Oh my, what with being at the HEAD conference and all, I almost forgot: I am getting about a zillion emails now complaining about the comment spam filter on this blog. I hear you, and it makes me nuts too (I hate having to moderate 20 – 30 comments a day). So I’m switching commenting systems this weekend.
This is not a minor change. It’s a big one: the comments will be handled by the Bad Astronomy & Universe Today Bulletin Board. Basically, when a new entry is posted here on the blog, it will be mirrored on BAUT. People can then leave comments there.
There are a lot of advantages to this. For one, if you post a comment, it gets posted. No more having comment posts relegated to spam limbo. For another, it’s hard for me to enforce any rules here, and there are some I’d like to have (like no bad words, no ad hominem attacks, etc.). BAUT has moderators to help with that too.
I know some people are going to love this, and some people are going to hate it. That’s true of any change, and this one is pretty big. But I think in most ways things won’t change all that much. The level of discourse will remain pretty high, and it’ll be easier in most ways to make comments (and easier to format comments, too). When you click "Comment on this post" it’ll take you automatically to BAUT, so it’ll be pretty transparent to readers, too.
I will implement this on Sunday so there’s time to debug it (if needed) before it goes live for real and for sure on Monday.
So comment here… while you can. 
October 6th, 2006 at 4:47 am
Hey Phil: Good stuff. I understand why you have to do this. How your site has grown, eh! and I’ve been on board for a few years now. I think that’s pretty incredible; you’ve done a great job buddy. Getting back to the root reason why you started this all, it’s wonderful to be able to have someone knowledgeble to vet some of the crazy ideas out there and to arugue intelligently For truth – for that’s what you do. I guess with some of the nuttso stuff out there, we know it’s crazy but we don’t have the same skills to refute it as you do. So… a big fat Thank You Phil! for the work you do. And I personally love seeing the new science going on thru your eyes.
sincerely
mek
October 6th, 2006 at 5:18 am
Having been the victim of the spam filter on far too many occasions, all I can say is…
HURRAY!!!!! YIPEE!!!! HALLELUIAH!!!! YEAH!!!
So basically, you can count me among the people that’ll love the change.
Lorne
October 6th, 2006 at 5:20 am
As someone that has to deal with spam bots all the time, I have to say that’s a very good change. Controlling who posts by registration is a good way to get rid of most non-human annoyances.
October 6th, 2006 at 5:34 am
With ya 100%.
October 6th, 2006 at 5:36 am
I’m very glad you will be doing this:). I was on a site the other day with this feature on their articles and I thought to myself “wow, that would work great on the BA site”.
D
I’ve never been caught by the spam filter here, but I do occasionally break the formatting of these pages by accident with various emoticons:P. or whatever they are called when it is a text smiley instead of an image.
October 6th, 2006 at 6:32 am
What plugins are you using for spam filtering?
For most WordPress blogs, using either Akismet or Spam Karma 2 and then coupling that choice with Bad Behavior is typically pretty bullet-proof. Are you using one of those combos?
October 6th, 2006 at 6:33 am
Snif! . . . It’s the end of an era . . .
Wait a minute, just how much of my life have I wasted posting comments here. [Breaks out calculator] Oh, dear.
@gopher65:
Yes, text smileys count as “emoticons”. Text smileys were the original emoticons. In fact, they were invented by Vladimir Nabokov, the same man who gave the innocent name “Lolita” a whole new meaning.
October 6th, 2006 at 9:22 am
How will this affect people who are not registered at BAUT?
October 6th, 2006 at 9:27 am
Well, one effect will be that I’ll comment less (although I don’t think I have very much before; this will be a killer).
Right now, I have a legal pad full of passwords. I go to a lot of sites, but very few BBS, because the procedures for logging on and getting in are way too complex.
So, if you go through with this, I’d like to get some idea what I need to do to qualify for commenting. A quick procedure list is all I’m asking.
October 6th, 2006 at 9:57 am
lyk woah, we can’t move forword without change.
October 6th, 2006 at 9:58 am
Aww man, BAUT is blocked at my school (usually where I am when I read and sometimes comment.) Ah well, it is for the best I assume.
October 6th, 2006 at 10:19 am
If you use Firefox, it will store all your passwrods in an easy to use master index. I read a LOT of BBs and blogs and such, and it helps immensely.
October 6th, 2006 at 10:26 am
Testing….George, can you see this.
October 6th, 2006 at 1:55 pm
Bill Peschel, all you need to do to register is provide a unique username, password, and valid email address.
I will note that we’ve been getting away with far more in the manner of political topics than is acceptable on the BAUT. Am I too assume that will be enforced, too? If so, you may need to point that out (along with any of the other rules in force there that haven’t been too tightly enforced here).
Except for that whole “register to post” thing.
So are you going to have a separate section for blog posts? Continue to split the blog categories? Roll them into the existing categories?
October 7th, 2006 at 10:44 am
Perhaps this new system will keep out really vital news about the cultural impact of NASA space explorations on the rest of the universe. Sending samples of US popular music up with some of the probes has already paid off, according to unusually reliable sources. See:
http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/intergalactic_stories/6
If not, maybe a more intensive coverage in this general direction will compensate for the dropping of political commentary requested by a few BA readers. It certainly would mean a lot less work and responsibility for Phil. After all, everything real that involves human activity has political aspects.
October 7th, 2006 at 8:19 pm
The blog will still be posted here, but comments will go on the BAUT board in their own section, with the blog entry as the first post in the thread. There will be much more leeway for commenting, in that there will be political and religious posts, and therefore the comments will need to be as well. But that will be the only section where that is permitted, and the civility rules will be enforced.
October 9th, 2006 at 12:58 am
oh, but i want to swear at you and tell you how much of an antireligious infidel you are…
only joking of course
October 9th, 2006 at 9:40 am
I’ve just posted a comment in the ‘new system’, and I was a bit disconcerted as I have had problems in the past with a similar set-up. I’m not sure we will have the same sort of easy repartee that exists here. But then it’s your site Phil, and whatever your wish….
I certainly have enjoyed reading the many topics since entering early this year, and also the opportunity to comment as well. It has been entertaining and informative, and thought provoking. I hope my efforts have helped and not hindered the process.
I shall wait till the new system settles down, so here’s hoping.
Ivan.