Comments on: Is it a spambot or is it an ***hole?

Question: Is it a spambot or is it an ***hole?

timeistight — Thu, 29 Apr 2004 11:27:21 -0800

Someone (or something) has been leaving comments on my site. Can someone help me determine whether it's a spambot? [More Inside]

He (it?) uses the name "Shows On TV" and links to a site of the same name. The comments are somewhat related to the relevant posts, but I suppose that could be automated. Anyone else seeing this?

By: filmgeek

filmgeek — Thu, 29 Apr 2004 13:59:43 -0800

I've had spamming problems with Movable type.

I checked the blacklist software (that despams stuff)

http://www.jayallen.org/comment_spam/blacklist.txt

MT-Blacklist/Comment Spam Clearinghouse/blacklist.txt

no sign of shows in any of the urls listed there.

By: timeistight

timeistight — Thu, 29 Apr 2004 14:17:15 -0800

Thanks filmgeek. I never thought to check that list.

By: seanyboy

seanyboy — Thu, 29 Apr 2004 15:02:50 -0800

A quick search of google seems to imply that this person is using other peoples blogs to googlebomb his site. The site is even included in a couple of MT Blacklists. Given the small number of comments though, I don't think a spambot is doing this. I think it's just one person manually searching for film related blogs to add comments to.

By: rhapsodie

rhapsodie — Thu, 29 Apr 2004 15:21:21 -0800

A spambot would also make comments in random posts, no matter how old/archived/forgotten they are. I have never noticed a spambot hitting posts on the front page of the few blogs I have.

By: fooljay

fooljay — Thu, 29 Apr 2004 21:59:06 -0800

I agree with seanyboy, but it's definitely the comment spam M.O..

Just for clarification, the Master Blacklist doesn't have every spammish domain known to bloggers. In fact, it trails the leading edge by a good bit because I'm careful not to put anything in it just on first report.

Old users will always have the leading edge blacklists because they just add to it when they de-spam from the notification email. Only later do I get the spam reports which eventually make it to the blacklist so that new users can be equally protected.