Is CAPTCHA the only way possible to avoid SPAM? No
Please rise you hand if you hate CAPTCHA. Hum, Everyone.. interesting.
I am yet to find a user that in not against this usability roadblock.
Let’s do a step back, CAPTCHA (from Wikipedia) stays for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart".
mmm.. OK. But what are CAPTCHA are actually doing?
Well internet is full of BOT, which are software applications that run automated tasks over the Internet. One of them is to complete and submit form with very important information like Viagra pills information, SEO help from third world countries and PayPal (fake) issue.
Web Gurus decided that CAPTCHA was an optimal solution to resolve SPAM issues. Computer can compile an input FIELD but they can’t read an encrypted image. Well neither we do really.
Website gurus started to implement CAPTCHA on websites.
Here some example of CAPTCHA:
That was hard, let’s try with another one.
EH? ANTSREIN? Is that even a word?
How is possible that to proof that I’m a human, I have to decrypt an illegible secret code? I’ll need a computer to do that!
Anyway, BOT are a real problem. Is CAPTCHA the only way possible to avoid SPAM? No.
Since I started working on computers my mission has always been make internet a better world, I’ll give you some alternative options more user friendly:
1) Time guillotine.
BOT process and fill a forms in fractions of second. A human needs at least 3-5 seconds to read and compile even the smallest form in the world.
Well if a form is completed I less than a half second, it’s SPAM.
2) Secret fields.
If a field is not visible, it’s hidden using CSS, a human will not fill this field. A BOT instead will.
If the form is completed, it’s SPAM.
Don’t’ forget:
a. Please be aware, blind People use screen reader, so they will find the field, just add on the description something like “Do not complete this field, to show that you are a Human”.
3) Slider.
Similar to unlock slider for the iPhone, ask users to slider to unlock. This will not allow SPAM to be sent at all.
Don’t’ forget:
a. This may not work on OLD blackberry devices, you need a mouse or a touch screen to work.
4) Be different.
You can have some easy tasks (e.g. mathematical questions) or you can be complete different and unique!
This is an example I’ve found the other day when I was registering on a chess online community (neeeeeeerd!).
It asks to chess players to find the CHECK MATE IN ONE MOVE… I’ve refreshed and did it 3 times.
PS Queen in G4.
Plan and build website for human, not robot!
