Two nights ago I was playing around with the settings on one of my sites. For this particular site, I’d like to get it set up for moderated reader contributions. I was trying out different plugins and settings before I finally decided on a very SIMPLE plugin that doesn’t require registration. I didn’t like how cumbersome the basic registration options were, and I especially didn’t like how email notifications are sent from my hosting account email. I found NO way to change it so they came from an email I chose. I settled on the plugin that didn’t require registration, tested it out, and headed off to bed. What did I find in the morning? 24 bots had registered as users on the site. OOPS. I forgot to uncheck “anyone can register”.
I say these are bots because, as stated above, the registration process is quite cumbersome. You’d have to KNOW you can register on this site. I don’t have any login or meta options on the home page or anywhere else. You would have to manually go to “domain/wp-admin” to register. Who does that?? No one legitimate. So they are just bots. Stupid bots that I will just delete from the admin panel. In the time frame that these registrations occurred, I had more registrations that visitors to the page. More proof they are just BOTS.
Naturally, I unchecked the box and forgot to hit SAVE… so 10 more bots registered overnight. *sigh* This is all a fun learning process, isn’t it??
While I’m not quite thrilled with how the contribution page is currently set up, it’s a good start to leave in place while I research other options. The site is V E R Y S L O W L Y coming together…