Birdhouse forces comment registration on MT blogs

Small webhost Birdhouse, probably best known for hosting John Battelle’s Searchblog has started forcing clients using SixApart’s MovableType blogware to use comment registration. The policy change follows months of attempts to combat comment spam that targets MT blogs and causes server strain that is described as similar to a denial-of-service attack.

Webmaster Scot Hacker writes at the Birdhouse blog that despite utilising every recommendation to overcome the problem as suggested by SixApart, server loads continue to grow and overall hosting services deteriorated as a consequence.

Hacker writes: “we as web hosts are out of options. Protecting server resources for all users in a shared hosting environment is our paramount concern. Drastic circumstances require drastic responses, and comment spammers have a drastic impact on resource availability. And put simply, we’re sick of dealing with it. Spammers consume not only server resources, but untold amounts of time for both sysadmins and bloggers. We’re not willing to deal with it anymore. We need a solution that doesn’t require constant maintenance, that is close to fool-proof, and that doesn’t have nasty side-effects. Comment registration is it.”

Despite assurances previously from SixApart that changes to MT had improved server strain from comment spam, the problem seems to be continuing.

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(via Radio Free Blogistan)

View Comments (2)
  • Right now, you can for the most part avoid server stress on that level by implementing an .htaccess ban on pinappleproxy, like this:
    RewriteCond %{HTTP:VIA} ^.+pinappleproxy

    The occasional trackback attack will still get through, and smaller spamming outfits. But nowhere near the strain that particular spammer causes.

    So no, Birdhouse didn’t exhaust every possible solution.

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