Important
As of January 1st, 2009, I am no longer developing, maintaining or supporting Spam Karma. If you want to contribute to its code or download the latest GPL release, you can check out the code repository, over at Google Code.
Thanks.
1. Overview
Spam Karma 2 (SK2) is an anti-spam plugin for the WordPress blogging platform. It is meant to stop all forms of automated Blog spam effortlessly, while remaining as unobtrusive as possible to regular commenters. Spam Karma 2 is the proud successor to Spam Karma, with whom it shares most of the development ideas, but absolutely none of the code
2. Requirements
- WordPress: SK2 requires at least WP 1.5.1 (or up). It is compatible with all versions of WordPress up to the latest release (2.1).
- mySQL: 4.0 or up is strongly recommended (some important functionalities might not work otherwise).
3. Installation
Install is the easiest ever:
- download the archive
- unzip and drop the whole SK2 folder, as is, in your
pluginsdirectory. - Enable the plugin in the WP Admin >> Plugins section.
- Browse to WP Admin >> Manage >> Spam Karma 2.
(Note: if you are upgrading from a previous install, simply overwrite the older files with the new ones in the instructions above)
Please check SK2 GPL repository for any potential downloads.
4. The Aftermath
Everything worked? Good.
Not quite?
Just check out the FAQ & Troubleshooting Page, your answer might be there. Otherwise, you can try WP.org support forums.
For bug-reports exclusively, you can contact me using this online form (do not use the old support email account: it is no longer active).
5. Tip Jar
If Spam Karma saved your life/relationship/cat/mailbox and you feel overly generous, please feel free to make a donation.
If you don’t have cash, but plenty of time to spare, consider helping out with some WP community-related projects.
6. Other Languages
Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Parlez-vous français? 日本語喋れる？¿Hablas Español? Parla Italiano? etc.
SK2 can probably speak your language !
Go here to find instructions on how to switch SK2 to a language other than English.
If your language is not in this list already (or even if it is, but you feel the translations can be improved), learn how you can contribute here.
7. Documentation and Extra Stuff
For more info about how SK2 works, what it does, how you can improve it etc, check SK2′s Documentation Blog on wp-plugins.net. Please feel free to contribute.
There are additional third-party plugins available to extend SK2′s functionalities. Check out the full list here.
SK2 will automatically inserts an “X spams eaten” message in your footer (you can disable or customize it in the admin options).
Using SK2? Eager to tell the world about it? Like having 300 little acronym buttons on the side of your page?
Say no more, we have what you need:
Feel free to download and do whatever you want with this kick-ass button, including using it on your own page, possibly with a link to this very page. However: hotlink it directly from this page, and I will unleash my legions of killer ferrets on you and your descendance, at the click of a mouse.
If you are a developer and would like to learn how you can very easily use SK2 as a support for your own anti-spam development effort, check out the SK2 API page.
If you have an idea on how to improve SK2 (and see no mention of it in the existing docs) feel free to contact me about it, but keep in mind that nearly any addition to SK2 can be done outside of the core, through an SK2 module. Feel free to contact me if you want to take on such a task and need a bit of help getting started.
Normally, SK2 should automatically check for updates on a reasonably regular basis, but consider checking that page back in a few weeks if you do not see any update.
8. What about Karma?
You mean, the sanskrit word that defines a concept in eastern religions?
I wrote an entry about it here.
9. Your comment was mistakenly eaten by Spam Karma?
10. Licensing and Legal Matters
Spam Karma 2 is not GPL. It is copyright and all rights reserved. However, it is absolutely free for download, use and non-commercial redistribution. Anything else is subject to prior written permission by myself. If you contact me, chances are I’ll say yes to any reasonable request.
External plugins (including those bundled with Spam Karma 2) are the property of their respective developers and, by default, subject to the same distribution rules.
What this mean in practice: Spam Karma is “free software”, in that it is absolutely free to download, free to use and even free to tinker with (although I typically would require any modifications made to it to be clearly indicated to potential users). What I do not want to see, though, is people grabbing a version of WP and SK2, packaging them together and selling them for $300 (as they could do, with GPL software). Bottom line is that I am not trying to make money with this, and I don’t see why somebody else should be able to without me having a say first.
Once again, this type of licensing doesn’t make any difference for 99% of users (it’s free for whatever you need it to do), and shouldn’t stand in the way of the remaining 1% with more specific needs. If you have doubt or questions, contact me: I am very open to any discussion or criticism regarding this format of licensing.
I am also very open to porting SK2 over to other platforms. Its architecture makes it extremely portable (for a WP plugin). Contact me if you think you may be interested in adapting it for another platform.
It goes without saying that this software is provided “as is”, without any guarantee of warranty of any kind, nor could I ever be held liable for any damages it could do to your system (see header of source code for details): if SK2 was to go berserk, screw up your database, delete your entire blog, kill your cat and rape your hamster (or the other way round), you’re pretty much on your own legally. It shouldn’t though.
11. Changelog
New in 2.3:
- Miscellaneous bug-fixes (UI, WP21 compatibility, compatibility with other plugins etc.)
- A few small changes in the modules (improving blacklisting module, disabling RBL for now).
- Important updates to WordPress DB schema in order to try and improve its sluggish loading time (not directly an SK2 problem per se, but had to be done for SK2 to run fine).
2.2:
- Miscellaneous bug-fixes (UI, WP2 compatibility etc.)
- Fine-tuning of older modules to accomodate new spambot breed.
- Minor additions to SK2′s filtering modules to raise SK2 protections.
2.1:
- Full multilingual support (see available languages).
- WP 2.0 and SQL 5.0 compatibility
- Improved email integration (can flag/unflag spam directly from notification emails).
- Miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements
[...] Don’t like the idea of all your visitors’ comments going through someone else’s server? Check out Spam Karma 2. It’s just as good as Akismet and deserves the rating along side Akismet as the number one WordPress plugin. [...]
[...] Via SpamKarma lässt sich zumindest die Blacklist um die IP-Adressen solcherlei Gesindels ergänzen. Es mag manchmal etwas bringen. [...]
[...] To many of you this may be a blog just to read the latest on whats happening around the world in the “geek” community. Well I have changed the templete to the very smart looking 3K2 Beta 1.01, but it has had been ripped apart and put back together again the way I think would best suit Geeks Globe. I have also added a few plugins ( WP-EMail, WP-Print, WP-PostRatings) which will give you the reader a chance to contribute to Geeks Globe and also help spread the word of this ever growing website. We here at Geeks Globe have also re opened the comments function after finding what looks to be one of the best spam blockers on the internet today – Spam Karma 2. So after saying the above I hope we can all work together and help Geeks Globe be one of the most informative, popular “geek” sites on the internet today. Please feel free contact us with any comments, or question using the “Contact Us” form on the right hand side of the page. [...]
[...] I just installed Spam Karma 2, and hopefully that will take care of the problem. [...]
[...] Spam Karma 2 – Reloaded [...]
[...] Inzwischen habe ich auf allen WordPress-Installationen Akismet installiert, damit es mir nicht wie Gerald geht. Allerdings verwende ich ja hier (und anderswo) ausschließlich WordPress, das im Gegensatz zu Greymatter ständig weiterentwickelt wird. Auch die bekannten Anti-Spam-Werkzeuge Akismet oder auch Spam Karma werden ständig aktualisiert. [...]
[...] Link zum Plugin Spam Karma 2.2 [...]
[...] Da ich nun seit einigen Wochen Spam Karma 2 laufen habe, möchte ich an dieser Stelle mal schnell sagen, dass ich wirklich begeistert davon bin. Ich hatte bisher keinen einzigen nicht abgefangenen Spam-Eintrag mehr und unter den hunderten abgefangenen war auch kein Fehltreffer, den ich hätte retten müssen. Summa summarum kann ich SK2 also wirklich nur jedem empfehlen, der in seinem WordPress-Blog Probleme mit Spam hat. [...]
[...] I like that phrase. Apparently, some other jokers do too. I just got my little Spam Karma report for yesterday for golod.com and there were 110 comment spams caught since this same time yesterday. That is some serious spam yo. I have to say, if you have a WordPress blog, Spam Karma 2 is the way to go. You set it and forget it. Just like big Ron. tags: blog, blogging, comment+spam, spam, spam+karma, wordpress [...]
[...] Spam. We (well, actually, I) didn’t want to write some kind of advanced spam guessing system to stop us being deluged with crud. So, since I wanted to allow commenting, I relied on the excellend Spam Karma 2 to solve our Spam problems for us. That’s it, in a nutshell. [...]
[...] I’ll be upgrading this blog from WordPress 1.5.x to WordPress 2.0.x at some point in the next few days (I’d love to give a more accurate indication but as personal projects go, it’s not very easy to predict when I’ll get A Round Tuit ™). This may mean that, aside for Spam Karma, which I already know to work with 2.0.x, not all features will work correctly and I’ll probably go back to one of the default themes instead of this homebrew hodgepodge. [...]
[...] Sorry for the lag between posts. I currently have my plate full, pun intended get it? (ok that was bad), with a bunch of other sites that I run. Those sites actually make money. A few of them are running older versions of wordpress and have been comment spammed beyond recognition. In the process of cleaning them up and loading the latest version. Then there are all of the other sites as well. This one has been hit too but I’ve loaded up SpamKarma. Works like a charm so far. Give it a try if you use WordPress. I’ve been digging through hundreds of mail notifications from these sites to weed out the bad from the good. Soooo if anyone has sent a mail here please be patient and I’ll get back to you soon. Money comes first . Oh yeah, and the World Cup (Mundial) has been killing my time too! [...]
[...] Spam Karma 2 und Akismet runterladen, ins Plugin-Verzeichnis schieben und aktivieren. Die Standard-Einstellungen sind schon völlig ausreichend. [...]
[...] Update: Habe zusätzlich noch Spam Karma2 installiert. Bitte kommentiert mal eifrig, zum Test. Danke [...]
[...] Um dagegen etwas zu unternehmen habe ich mir SpamKarma, eine freie Anti-Spam Software für WordPress installiert, und hoffe, dass es seine Arbeit wie erwartet erfüllt. [...]
[...] Deshalb habe ich zusätzlich zu Bad Behavior, noch Aksimet und Spam Karma 2 installiert. Das kann ich nur jedem WordPressbenutzer empfehlen! [...]
[...] I’ve been deluged with so much spam that I have decided to finally do something about it. Up until now it’s been pretty manageable but the other morning I checked my email to discover that I had 82 spam attempts on an old entry, “The Tricky Obsession.” This entry has been an ongoing target for months and I, unfortunately, blew it off. The comments and trackbacks haven’t stopped since – averaging about 5 or more attempts every hour. Most entries are links with phrases like “casino, viagra, payday load, etc.” I found a decent WordPress Spam plugin, Spam Karma 2.2, and so far am not disppointed with the results. I hope it continues to hold up. I am tired of having to moderate all of the entries. « Hot cocoa smile [flickr] [...]
[...] Tired of spammers ruining your website? Try Spam Karma and pwn those n00bs! [...]
[...] Grad eben hab ich gesehen, da
[...] finally, i added some measures against the spam that plagues me. if commenting is tough, let me know. the new measures are working spectacularly. thanks dr.dave. Posted by pwdeegan @ 07:16:51 2006.06.18 [...]
[...] Zwar habe ich erst 51 Spams die von SpamKarma erfolgreich gefuttert wurden, aber mittlerweile macht es mir doch schon Sorgen, wenn andere Leute das gleiche beobachten. Was mir bei Robert auffällt ist, daß der gelistete Eintrag zwar durch einen Blacklisteintrag zwar von SpamKarma als Spam erkannt wurde, aber, sofern ich das richtig verstehe, die Häufung des gleichen Kommentarschreibers dazu beigetragen hat, daß der Eintrag wieder ein positives Karma bekommt. [...]
[...] Spam Karma 2：防 spam 的 plugin [...]
[...] Nein, mit der Überschrift meine ich nicht das überaus wichtige Plugin für WordPress-Blogs, sondern dieses Ding mit der göttlichen Gerechtigkeit. [...]
[...] Avui però ja estat el límit. He estat estona i estona eliminant missatges i blocant IPs. Fins que me n’he cansat i, finalment, he acabat instal·lant i activant l’Spam-Karma. Bon mòdul que sembla ser que funciona prou bé (ja ha caçat uns quants missatges). [...]
[...] Die letzten Wochen und Monate ging es vom Spam-Aufkommen im Würzblog recht ruhig her. 2-3 Spamversuche im Durchschnitt am Tag, das geht völlig ok. Aber jetzt sind in den letzten 48 Stunden 1640 Mal versucht, das Würzblog zu bespammen. Dank Spam Karma 2, das sogar nur in der Einstellung »nice« (nett) seine Arbeit verrichtet, hat alle Versuche souverän abgewehrt. Mittlerweile ist wieder Ruhe in die Blogschnittstellen eingekehrt. Und ich hoffe, das bleibt so. [...]
[...] Die Killerapplikation – Spam Karma 2 [...]
[...] Als je wordpress gebruikt kan het zijn dat je last hebt van spam. Je krijgt dan ongewilde reacties op je weblog. Dit kun je voorkomen met een simpele plugin. Je download de plugin, gooit dit in het mapje wp-content/plugins en je activeert hem. Via opties -> spam karma kun je de instellingen veranderen. [...]
[...] I’ve been getting tons of spam comments on my blog, so I Googled for a spam blocker and found Spam Karma. I just installed it, so I’m not sure how well it’ll work, but from the settings, it looks like it’ll cover lots ofdifferent things! [...]
[...] hiphip huráááá .. spam karma üt rendesen :F [...]
[...] Gegen die Spammer gibt es jetzt SpamKarma, gegen das Verlassen-Sein hilft nur stetige Arbeit. [...]
[...] UPDATE: I have a weapon and it’s called Spam Karma 2.2. Eat it spammers! [...]
[...] da es viel zu viel spam auf der welt gibt hoffe ich das spam karama (plugin für wordpress) das problem beseitigen kann. [...]
[...] Jon runs QandO on software that he helped develop called .BLOG. Waldo uses WordPress (in fact, Waldo turned me on to WordPress for this site) and mentioned several plug-ins that he uses to keep out spam and other unwanted comments, including Bad Behavior and Spam Karma 2. For monitoring site traffic, Waldo recommends Mint (and both Jon and Waldo recommend that you stop using SiteMeter!). [...]
[...] Diesmal das blog: WordPress2, ein paar neue Plugins (flickrRSS, SimpleTagsPlus,Spam Karma 2) installiert, neues CSS, eigenes Theme. Aber alles noch nicht fertig und sehr “work-in-progess”… [...]
[...] I have installed (thanks to my wordpress.com API key) Akismet. So not I have Spam Karma and Akismet running, which should also take care of trackback spam, most of which slips right through SK’s filters, though I suspect Dr Dave simply hasn’t written SK to take care of trackback spam. [...]
[...] 4Spam Karma plugin for WordPress [...]
[...] For spam catching, I thought I’d give the now included Akismet plugin, but quickly resorted to the my familiar Spam Karma as I was not in the mood for creating a WordPress API key something. While being at it, I upgraded it to the latest version too, and I noticed some new interesting options like CAPTCHA which gives a comment poster a second chance when his post seemed spam to SK2. [...]
[...] Link [...]
[...] While this is a nice approach I don’t like the idea of having only one service to check a comment against. I recently switched to Spam Karma 2 and am very happy with it. It never failed me and successfully sent nearly 900 comments to hell in the last 18 days. But nobody is perfect and checking against Akismet could make Spam Karma 2 even better. [...]
[...] First, a bit of history. I have been using the anti-spam plugin Spam Karma 2 on my blog for months. It’s quite an excellent piece of work. It uses a ton of different methods to determine if a comment is spam including the age of the post, a Javascript payload (most spam bots don’t support Javascript), URL blacklists, comparison to other spam comments by the same person, etc. All of those result in a very low error rate and next to no spam actually making it onto my blog. [...]
[...] Umstieg von reinem Akismet auf Spamkarma mit Akismet-Plugin [...]
[...] 3>Spam Karma 2.1 不知道是什麼鳥; 應該是阻擋一些廣告留言之類的…(功能太複雜了;disable) [...]
[...] Doch dann gings los. Mit diesem hier. Testen Profispammer auf diese kryptische Weise, wie offen der besuchte Blog ist? Nun gut, diesen hier lassen wir exemplarisch stehen. Alle anderen, die dann in sehr schneller Folge kamen, haben Spam Karma 2.2 gut geschmeckt, das ich gerade eben zum Essen eingeladen habe. Brav aufgegessen, Kleiner! [...]
[...] Ubijao me SPAM u komentarima u posljednjih nekoliko dana. Obzirom da su komentari moderirani, ništa od toga nije došlo do bloga, no nije ugodno kada se logiram i vidim na svom Dashboardu 20 komentara (i taman se poveselim), a kad ono u tih 20 komentara nijedan komentar vrijedan moderiranja. Da bih to riješio, instalirao sam jučer Spam Karma 2, a to je plugin za WordPress koji rješavam problem spamiranja u komentarima. Stvar radi i preporučam to svima, a plugin se lagano može preraditi da radi i na drugim blog alatima. hr.digg|prijaviGlasujte za MRAK.ORG na dvanula.com agregatoru na kojem čitatelji mogu dijeliti i otkrivati nove web sadržaje!!! Kategorizirano pod: Blog, Sporedne | Tagovi: wordpress, spam karma, spam. | Pročitano: [...]
[...] A medida que el blog va teniendo más visitas y lleva más tiempo en internet es indexado por los estúpidos spamers y la tarea de eliminar la porquería de publicidad que se cuela en los comentarios llega a ser un coñazo. El plugin Spam Karma 2 filtra automáticamente el spam y todo lo que se le parece y lo retiene hasta que lo eliminamos definitivamente o rescatamos algún comentario. Lo mejor es dejar la configuración por defecto, ya que es un plugin bastante gordo y algo complejo de configurar si no se tiene mucha idea. Además funciona muy bien sin tocar nada, yo lo tengo desde hace unos meses y casi nunca se confunde seleccionando spam. De vez en cuando hay que entrar a ver la Cosecha de Spam (Spam Harvest) y estp se hace desde el Panel de Administración, pestaña Opciones y luego Spam Karma. Vereis aquí las pestañas Recent Spam Harvest y Approved Comments, entre otras pestaña que no hace falta tocar ni nos dicen nada a simple vista. Cuando hay porquería que revisar aparece el número de mensajes capturados por el plugin y entonces pinchamos en Spam Harvest. [...]
[...] Playing is very easy! You just need to be ballbreaker enough to spam this blog from a fixed IP address, stupid not to understand that the two installed wordpress plugin, Bad Behaviour and Spam Karma 2, are blocking their fake comments and you do your dirty job from a fixed ip… you’re in! [...]
[...] I highly recommend that you get Spam Karma 2 because for most spam messages, that have lots of the usual links … it marks the comment as spam. But, it doesn’t catch everything that is spam. For instance, when there are comments that are like the above, with no clickable links in them but just garbledie gook text and a spam link as the homepage (with a yahoo or gmail fake email address) .. the comments get through. [...]
[...] Spam Karma 2 [...]
[...] spam karma – Sokkal átláthatóbb, mint az akismet. A spam-eket a saját gépünk kezeli ellenben az akismet központosított megoldásával. Emiatt viszont tovább tart a “betanítási időszak”. Sajnos több helyen olvastam, hogy a trackback spam-et nem kezeli rendesen. Ez így van? [...]
[...] Auf jeden Fall hat Spam Karma 2, ein WordPress-Spamfilter, den Kommentar sofort richtig erkannt und entfernt. Mal schauen, ob sich das so entwickelt wie bei meinen eMail-Adressen (aktueller Stand: ca. 20 Spams pro Tag)… [...]