Image verification (AGH)

I'm just wanting to release my frustration & give some advice to directory owners:

DO NOT ENABLE IMAGE VERIFICATION UNLESS NEEDED!

Image verification is sooo annoying when submitting around 10 sites or more to a directory & often it say's "Invalid code" when the code is correct, or it's very hard to make out what the image displays.

Really image verification is only needed when your getting spammed out

 

Although even with image verification we get alot of spam listings.It is the {only} best way to control spam unless your directory is paid!
Saad

 

I feel you, i suffered from spam before i went paid...

But most new directories enable image verification before they get submissions

 

I disagree, image verification is not the only way. One of my sites was getting spammed, and by using a simple text screener we got rid of 99% of the spam. Every once and a while we just add a new word to the filter. Because of this instead of losing customers to the image verification we have gotten rid of the spam.

I would guess that the real spammers just go around image verifications by calling directly to the page which creates pending links.

 

These days I don't even submite to IMAGE VERIFICATION directory, as most of time I have to submite it 10 times, and each time I get error.

 

I rarely do either. It's such a waste of time that can be better spent on submitting to sites that do not use it.

 

I don't mind directories that uses simple image verification since i'm used to submit to directories without submissions softwares

 

I useually disable my image verification on new directories now to keep mysticmedia happy.

I do not submit to directories myself im tooooooo lazy I just pay someone to do it now.

Is it crazy to start 25 new directories on the holidays . I was thinking I can have 40 domains on my polurnet hosting plan why not use that space and put to use the spare space.

Its just 25 directories is going to cost alot $$ to get someone to submit them

 

I'll be making it a POINT from now on to:

1. first PM Chris (mystikmedia) and tell him submissions are open so go ahead and submit.
2. then sneak and turn image validation ON, just because...

hahahaha

(ps. everyone else should do the same rofl)

 

We all did the same lol, i received emails from Chris asking me to remove image validation, i always obeyed

 

I hope directory owners take this advise.
I am fed up of sticking my nose to the computer screen, closing 1 eye to focus,, trying to read the image...

 

I dont understand this. You just need to chenge the fonts.

Default fonts coming with phpld2 is terrible.. I think they are selected so that the users can not submit links )

But you can just just select a more readble font and replace the font names in a configuration file.

And here are two free resources to find interesting fonts:

http://www.typenow.net/themed.htm
http://betterfonts.com/

Maybe Phpld team may consider replacing current fonts with any font available in the above sites.

 

Actually the readable fonts still don't work--i still have to resubmit the font images even if i have them right. The Captcha is not 100% on the mark.

 

I must be in the minority then, because I have submitted sites to directories using the captchas until the keys are worn out on my keyboard and only encountered problems maybe 0.1% of the time.

Even so, I would prefer directories adopt a system similar to the phpbb anti-bot question mod. It's easier for humans, different for every implementation, and flexible/customizable so it's too much trouble for bot makers to keep up with it.

 

Probably 99% of directories are getting spammed out. But image verification is never needed, because it isn't the solution. This kind of captcha can already be broken by a bot, and it's inaccessible.

It's about time someone built one for the most common directories. It should be a text-based captcha with question and answers that you can easily modify. Having built something similar for my directories, I know it wouldn't be too much trouble to code a solution. I wonder why no-one has built this kind of mod for any of the most popular directory scripts yet?

 

Listen, image verification is not that bad, annoying yes, but not terrible considering I am getting something for free.

It does raise a good point that something better is needed to stop automated bots that doesn't have to penalize all of us honest folk.

 

Never used it, never will.

 

Has anyone turned this feature off due to this thread? just wondering

 

Will just charging a few bucks keep the bots away or then do you get submits without payment?

 

when you are a paid directory or featured listings only. you will have time to confirm payments and reciprocal links as traffic will not be as high.



Poor mysticmedia I just saw he submitted 5 sites to my directory and I think image verification was enabled

Actually I might think of removing image verification indefinitely from my directories.