Groundbreaking News
Please, if you are running WP 1.5 you must install Spam Karma 2.0… It is much more stable and efficient than SK1, which is no longer supported.
Your comment was mistakenly eaten by Spam Karma?
Spam Karma 1.x
You can download the latest version of the 1.x branch here: http://wp-plugins.net/downloads/spam-karma.zip. Please RTFM thoroughly before you install: it’s short but essential.
You can optionally install WP Plugin Manager and use its ‘one-click install’ feature to get Spam Karma (among many other plugins).
Latest Version
Spam Karma’s current version is: 1.20 (see recent changes)
If your version is any older than that, you should consider upgrading. Please read the detailed Change Log to know what’s changed (and how important it might be to upgrade).
Generally, upgrades are painless and merely consist of overwriting existing files with new ones, you ought to check every once in a while if your install is up to date (if you are using WPPM, it will do it automatically for you each time you refresh your list).
How do I use it?
A very complete and illustrated Guide to Spam Karma has been compiled by Jon Abad. Make sure you quickly go over each option and set it accordingly, especially if you experience any problem with Spam Karma.
Aussi disponible en Français maintenant (merci Neuro!).
What does it do, how does it work?
The post that started it all: Introducing Spam Karma contains all the details about both the superficial and in-depth mechanisms that make Spam Karma the fearless Spam Killing Machine that it is.
What’s Next?
A tentative feature list for the next major release is presented on the Spam 2.0 Feature Request page. Please feel free to contribute and let me know what feature or improvement you’d most like to see in the next version.
Note: there might be a few minor bug-fixing 1.x releases before 2.0 comes out.
Contact
Any bug report or question regarding Spam Karma can be sent to: spam-karma [at] unknowngenius [dot] com
Mad props and mariage proposals can also be sent to the above address.
Insults, death threats and comments of an otherwise dislikable nature are welcome at: dave [dot] null [at] unknowngenius [dot] com
Tip Jar
If Spam Karma saved your life/relationship/cat/mailbox and you feel overly generous, please feel free to make a donation.
Special Note on Bugs & Issues
Okay, so this plugin has been checked inside and out, dozens of issues — some minor, some major — have been ironed out, hours have been spent working out individually every user issues…
Nevertheless, there might be bugs left.
And if you happen to encounter one, please, please: before you go and righteously spend 30 minutes writing an indignant entry about how this piece of software has failed you in every possible way… before you do that, take two minutes and send me an e-mail explaining with as much details as possible the issue you are running into. If the problem involves a miscategorized comment, forward it to me with its Spam Karma headers. If you haven’t updated in a while, check the current version (see above) and upgrade if necessary, then try to reproduce the issue and contact me if it persists.
Then, feel free to go and vent as much as you want to your own readership about a problem they are unlikely to care for and highly unlikely to have an answer for.
And for those who think the above advice is stating the obvious, you’d be surprised what referrer checks and technorati vanity searches will turn up.
Recently Fixed Issues
Mark Jaquith wrote all the changes that were added to 1.20. Check his post for more details.
These issues have been fixed recently (v. 1.19), upgrade if you experience these issues:
- Toned down the deny message (more info here).
- Fixed a bug with the settings getting reset randomly (due to the “Hall of Shame” cache overflowing).
Known Issues
If you are using a pop-up template for your comments (default is inline) on WP 1.2, please check out Comment #12 in the section below.
If you experience really long delays when posting [legit] comments, try disabling the RBL check in the Blacklist settings on the Option page.
Hey! I want that badass ‘X spams eaten’ message on my blog too!
Nothing’s easier. Assuming you are running the latest version of Spam Karma (1.11 or more), simply insert this tag somewhere in your template (for example inside the “credit” tag in your footer, or in your comment form template, but you can put it anywhere you want):
<?php if (function_exists('spamk_stats')) spamk_stats(); ?>
Notes:
- the function_exists part is only there to ensure your template doesn’t break when you disable Spam Karma for some reason.
- this message will only be displayed if there has been any comment deleted. If you just installed Spam Karma and the deleted count is zero, the message won’t appear.
- Optional (for experts only) If you know your way around PHP and want to customize the message more, you can use two additional boolean arguments to the spamk_stats() function:
- $return (set to false by default), will return instead of echo’ing
- $count_only (set to false by default), returns only the ‘deleted spam’ count, without any formatting
Comment Pages: [25] 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 … 1 » Show All
2006-01-30 at 8.41 pm
Hi Ben and Agree With Ben:
Sorry, but I have finally completely removed the SK1 archive, as it was no longer effective in any way against spam and only detrimental to legit users (which in turn generated way too many angry complaint mails).
If you have no way of updating WP to at least 1.5, then I would recommend checking on http://wp-plugins.net for other anti-spam options that work on WP1.2. I have recently gone over the different anti-spam stategiesout there and their efficiency… Feel free to have a look and pick a plugin (maybe captcha?) that will do a much better work than SK1 could have ever done…
Cheers and good luck!
2006-01-28 at 4.12 am
In September Ben posted that he would love to install Spam Karma with a WP 1.2. Me too. I used to have it on and ran into a problem and had to remove it, now I can’t reinstall. It isn’t accessible in any way that I can find.
Any help anyone?
2005-09-14 at 1.49 pm
So don’t beat me up over it but i still use wordpress 1.2 and can not currently upgrade. I do however need a good spam filter and contorler. I am excited about Spam Karma 1 and appreciate the fact that it wont be updated or supported, but i would really like it to still be available. The download link on http://wp-plugins.net/ dosen’t work. I bet this is low on your priority list but i would really, really love a version of this if anyone can help. If you could fix the link that would be great of if someone could direct me to a new one or send me the file i would also be really happy.
2005-07-10 at 6.03 pm
[...] I have just finished installing Spam Karma 2 - Reloaded to reduce the amount of comment spam I keep getting. I have also removed all comments except those where someone was making a useful contribution to the bl0g. You do not have to register now to post a comment however name and email are required. I have also made a contact form which you can find a link to at the top called Mail. [...]
2005-07-10 at 5.57 pm
[...] Ja, det s�g du ju. Skriv g�rna n�t om det. Jag har uppgraderat WordPress och lagt in spamfiltret Spam Karma, och lite annat. [...]
2005-07-10 at 3.10 pm
[...] I had about 400 pieces of comment/trackback spam this week, and after manually deleting them all I installed Spam Karma 2. So far it’s working perfectly. Awesome. [...]
2005-07-10 at 9.35 am
[...] Spam Karma [...]
2005-07-10 at 1.47 am
Thanks very much for the excellent program (SK2). I had several problems with an earlier installed captcha: users complained when it was set too hard; and then of course spammers broke thru. Just installed SK2 the other day — it was beautifully easy — and already it’s smoothly captured all the hated p0k3r spam (over a hundred in just a day or two); and approved non-spam TBs & comments. I also appreciate your strategy in employing all tools but layering them for maximum accessibility.
One comment - my SK2 install [WP 1.5.1.3 with a customized template] complained about the encrypted payload (filter? option? whatever). I did the advanced compatibility test, and followed instructions [at http://www.wp-plugins.net/wiki/index.php?title=SK2_Comment_Form_Hook ] about checking the comment form (comments.php) in my theme. My comment form included the relevant lines but in a slightly different form. I had:
instead of:
and for the line to add, I had:
instead of:
… But the inclusion of the returnTestValues and post variable in the respective lines didn’t seem like it should be fatal (what do I know), and I was out of time, so I just disabled the complaining feature (encrypted payload) and postponed trying to figure it out. I’ll get back to troubleshooting it when I have a bit more time, but in the meantime, I thought I would pass it along in case there was some obvious problem in the documentation, my install, or the code.
Finally - Solidarity, because I too get insane hatemail (in my case, usually misogynistic & crazy, for running a feminist website). What is with these people? I read thru your comments before posting mine, and I’m shaking my head over people who get so pissy and apparently feel so personally insulted by a spam filter. You’re doing great work & doing so thoughtfully — god knows we need more of that in the world. I’m sure you realize it’s greatly appreciated, but it doesn’t hurt to hear it again.
Thanks again,
Laura Q
2005-07-10 at 12.30 am
[...] ahhhh … the sweet smell of spam-free blogging. thanks, unknown genius, for spam karma! [...]
2005-07-08 at 4.13 am
[...] http://unknowngenius.com/blog/wordpress/spam-karma [...]
Comment Pages: [25] 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 … 1 » Show All