It’s a pain. Most people find it difficult to read the two ridiculous words that often aren’t even words at all. You can click on the curly arrows to change the words if you can’t make out what’s on offer and you are usually offered two more indecipherable clumps of letters, but if you do it enough times you will eventually get something you can read.
Or you can have words read out to you – I tried this. It gave me a headache! Couldn’t understand what the heck she/he was saying or how many of the words being fired at me I was supposed to use.
So I decided to get rid of WV. Within minutes I was getting spam. Luckily Blogger picked it up and shoved it in the spam folder.
I’m afraid I’ve had to put Word Verification back.
It makes me mad. It shouldn’t even be necessary. It’s like the emails you get offering to enlarge your willy or warning you that you need to re-enter the details on your bank account – mostly with banks you don’t even have accounts with.
Don’t get me started on phone calls. You can get them stopped through the Telephone Preference Service (which I heartily recommend), but unfortunately it doesn’t cover calls from abroad where so many nuisance phone calls come from these days.
Enough of all that – here is a link to three competitions. You can win an audiobook of Before I Go To Sleep, a spa break at Champneys or a Nintendo 3DS. I know which one I’d like to win, but you’ve got to be in it to win it as they say.
I agree about the WV, Teresa. It's maddening. I screw my eyes up and hunch over the screen in a very unflattering way to be in with a chance of deciphering it. I am getting better with practise though.
ReplyDeleteI hate those phone calls too. Now I recognise the numbers on the screen on the phone, I just don't answer. Or I sometimes do pick up, then put the phone down and let them speak to no one until eventually they hang up.
I'm off to look at the competitions now. Many thanks for those!
I'm not a Robot, but sometime I feel like I am one when I can't read the words... I had a phonecall today and it sounded like I was in a meeting on how to sell your customers things they don't want. I kept saying hello but noone answered I just wished I could have heard better. I must say it was better than Hello, I'm Peter, {who sound more like he from India than good old England) I hope you're having a nice day.... Me: Yes, until you phoned me you. have you just phone me to find out what sort of day I'm having...
ReplyDeleteThank you for the competition links, Teresa.
I totally agree about the WV. And Jarmara, next time someone like that asks what kind of a day you're having, tell him. In mind-numbing detail. Starting with what you had for breakfast, what kind of toothpaste you used, even - dare I say - what colour/brand of knickers you decided to put on (for the record, mine are white, M&S). By the time you reach the finer details of your coffee break, he just might have lost the will to live.
ReplyDeleteWV Smudge smudge (or something like taht). Here goes...
That's just what I do, Joanna :-) x
ReplyDeleteI had one the other day, Jarmara - a man who said his name was Susan, but I must admit I've spoken to "Peter" more than once x
I think your solution of telling them you're dead is the best I've ever heard, Frances :-) x
The WVs have got worse recently - don't they want us to comment?
ReplyDeleteAs for the phone calls, I just bang the phone down - end of!
It wouldn't be so bad if they were recognisable words would it, Maggie? x
ReplyDeleteI too hate spam, Teresa. If I ever find out who keeps inviting me to test drive a mazda car I will take him up on his soffer and drive it through his front window!
ReplyDeleteI removed the word verification thingy on my blog and am now getting a two dozen spam comments a day - most of them aren't even in English. Blogger has picked them all up so far so I'm leaving things as they are.
ReplyDeleteI agree it's a pain and we shouldn't have to bother with this. Can't see what the spammers hope to gain from it as it seems unlikely people will click on the links they try to leave.
The new WV is causing consternation across blogland, Teresa. I'm about to type butleds and afrobtte
ReplyDeleteThat made me laugh, Marian :-) x
ReplyDeleteNot sure I'm brave enough, Patsy - but maybe I'll give it a try when I'm at my desk long enough to monitor it! x
There are some interesting looking words when they can be deciphered, Martin, but what a pain they are x
Oh that WV is so annoying! I took mine away before they changed it and much prefer just letting the comments through. I do get spam now but it's all been picked up and I just go into the spam folder now and then to delete them all.
ReplyDeleteWe've also been plagued by phone calls off and on - we're on the TPS but, as you say, it doesn't catch the unintelligble foreign calls.
I loathe WV. I can't see at the best of times, and the way the letters are all wavy and swirly is just horrible. I don't have it on my blog, but don't allow anonymous comments and that seems to stop the spammers (although, I probably miss out on some interesting comments, too).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the links.
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Oh how I hate those phone calls! Have had three about PPI refunds in as many hours and I do have call barring on withheld numbers and other safeguards installed.
ReplyDeleteWV I don't mind quite as much even though I waste hours trying to fathom what they actually say but nothing is quite so annoying as getting to that stage and finding that Blogger does not like one's Wordpress credentials! Still, I shall persevere ;-)
Teresa - you've been tagged! The details are on my blog.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just me then. I thought my eyes were giving out on me. Sometimes I wonder whether these internet 'powers that be' just like to cheese us off! Grrrr
ReplyDeleteSo reassuring to see everyone else struggling with WV - thought it was just me! Why on earth don't they use proper words - that would at least give us a chance? x
ReplyDeleteI had the same problem as you with wv when I took it off, but Talli recommended clicking on 'moderation' and then 'after 2 days' (I think it's defaulted at 14 days). It seems to have worked, thankfully.
ReplyDeleteI think this is right. Hope it helps.
I'm going to switch WV off this weekend, Rosemary and see how it goes x
ReplyDeleteThanks, Suz, that's a thought - I could always disallow anon comments if all else fails x
They always seem to find a way round don't they, Deborah. Drives me mad! x
Sounds like fun, thank you, Patsy I shall be catching up with all my blog reading and will check it out - I am intrigued :-) x
I wonder that too, Diane - they probably have a dedicated think tank thinking up new ways to annoy us :-) x
My feelings exactly, Lydia x
That's something else I might try, thank you, Debs x
Regarding phone calls that the Telephone Preference Service doesn't shield you from - and sadly there are many that fall into this category - one failsafe way is to block all calls from withheld, unavailable and international numbers.
ReplyDeleteTrouble is, most of my work comes from switchboards with withheld or unavailable numbers! But I never get bona fide calls from abroad so blocking international numbers - which a fair few do come from - might help.
Thanks, Laura, I'll look into that. It would certainly be worth considering x
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm here Teresa, your story about secrets in the shed in this month's Fiction Feast had me in tears. As your stuff often does. Thanks. X
ReplyDeleteThank you, Laura - you've made my day! x
ReplyDelete