle of wits with an unarmed opponent. :)

  • raincoaster · Member ·

    Quite so, but it can keep you very busy for ten or twelve hours at a stretch, playing whack-a-mole.

  • thesacredpath · Member ·

    Think of it as exercise.

  • tellyworth · Staff ·

    The FAQ describes several methods of blocking comment pests:

    Can I stop someone from leaving comments on my blog?

  • membracid · Member ·

    Well, this thread wasn’t what I was expecting! :D

    I have used the IP block successfully to put some people into a “always moderate” zone.
    I had a really creepy guy leaving me….well, creepy comments, and I wanted to make sure they didn’t show up publicly.

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