this is when "bot" programs crawl around the web and find discussions where it is free/open for guests to post. they then post an inane and annoying ad.

most systems are starting to combat this by either having only registered users leave comments or having guests do an extra verification step (e.g. type in a number they see in an image). the first is unacceptable for sito, and the second i just dont like very much.

i dont know what technical approach i am going to take, but i will have to do something soon, i fear. note, however, this wont affect writing comments *when you are logged in*. that will be the same. but i need to figure out something for the "guest" user posting...

more as it happens...

references:

• Link spam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia <en.wikipedia.org>
• Comment Spam Manifesto :: Adam Kalsey <kalsey.com>
• Six Apart Guide to Combatting Comment Spam <www.sixapart.com>