While this blog has been pretty much ignored by any spambots, the latest craze in junk propagation is the auto-spamming of comments in public blogs. This article, seven quick tips for a spam-free blog, describes some interesting tactics for minimizing unwanted spambot blog posts. The tips are Movable Type-centric, and you can safely ignore tip #7 unless you work for Six Apart (the company that produces Movable Type).

Here's my summary:

1. Rename your comment script from "mt-comments.cgi" to something else
   
2. Don't link to the comments script from your front page
   
3. Include multiple decoy html forms and make them hidden so they won't distract web users but might confuse a spambot
   
4. Require a hidden variable for the comment script
   
5. Require the user to "Preview" each comment before posting, that way a spambot will be less likely to succeed
   
6. Include a "Delete this link" in your notification email, so that you can quickly eradicate any slime that slips past your defenses
   

My own solution? Disable comments altogether. Let's see you spamming bastards get past that one!