A Word About Verification

I love your comments. I'd like to make it as easy as possible for you to leave them as I believe the conversations we have are the lifeblood of this blog. However, yesterday's spambot incident means unfortunately Word Verification (WV) is back on here to stay. I've chosen WV over comment moderation because I've seen how you respond not only to what I've said, but you also react to the comments left already. I really like that and besides, I always seem to leave the worst spelling mistakes or links that don't work which I can't correct immediately where comment moderation is in place. Of course I realise that comment moderation is easier for you, but I believe the convenience to later readers outweighs this.

I know some of you do find the extra hoop of WV a real pain - it may also stop some of you from joining in - but that's the price I'll have to pay and you're still very welcome to lurk. If the word's unreadable, then refreshing the page usually presents a simpler one. The same solution applies if you get a box with a red cross in it instead of a word. For those of you in Blotanical experiencing comment problems when viewing through the Picks page, I find the 'open the page in a new tab' option usually sorts things out. If all fails when you're in here and you're still keen to comment - or indeed if your problem with commenting here hasn't been covered in this post - then you're most welcome to email me at vegplotting at gmail dot com.

Now a word to those of you using Blogger's default embedded comment option. There are some problems with this which you might not be aware of. Sometimes non-Bloggers can't get to comment at all - the above solutions don't work either - and as a Blogger blogger I find the comment process really seems to really get its knickers in a twist if I'm not signed into my Google account at the time. The full-page and pop-up window options don't seem to get these problems, so you may wish to bear this in mind over at your place.

WordPress (WP) users of course don't get any of this because they have the benefit of an in-built spam filter. I believe most Blogger users will cheer very loudly if and when this is provided for us - it's very high up on our wants list. I don't know very much about other blogging platforms such as Typepad or Mac - with these I find the main issue tends to be with page load times rather than the WV process, though I have had problems in the past with page expiry on Typepad blogs when leaving a long comment.

Finally, let's look at the follow-up comment option you can take when leaving comments. Of course it's a marvellous way of finding out what others say about the post and also getting my reply to what you've said. However, if a post is very popular you will find your inbox gets quite full, OR as we found yesterday if a spambot does get through, you will receive some unwanted email(s) from there containing who knows what. The measures I've taken should prevent the latter with regards to Veg Plotting from now on.

I hope this post helps you to understand the thought process I've gone through in choosing the way the comment process works in here: as always, I welcome hearing your thoughts too, especially if it helps me to make the process easier without introducing any risks. I'm also going to put this post in my New Reader links as it not only explains the comment process for Veg Plotting, it may also be helpful for new bloggers to understand some of the issues they may face.

Comments

  1. Rob (ourfrenchgarden)12 April 2009 at 11:23

    Hi

    Spam and spammers are such a pain in the backside.

    I sure word verification will not detrimentally affect your comments.

    I'll stay tuned.

    Rob

    ReplyDelete
  2. CanadianGardenJoy12 April 2009 at 12:40

    VP .. I don't use word verification, I used to ages ago but dumped it as an experiment, and so far I haven't been jammed with spam .. This can all get to be a bit much when all you want is to post and allow other gardeners to leave a comment if they want to. I can't think logically this morning so I'm not to sure what I just said makes sense .. chocolate deprivation ? haha

    ReplyDelete
  3. F Cameron12 April 2009 at 12:41

    I took off the WV a few months ago. Now, you've got me thinking it's time to put it back in place.

    Hope not too much damage was done. I've been out in the garden for several days and not getting around to blog reading much.

    Cheers,
    Cameron

    ReplyDelete
  4. VP12 April 2009 at 12:51

    Rob - too right and thanks very much for your support.

    Joy - you use comment moderation (CM) if I remember correctly? I've thought long and hard about this one, but have chosen WV for the reasons I've outlined in this post.

    Cameron - I noticed that you and lots of others don't use WV or CM at all with apparent impunity. It was that which 'helped' me to take it off when I was reading about how much a pain some bloggers find WV. In my case the spambots found me in less than 2 weeks - perhaps I'm unlucky, but I'm not going to do anything which puts mine and others computers at risk from now on. Hence WV is here to stay.

    ReplyDelete
  5. petoskystone12 April 2009 at 12:58

    Happy Easter! or Spring! if you prefer......

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hermes12 April 2009 at 13:14

    Don't worry we'll still want to comment on your posts - too interesting not to.

    ReplyDelete
  7. VP12 April 2009 at 13:16

    Petoskystone - Happy Easter's fine thank you! I hope you're having a good holiday too.

    Hermes - that's most kind of you :) Have a good Easter.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Unknown12 April 2009 at 14:32

    I'm with Hermes; I'll always post on blogs I like even when WV sometimes misbehaves. It's a small price to pay (what, five seconds of my time?) to help ensure peace of mind on your end, believe me.

    ReplyDelete
  9. our friend Ben12 April 2009 at 15:28

    Ha, the word actually showed up this time, VP! I feel very guilty here, since I was one of the complainers about not ever seeing your word verification. Then you took it down and look what happened! (Scream.) The way I look at it, if I can comment, great; if not, what have you lost?! And I'll keep reading anyway!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anna12 April 2009 at 21:32

    I had not noticed that you had removed the word verification VP albeit briefly by the sound of it. With Blogger though I can usually read the words so it's no big deal to copy them. I think that it's Word Press where I really stuggle to read them but if it thwarts the spammers so be it.

    A Happy Easter to you :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous12 April 2009 at 21:37

    You gotta do what you gotta do -- spammers are a pain in the butt and, of course, can be destructive, too.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Gail13 April 2009 at 05:55

    WV hasn't stopped any of us from visiting you VP! Sorry about the harassment from the spambot! Gail

    ReplyDelete
  13. Matron13 April 2009 at 08:09

    Some of the verification words are quite funny. The one I'm staring at now is 'sumpuze' . BTW I've lost my site views counter on blogger it has stuck at 6900 for the last 4 or 5 weeks. hmm

    ReplyDelete
  14. VP13 April 2009 at 08:33

    Jodi - that's exactly what I think when I comment on other blogs. Thank you.

    OFB - don't feel guilty. There was blog chatter about this long before we were talking about it and seeing lots of people not using WV or comment moderation lulled me into a false sense of security. And hurray - you managed to comment with WV on - much appreciated :)

    Anna - it's not WP as you're not asked to type a word in. It's probably Typepad.

    Nancy - yes they are a pain :(

    Gail - it was my own stupid fault. Fingers crossed there's not any harm done elsewhere.

    Matron - I often find it funny too, especially when it fits with the post of the type of blog. It's good to be able to make fun of a necessary evil sometimes :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Rose13 April 2009 at 15:00

    So sorry about your spam problem! I've had a couple strange comments left on my posts occasionally, but nothing that was really spam--as far as I know.

    The word verification doesn't bother me, and if it helps prevent spam, then it's certainly worth it. I've found that if I type the word incorrectly, the next word is much easier--Blogger must think I'm dumb:) I've had some problems leaving comments on certain blogs, but I've concluded it's something in the way my computer is set up and I've yet to figure out the problem. I could use a live-in computer tech!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Mr. McGregor's Daughter13 April 2009 at 15:40

    I can't comment with the embedded comment option because my Google account ID is different from my gmail account & it won't let me choose which one to use & defaults to the wrong one. I wish there was a way to change that. I support your decision to go with word verification. I've used it all along & I don't see me changing that anytime soon.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Susan Tomlinson13 April 2009 at 15:45

    I use both word verification and comment moderation--I think I'm a bit of a control freak...

    ReplyDelete
  18. VP14 April 2009 at 08:15

    Rose - I've noticed the next word tends to be easier too - thank goodness!

    MMD - Thanks for the support and for the extra info about problems with the embedded comment form.

    Susan - I had spotted you did that and wondered why - now I know ;)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Karen - An Artist's Garden17 April 2009 at 08:58

    What a nightmare VP
    Spambots are the pits, I have to delete about 60 comments every day which are from bots, and I am now going to have to look for a plug in to stop them ever reaching my site.
    Fortunately the spam catcher is good at wordpress so they just go straight to the spambox - my fear is that a real comment will go there, so I always look through them, in fact only one real comment has gone there by mistake.
    Also I have the option to moderate comments which I do just for "new commentators", which is a good, as it means my regular readers will just be able to comment -
    I prefer word verification to comment moderation!
    K

    ReplyDelete
  20. Karen17 April 2009 at 09:01

    PS
    I was wondering how I missed this post and the previous one, but have realized it was over the Easter period, and I had a little blogging break.
    This is the other reason I like word verification I can add PS's
    K
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. tina17 April 2009 at 14:08

    Those darn spammers drive me nuts! I too added the WV. Hated to do it, but I think everyone understands. I surely understand you putting it on. I usually subscribe to the follow up comments. You can at any time unsubscribe so it works when it gets to be too much or I've seen a response.

    ReplyDelete
  22. VP18 April 2009 at 08:54

    Karen - I'm apalled at how much spam gets caught by WP each day. That's a lesson for us all re our website's security. Like you, I would be afraid that a genuine message would get through, though with so many comments it would be so easy to miss. You've also answered my question about what happens to new visitors' comments as I knew you have the option to accept comments from 'known' email addresses, but of course you get new readers all the time. Thanks. Good point about WV vs. CM.

    Tina - thanks for the support - WV or CM's a necssary evil isn't it? And that's a good point about the ability to unsubscribe once you've seen your reply or if things get too much.

    ReplyDelete
  23. tina18 April 2009 at 13:18

    You are very welcomed. I will keep WV on for a while then see how it goes. I don't like it at all.

    Now I will unsubscribe:)

    Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Karen - An Artist's Garden19 April 2009 at 09:31

    VP, sorry me again :)
    After reading this post and the previous one, I went back to my wordpress dashboard to look at the options, and one of them is to close comments after x number of days.

    I decided to close comments after 14 days, and my spam bot comments dropped from 60 odd to 3.

    I dont often get comments on posts older than 14 days, (although I may up this timescale to 20 days).

    I will have to put something on my blog saying about this, but I thought I would post it here in case it helps anyone else.
    K

    ReplyDelete
  25. VP19 April 2009 at 10:17

    Tina - thanks, hope you're having a good weekend :)

    Karen - that looks like a useful option for other WP bloggers to know about. It also means not so much of a slog for you and more chance of spotting the genuine comments that have gone to the spambox by mistake :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Ewa1 June 2010 at 08:46

    Dear Michelle, I really love the idea of small, recycled bottles greenhouse. Little bit scared to build it in my garden, but very, very tempted :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. VP3 June 2010 at 20:58

    Hi Ewa - I think you meant this for my Chelsea Ideas post, but I know exactly what you mean. Let's start collecting those bottles now!
    xxx

    ReplyDelete

New comments are not allowed.

Your essential reads

That blue flower: A spring spotter's guide

Image
Spring is a prime time for blue flowers and my daily walks currently have several from the same plant family* lining the local footpaths. As I walked past the Donkey Field the other day, I overheard some children ask their parents** what the pictured blue flower was. It reminded me it's often mistaken for those other familial blues and this time was no different, as they said it was forget-me-not, instead of the green alkanet it actually is. As well as similar flowers, most of these plants are hairy in their nature, flower around the same time, and favour damp, shady places. Many of them are great for pollinators too, especially bees and this week's warm weather has certainly drawn them to these flowers. This makes it even more likely for these plants to be mistaken for each other and it's a great opportunity for me to put together a spotter's guide in case you find the same flowers on your outings. Staying with green alkanet, the key features which set it
Read more

Jack Go To Bed At Noon

Image
Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl
Read more

Red Nose Day - Gardening Jokes Anyone?

Image
The nation goes ever so slightly bonkers on Red Nose Day - hurrah! Previously, it's been very easy to join in - usually via a dress down day at work plus lots of people up to mad things at the station and in the office. Everyone smiling for once - it's a real feel good day and all in a good cause. This year's different - every day's a dress down day for me now - my friend L suggested yesterday that perhaps I could have a dress up day instead and whilst that's a good idea, I confess that ballgowns and tiaras don't really feature in my wardrobe: scruffy student's always been my favourite look. So my Red Nose Day contribution for this year is to compile a list of gardening related jokes. For each one (clean ones only please) you leave in the comments below, I'll make a donation of 50p to the cause. Here's a few for starters just to get you warmed up: Q Why do potatoes make good detectives? A Because they keep their eyes peeled. Q What did the grape
Read more

Salad Days: Mastering Lettuce

Image
I've decided one of my salad challenges for this year is to grow as many lettuce varieties as I can, ready for the publication of my planned Factsheet* later on. The idea is to grow as many of the Tried and Trusted lettuce varieties last year's Salad Challengers helped compile, then provide a visual guide and as many lettuce facts as I can muster. So far I've found around half of those listed**. Then naturally whilst I was out searching - because such is the way with seeds - a number of other varieties found their way home too ;) A couple of weeks ago I sowed 22 varieties***. Just the simple act of sowing them has me intrigued. Why are some lettuce seeds black and others white****? They split into about half white to half black in my sample and as far as I can tell it's nothing to do with whether they're a type of cos, iceberg, or whatever. I sowed them indoors and popped them into a propagator on the windowsill. The soil's too cold outside for sowing
Read more

VPs VIPs: Derry Watkins of Special Plants

Image
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Derry Watkins at her home, garden and nursery - the acclaimed Special Plants - just a few miles along the road from me. I first met Derry at one of her open garden days last year and was keen to find out more about her wonderful garden and running an independent nursery. She specialises in tender perennials and regularly goes on plant hunting trips to find new treasures, particularly in South Africa. As well as running Special Plants and opening her garden under the NGS scheme , Derry holds day courses at her nursery, hosts Special Tuesdays from April until September, lectures and has written a couple of books. How did you find your way from Connecticut to the UK? I'd started a biodynamic vegetable garden in Connecticut and we used to have people come along at weekends to help out. A particular young man turned up: he returned many times and at the end of the summer I married him. So it was all down to love? Isn't that the
Read more

#mygardenrightnow: heading into summer with the Chelsea Fringe

Image
Ahhhhhh, that's better! I love walking through dewy grass in bare feet, not that there's much in the way of grass on my back lawn this weekend. My wild and woolly lawn has morphed into meadow of sorts this month, which even NAH admits looks attractive*. It's also proved a great source for my Flowers for mum project so far, yielding self-sown perennial cornflowers, lamb's ears, and lemon balm in addition to the blooms you can see. These originated from elsewhere in the garden, the ox-eye daisies must have blown in from the A350 nearby. * = he got very stroppy about the weeds aka self-sown foxgloves in the lawn one year, so he's come along a bit since then. Skimble's demanding to say hello to you too. He does enjoy the patio when it warms up. If the embedded video doesn't work try this link instead. The Nectaroscordum are a revelation. I planted the bulbs around 2 years ago, but it's only this year they've bloomed properly. The bee
Read more

The Resilient Garden

Image
  Part of Tom Massey's Resilient Garden at RHS Hampton Court I've been pondering VP Gardens a lot lately. Last year's drought conditions set me off initially, then our harsher than usual winter combined with this summer's flip and flop weather means the thinking continues. It's a huge topic which I freely admit I'm struggling to get my head around. Tom Massey's Resilient Garden  at Hampton Court recently  tackled this topic brilliantly and was a timely interlude which gave me much food for thought. There he encapsulated the detailed research he'd found which informed both his show garden and book of the same name. I think it's one of the most important show gardens I've ever seen. It's clear the way I garden needs to change so that I have my own resilient garden. I haven't worked out the exact details yet, but Tom's book plus a couple of others (see below), alongside the rainwater management handout from the show garden's  sponso
Read more

Testing Times: Tomatoes

Image
  I've run a couple of tomato trials this year. The first is a revisit of the biochar trial with Oxford University I attempted some years ago (with a different organisation this time), and the second is a trial of a water gadget called Plantsurge which I was given to try at Malvern Spring Show earlier this year. Most of you have probably heard of biochar already and the claim that this inert, carbon-rich material can help soil fertility and plant health. The RHS information in the above link says results can be mixed, with reduced effects found in alkaline soils. This may help to explain the lack of difference I found in my previous trial as VP Gardens is on a lime-rich soil. Plantsurge is a different beast altogether. It's a strong magnet which is attached to a hosepipe as shown in the photo above. It's claimed that it softens water, with the result more like watering with rainwater. The higher nitrogen found in rainwater is thought to be beneficial to plants. Gardener
Read more

Chelsea Fringe 2014: Shows of Hands - Episode I

Image
The gloves NAH used to build the raised bed . The effects are L to R, top to bottom:  Original photo, Warhol, HDR, Green tint, B&W, Posterize, Boost, Cross process and Sepia Welcome to Shows of Hands - my Chelsea Fringe project for 2014! As you can see I've been having a bit of a play around in Pic Monkey for my first contribution. You're welcome to join in between now and 8th June 2014. The idea behind this year's project is to highlight the tool most precious to a gardener: their hands. How do I take part? It's simple. All you need to do is take a photo of hand(s) in a gardening context and then share it via your blog or other social media (such as Twitter or Facebook), then make sure I know you've done so. I've set up Mr Linky below for your blog contributions. The Chelsea Fringe photo on the right sidebar links to this post, so you can easily find it again when you're ready to add your contribution. If you share your photo on Twitter,
Read more

Make Use of Mildew

Image
On my garden patrol this morning I spotted some powdery mildew on a couple of my new Verbena bonariensis plants. I suppose it was almost inevitable as I prefer to grow my plants hard - this means no water for them unless they look absolutely desperate. This approach means plants root themselves more deeply and have a better chance of survival during spells of dry weather like we've had lately. However, it also means I run the risk of problems like today's, especially with any garden newbies planted late in the season. We've had a good drop of rain overnight, so this should help my plants survive. I'll mulch them later today to help lock in the moisture as it's water stress which encourages the mildew to take hold. I've also removed the infected leaves and sprayed the rest with a milky drink.* I'm also pleased to find there's a use for my infected leaves. Oliver Ellingham at Reading University has started a PhD - sponsored by the RHS - researchi
Read more