Word Verification aka Captcha is a big buzzword around the book blogosphere this week. Audrey over at Holes in my Brain has formed a petition to raise awareness about how readers feel about Word Verification. Normally I don't get involved in any of the blogosphere drama, but I wanted to share my experience with this one.
First and foremost, some of my VERY FAVORITE blogs use Word Verification, and I do not love those blogs any less for it. I would never let it affect whether or not I visit a blog or leave a comment. I don't have some list in my head of who uses it and who doesn't, but I feel so relieved when I don't have to take the extra time to enter that word.
I just want to get the word out and make a suggestion to try not using it and see if you get spam. I used to use Word Verification until I realized that a lot of people are very against it and actually won't leave comments on blogs that use it. I don't want my blog to be thought of negatively in any way. So I tried turning it off, thinking that if I got spam, I would turn it back on. I fully expected spam later that week or even that day. But guess what? I've only gotten one spam comment ever. It was about buying a hammock, and I just deleted it, quick and painless.
So this post is not to be hard on those who use captcha. It's just a suggestion to make it easier for readers to leave comments.
How do you feel about this issue? Please check out the post over at Holes in My Brain, and if you want, sign her petition!