This blog is under constant attack by spammers and various other internet trolls (my they roast in the deepest cinders of Hell, as Dr. Maturin would put it).
I, therefore, require that people register to comment. In the registration form there is a field in which I ask for information about you. That field helps me sort out the vile spammers from sincere registrants.
The spammers are getting cleverer, by the way. Today I had this one – which follows a standard “format” from one particular spammer:
FIRST NAME: Felipa
LASTNAME: Navarro
WEBSITE: ____
ABOUT: I\’m Felipa and I live in Dunkerque.
I\’m interested in Gender and Women\’s Studies, Scrapbooking and Vietnamese art.
I like to travel and reading fantasy.
This seemed like it could have been from one of the steering committee of the LCWR on the way to an assembly, but… no, it was a spammer.
In any event, use that “about yourself” field. You don’t need to put a biography in it, but I do need something that demonstrates to me – at a glance – that you are a real person. Adding something like your confirmation name or a favorite saint or the name of your parish some such Catholic information is helpful.
Loading ...
The other night I was chatting with a friend of mine who is entering the seminary this fall. I asked him, “So, what do you think of Father Z?”
He said, “Fr. Z is awesome!”
We’re really good friends now.
how sweet Siculum! Fr. Z -some would have been tempted to just hang it up and fold the blog amidst so many attempts to sabotage. We really appreciate you for going the extra mile to be a good shepherd for hungry souls in cyberspace.
The Roman Ritual has a blessing for radio stations that blesses the airwaves. I wonder if the Book of Blessings has been updated to include something similar for internet connections and data… :-P
I\’m interested in Gender and Women\’s Studies, Scrapbooking and Vietnamese art!!
I like to travel and reading fantasy!!!
How do I meet this Felipa Navarro?! Where is Dunkerque anyway?
Hello Fr Z. I’m Felipa Martyr. I have recently inherited a large sum of money, but cannot put it in a bank safely in Dunkerque, France. Dear Fr Z, would you help a poor Catholic by sending me your bank account details so I can deposit the money safely in your account? Thank you Fr Z for helping me in advance. Please do not be alarmed if your bank account drops suddenly to zero, as this is normal banking practice in Dunkerque, France, when a large sum of money is about to be deposited. I also own several bridges in New York which I can offer to you as security for this transaction.
Father the spammers seem to have a better sense of humor than the LCWR. @acricketchirps Dunkerque is on the Channel coast of France opposite Dover in England and just west of the Belgian border. The British withdrew all of their armies from that port as Germany was defeating France in June, 1940.
My patron is St. Arbucks and I like the liturgy at Saint Benedict of Hollandaise.
I almost spit out my Dr. Pepper on my screen when I was ready some of the comments to this post. HAHA. I’m definitely NOT a spammer… but I gotta give props to some of the peeps up above me for their ingenuity and creativity.
It looks like that spammer is most likely a bot. You can see some of the character escape codes it tried to use didn’t get recognized by the system.
Oh dear! Thank you, Priam. I was pretty sure it was in New Mexico. Sorry, Felipa, if you’re reading this. I’ve had my fill of long distance relationships.