New captcha verification for rating system...

In order to more quickly remove automated image rating accounts, photo.net has

implemented a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captcha">Captcha</a> word

verification system.

<p>

Users will be occasionally asked to prove they are human by re-typing two words

that are displayed (slightly distorted) in a verification box. If the words you

are being shown are difficult to see, there is a "refresh" button (it looks like

two little arrows in a circle) that will give you new words that may be easier

to see. If you would prefer an audible verification, click the button with a

speaker and you will hear a audio clip of someone reading numbers. Enter these

numbers into the verification box and you'll continue as normal. But do be aware

that the audio test sounds a little like you are getting a phone number from the

poltergeist 411 service.

<p>

If a user fails the captcha test, they will not be able to rate images until

they have passed. If a user fails multiple times, their rating ability will be

suspended. Subscribers will be presented with the captcha much less often than

non-subscribers, but they will still see it from time to time. Paying for a

subscription does not give a user the right to misuse the ratings system.

<p>

If you are having problems or have questions, post here or email me at

contact@photo.net.<div></div>

Hold your applause folks! Chris the programmer and I are working on some bugs, the ratings system may act a little weird tonight until we get everything tightened up.

This must be one of the improvements you alluded to in reply to a post I made a while back about suggestions for the rating system.

 

I will hold my applause...

 

Nothing works perfectly on the first try but it does go a long ways towards eliminating bots and other miscreants wasting everyones time.

Josh how about deleting all the 3s that guy gave me after I pissed him off? :) Just kidding, that guy's dog peed on his leg I think.

I will now rate and offer constructive criticism even less than

 

I do now. I always do both, but now! Remember punish everyone for the sins of a few.

 

 

The proper solution is no name, no rating.

How are you going to solve the revenge ratings then, Ronald?

Bogus ratings accounts have nothing to do with ratings being anonymous or not.

 

The people creating systems to rate thousands of images a day do not care if their name is public or not. These are fake names and fake email accounts. The only thing that would happen in this regard if all ratings were public is that there would be thousands of public bogus ratings.

 

Public or private, users want these bogus ratings accounts removed, they complain about it all of the time. The captcha system is the quickest way to do that.

Also, whatever you think about the captcha system, it makes no sense to blame it for the fact that you are not going to leave "constructive criticism". The captcha only has to do with the ratings system, not any image commentary or posting.

<i>"I will now rate and offer constructive criticism even less than I do now."</i><P>

With all due respect Ronald, in 4+ years you have rated a grand total of 17 photos and offered critiques on 20. Seems like much ado about nothing. I don't think anyone will really notice your absence from the photo critique system. :-)<P>

What's the big deal. <b>Occasionally</b> you'll need to type a couple of words to verify that you aren't a bot. I don't rate that often now, but decided to run through the queue for a little while this morning just for the fun of it. I haven't yet hit the Captcha verification, even after rating at least 17 photos. ;-) ;-)

I applaud even an attempt at helping the rating system. Hopefully this will end up for the best.

<b></i>"are fake names and fake email accounts"</i></b><br><br>I can't remember what happened when I joined photo.net but surely confiming your desire to join by clicking a link in an email that the site sends out is necessary. If not, it should be.

David, a fake email account doesn't mean it doesn't exist, it just means that someone spent 3 minutes to make a new hotmail address, and used that to confirm their membership. I know that first part was worded a bit confusingly, so apologies in advance.

Captcha : Can a possible terrible cheat have access ?<p>

 

oh my goodness! oh drat, three exclamation marks. and two question marks. bad grammar and spelling. what will we ever do?</p><p>

 

what has become of Critique Only? If you could spend as much time and energy on critiques as you do on the rating system.. well.. nevermind, its useless to even mention it. <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/pc-recent-requests?rating_type=photocritique&topic_id=1481&subscriber_p=1&critique_p=1">CRITIQUE ONLY</a></P><p>Problem with Your Input

We had some problems processing your entry:

 

* One question mark is sufficient

* One exclamation point is sufficent

 

Please back up using your browser, correct them, and resubmit your entry.

</P><p>Quite amusing, really </p><p> In actual fact, if someone can create a false account in hotmail, what is stopping this new hotmail account from signing on as a real account, and passing the word test? This drastic measure is directed at bots, I would think. So, it really is a bother to everyone but the few, and a convenience to the people who are trying to control the same few. False accounts can continue unimpeded, unless there is some way to check IP addresses. How that is that possible with web based accounts?</p>

<i>"In actual fact, if someone can create a false account in hotmail, what is stopping this new hotmail account from signing on as a real account, and passing the word test?"</i>

<p>

Nothing. The captcha is not aimed at users creating fake accounts to rate themselves highly or rate others lowly. That is a different problem and one that is easy enough to catch.

<p>

As I keep saying, the captcha is simply there to make it easier to remove the automated accounts that people program to rate images all day every day.

I personally have not seen the new Captcha system yet so you will have to forgive me if I am wrong in this. From the ones that I <i>have</i> come across at other sites, however, I feel a big pitfall with them is that they place an obstacle in the way of handicapped people to enjoy the site. I truly understand and agree with the need to implement such a system here but is there any way to make the site more user friendly to those members who might have difficulty with the challenge from the Capthcha system? It is the old problem of the selfishness of a few rotten apples (the BOT creaters) spoiling life for the honest majority. Regards.

Those with poor vision can use the audio version.

I suggest some more visible announcement mechanism for this sort of change.

When I saw this mechanism for the first time, I became extremely suspicious of what was

going on.

Please post announcements of disruptive interface change, ahead of time, on the site main

pages.

One of the primary benefits of this change is to free up PN staff from searching for bot ratings and allow them to concentrate on more important issues with this site. Having to type a couple of words in the Captcha system is a very minor inconvenience. <p>But I do agree with Thomas above.

This captcha system really annoys me. Even I have entered the words correctly nearly 10 times, stil I have to do it again, and I can not rate photos, at last I gave up trying. Please solve this problem. Even I am now recently registered I would not register if I have feced this problem. I am not against its usage, its just not working properly! Please help I am not a robot or something, just a member! Time preriod I tried for Turkey local time:9:20-9:35, please check it if you can.

 

Hakan Karademir

Another thing, I am used to use these kinds of security checks in several sites-like amazon.com- but they respond correctly if you type it correctly. In this case it does not work. It just suspends your rating ability and that's it. There is no solution for this and I am just wondering why on earth solution is not pre-defined.(Or it is mentionedsomewhere else but I couldn't see it) Waiting for your support, I can not even give my concentration to the recent photos uploaded.

Thanx,

Hakan

 

Hakan Karademir

Bot's exist because some people don't have a life and probably have some sort of grudge against the site.

 

The more posts like your's they read, or the more complaints about bots they see, the happier it makes them.

 

I guess everyone needs some sort of hobby.

I wonder if Hakan's problem is related to a Turkish (if that's the right term) mapping of the keyboard, like where certain letters have an inflection encoded (e.g., umlaut). And his successful experience at amazon is because their recognition software takes such international issues into account.

 

Just a thought.

I don't know about all this business, however I really like old Phil's goal to move toward a recognition of those with real names. I understand the anonymity value but it is a tradeoff. I personally place more faith and credit in a subscriber whose name has been verified in any way possible. Perhaps an icon would suffice. My point is that having less obvious pen names might,from a motivational standpoint, encourage members to give their real name along with their advice. And while we are at it, encourage members to state their place of origin ( as they choose to describe it). With a half million members, I still lean to those whom I can tell,within a probability of so and so, that they truly exist as real people. End Rant. Had to get that off my chest :-). The relentless pursuit of perfection as BMW would boast...y'all are clearly trying.

Why not require a one time donation of some minimal amount before enabling the rating system. You think the bot programmers are sophisticated enough to have non traceable bank accounts? And why require Captcha's for subscribed members at all? If you can trace an account to a persons real identity/bank account I doubt you'll have much abuse. Even if someone doesn't care if they are exposed as an abuser, creating a new bank account is allot harder than creating a new hotmail account.

Does this new system have something to do with why I have lost a considerable number of ratings on my images. They were good ratings.