Trackbacks

MT’s spam filters will automatically “junk” trackbacks or else send them into “moderation” status when:

1. The linked site or IP appears on one of a couple of blacklist sites.
2. The link-back domain is different than the domain which sent the trackback.  This also means that using a 3rd-party trackback service such as Haloscan or Ping-o-Matic or  Wizbang Standalone Trackback Pinger will cause the trackback to be moderated.
3. The linked site is unable to be “resolved,” which usually results when a false link-back link is used, one that doesn’t actually lead to any site on the Internet.
4. The PC entry is older than 30 days.

When #1 or #3 occur, the trackback is “junked.”  This is essentially a type of moderation status, but these trackbacks are listed in MT’s interface under a junked tab.  Thus, they can be un-junked and published or easily deleted in groups.  I could configure the spam plugin to automatically permanently delete these rather than send them into junk status, but…

When #2 or #4 occur, the trackbacks are supposed to be left in moderation status, listed among the published trackbacks although not yet published themselves, but I think they may occasionally be junked.  My previous version of MT’s spam filters would not allow trackbacks from 3rd-party services, but now they are allowed, just moderated.  Sometimes, however, in the case of either #2 or #4, I think the trackbacks are put into junk status — which is why I currently moderate all junked trackbacks rather than automatically deleting them.  However, when I have pages and pages of junked trackbacks, it’s always possible that some legitimate trackbacks may get deleted when I finally delete spammy trackbacks (“lost in the mix.”)

In addition to these filters, I also use a MT plugin that modifies the trackback link listed under each post, adding a string of numbers determined according to an algorithm or ???? which analyzes the body of the post itself.  The string is added to the link when a visitor views the page.  This has been an extremely useful plugin.  However, because I use this, automatic discovery of trackback links — which some blogging software permits when writing and publishing a post — will not work.  That’s the whole point of the plugin, since it stops almost all spam bots from harvesting trackback links.

Unfortunately, in the last week some sort of spam bot has been able to get past that MT plugin.  The spammy trackback is still sent into “junk” status, but for some reason, MT thinks a post has received a legitimate trackback.  So you will see a number of trackbacks — 1, usually, since I don’t get a lot of trackbacks — on a post, but if you view the post, the trackback won’t appear on the individual archive page.  I’ve been deleting these when they occur.  I have yet to be able to block this spammer entirely, although I’m working on ways to block it from the server level.

It is my policy, BTW, to publish all legitimate (non-spammy) trackbacks which appear in moderation status, and to leave all non-spammy trackbacks which publish directly without being moderated — even if, I must add, I do not agree with the person responding to my post.

Comments

The MT plugin mentioned previously for trackback links has a counterpart for comments, analyzes the body of the post and inserts some code in the comment form which spam bots should be unable to see.  Very, very few spammy comments get through — virtually none now that I have MT 3.2.

There is a blue box above each commenting form that outlines some commenting “rules.”  Three in particular should be reiterated here:

1. Comments on posts older than 30 days will be moderated unless they follow approved comments within 24 hours.  This means that comments can be left on PC entries that are older than 30 days, but they will be sent into moderation status until I can approve them.  However, if I have approved such a comment, then others can leave comments on that post without such moderation if those comments are left within 24 hours of the approved comment.


2. Any comments which include more than 5 links will be sent into moderation, to be approved before being published.  And, really, Phatic Communion only has one regular visitor who tends to leave reams of links in comments — usually to his own site! — causing this to happen.  Incidentally, I’m perfectly fine with that (I’m likely to link my own site when commenting elsewhere) as long as the commenter doesn’t mind having his comments moderated before being published.


3. Name and email addresses are required for commenting.*  However, email addresses will not be displayed. When a home site address is used, that site will be linked on the commenter’s name, but MT redirects clicks on those links — this should prevent some spam bots from finding commenter’s sites from mine!

The MT 3.2 interface will allow me to designate commenters as “trusted” or “untrusted” as well as “banned.”  (And, banned commenters can be un-banned.)  Trusted commenters will have their comments pre-approved on all entries published in the last 30 days, bypassing most filters — but unfortunately, I can only set a trusted status for those commenters using the Typekey log-in feature! Using Typekey is not required, however, for leaving comments.

Oh, and those little avatars beside each comment?  Those are Gravatars.

*Update: OH yeah. If you sign in via Typekey, you should make sure that your Typekey account is configured to send e-mail addresses to the sites you visit. (This is an option at Typekey.) Otherwise, comments left on PC after signing in will not publish nor be sent into moderation (I think): nada.