Dear Escapist: Can you please restrict captchas to account registration?

[-Samurai-]

I've got no quarrels with the current system. Mine don't fail to load, so that isn't a problem for me, and is likely because of specific browsers or plug-ins.

I think a lot of people just see it as annoyance. But think of it this way: If it's too much to ask for you to type a few extra words, your post probably wasn't that important.

 

[Monkeyman O'Brien]

Its not about spambots. Never has been. The reason they use it is to annoy you into buying a subscription.
Its all about inconveniencing free users with a constant stream of ads, captchas, popups and malware laden toolbars so you eventually pay out just to have a website that mostly functions again.
Escapist follows the Ubisoft train of thought.

 

[McMullen]

Its not about spambots. Never has been. The reason they use it is to annoy you into buying a subscription.
Its all about inconveniencing free users with a constant stream of ads, captchas, popups and malware laden toolbars so you eventually pay out just to have a website that mostly functions again.
Escapist follows the Ubisoft train of thought.

No, that is not true.

 

[Sandytimeman]

I can't remember the last time I saw a captcha, go go publisher club

 

[Zen Toombs]

I have no problem with the occasional Captcha. If all you needed was an account-creation Captcha, then spammers would only need to personally make the account and then they could spam with impunity.[footnote]Till they get banned, but still. Work with me.[/footnote]

However, the system they have now should be changed. It comes up too frequently and fails too often.

 

[gigastar]

Except weve had spambots make it over 100 posts before they start trying to sell you watches or canadian escorts or the like.

That sounds like someone human running the account to that extent before they boot up the spambot.

Its not about spambots. Never has been. The reason they use it is to annoy you into buying a subscription.
Its all about inconveniencing free users with a constant stream of ads, captchas, popups and malware laden toolbars so you eventually pay out just to have a website that mostly functions again.
Escapist follows the Ubisoft train of thought.

Ok, just how much of your statement did you actually check over before you just dumped it on the thread laden with ignorance?

 

[gigastar]

accounts get hacked
hacked account spam

Whenever someone brings this point up, I always have to ask - are PubClub accounts somehow immune to being hacked?

And I'm not being silly or anything here, I genuinely do not know. Is there some kind of extra security employed on PubClub accounts that I don't know about?

As far as i can assume, all accounts are subject to the same security at The Escapist.

And i believe that any payment details for PubClub members are stored at Themis Media.

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

I was fine with CAPTCHA but I've always hated SolveMedia. It's the most bullshit system The Escapist has ever featured, even worse than Meabo or whatever that was.

I'm chill with typing a CAPTCHA in every few posts but at least make sure it's a legit one. I don't want to have to reload the thing just to see the fucker or have to look up shit to answer their stupid ass questions.

 

[Monkeyman O'Brien]

Ok, just how much of your statement did you actually check over before you just dumped it on the thread laden with ignorance?

Heh, ignorance. Funny how people like you always have to resort to base insults and truly pathetic accusations because you can not handle that others are right while you just buckled and started sucking the corporate teat like a good walking wallet.
Everything I said was correct, don't like it. Fine. I do not care. But keep your childish insults to yourself thanks.

Edit:

Wow... adn I bet you also beleive that 9/11 was a government inside job, and that the moon landings were somewhere in Navada too, right?

Somewhat cynical against a site that allows you access to it's functionality isn't it?

See, another walking wallet who does not want to admit that he buckled so resorts to petty accusations.
As for "allowing me access", yeah... The site is a product, they get paid for "allowing" users. No users, no website, no money for them. Not that difficult a concept.
And for gods sake man, spell check.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

Its not about spambots. Never has been. The reason they use it is to annoy you into buying a subscription.
Its all about inconveniencing free users with a constant stream of ads, captchas, popups and malware laden toolbars so you eventually pay out just to have a website that mostly functions again.
Escapist follows the Ubisoft train of thought.

Wow... adn I bet you also beleive that 9/11 was a government inside job, and that the moon landings were somewhere in Navada too, right?

Somewhat cynical against a site that allows you access to it's functionality isn't it?

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

accounts get hacked
hacked account spam
profit

sorry no dice.

BUT i agree they should do them less. Had to do it every second post earlier, which wasn't great.

The chance of having your account hacked on a small site like the Escapist unless you are a monumental moron with how you give out your password is so slim that seeing the occasional spam would be a lot less inconvenient than having to do captcha every 3 posts >.<

Seriously, after 500 posts, kill the bastard.

I'm probably going off topic here but, we're a small site? I'd probably agree a couple years ago, but I kinda feel like it's gotten sorta big a little while ago. Might just be me though.

 

[McMullen]

Ok, just how much of your statement did you actually check over before you just dumped it on the thread laden with ignorance?

Heh, ignorance. Funny how people like you always have to resort to base insults and truly pathetic accusations because you can not handle that others are right while you just buckled and started sucking the corporate teat like a good walking wallet.
Everything I said was correct, don't like it. Fine. I do not care. But keep your childish insults to yourself thanks.

Nothing you said was accurate.

 

[gigastar]

Ok, just how much of your statement did you actually check over before you just dumped it on the thread laden with ignorance?

Heh, ignorance. Funny how people like you always have to resort to base insults and truly pathetic accusations because you can not handle that others are right while you just buckled and started sucking the corporate teat like a good walking wallet.
Everything I said was correct, don't like it. Fine. I do not care. But keep your childish insults to yourself thanks.

Wow, you come out with stuff like that and you call me childish?

 

[neonsword13-ops]

I haven't had to use any captchas for a while now...

Could this be the doing of the pub club? If so, awesome.

 

[Macgyvercas]

Just takes one spam bot getting through to have a forum full of pen15es all over the place, sorry guys. I'll see what else, if anything, we can do though...

So why not disable the captcha after a given user hits a certain post count, say...250. I'd think they would prove they're human by then.

Of course, I'm Pub Club, so I don't have to deal with these, but still, I like my idea.

 

[gigastar]

I haven't had to use any captchas for a while now...

Could this be the doing of the pub club? If so, awesome.

PubClub users are auto-exempt from captchas.

Fortunately the spambot lords realise that paying in an account to spam free of the captchas is only really a waste of thier money, as well as giving away information that can be traced back to them.

 

[McMullen]

accounts get hacked
hacked account spam

Whenever someone brings this point up, I always have to ask - are PubClub accounts somehow immune to being hacked?

And I'm not being silly or anything here, I genuinely do not know. Is there some kind of extra security employed on PubClub accounts that I don't know about?

As far as i can assume, all accounts are subject to the same security at The Escapist.

And i believe that any payment details for PubClub members are stored at Themis Media.

His point was that the "accounts might get hacked" argument is bogus. It's bogus because pubclub members are at no less risk of getting hacked, and therefore if captcha were there to guard against getting hacked, it would apply to pubclub members too.