I have been using the GrowMap Anti-Spambot Plugin (GASP) plugin for a few weeks now, so I decided to write a review about the plugin. Most blog owners have issues with spam comments on their posts. It is a fact of life when owning a blog – you will eventually start receiving spam comments. While it is annoying to receive the spam, there are many plugins available that can help rid your blog of this nuisance.
I have tried many plugins to reduce, and eliminate the spam I get on Technically Easy, and a few weeks ago I switched to GASP. The process GASP uses to stop spam seems like such a simple concept, but then again, sometimes the simple concepts tend to work the best.
The GrowMap Anti-Spambot Plugin
I had recently wrote a post where I outlined the 3 plugins I use to stop spam, where I first learned about the GrowMap Anti-Spambot Plugin from Ileane at Basic Blog Tips. I am always curious to test out some plugins that people have used and liked, so I decided to try out GASP.
I installed the plugin and then disabled both Akismet and the Conditional Captcha plugin. The fact that I am able to disable two plugins is great, since having too many plugins loaded can slow down a blog.
After testing out the GASP plugin for a few weeks, I can honestly say that it works, and I do mean works. I have had zero, zilch, nada, nothing, not a single spam comment within those few weeks. The best part is that without Akismet running, I haven’t had valid comments moved to my spam folder automatically.
How does GASP work? Let’s take a look.
GrowMap Anti-Spambot Plugin – The Simple Way to Stop Spam
Andy Bailey from CommentLuv fame is the one who wrote the GrowMap Anti-Spambot plugin. GASP works by requiring those that wish to leave a comment, to check a checkbox before submitting the comment. Just a simple checkbox and no hard-to-read captcha required. If the checkbox isn’t checked, the comment isn’t saved.
(Click to enlarge)
There is also another trick to help stop spam. Since many of the spam comments are created by bots, the bots are usually programmed to fill in all the fields on a form with specific information. The GASP plugin creates a hidden field that can’t be seen by normal visitors. A bot, however can see the hidden field. The bot will then fill in the hidden field, which indicates that a bot is writing the comment. Since the field is filled in, the comment is flagged as spam and discarded.
The only downside is that the visitor needs to have Javascript enabled in their browser. Since many websites use Javascript, most visitors tend to have Javascript enabled by default.
I highly recommend you install this plugin. While the GrowMap Anti-Spambot plugin uses such simple ideas to stop spam, it has been very effective at completely preventing spam comments from my blog.