Guestbooks - more annoying than useful?

[Kirsten]

I have many websites (Luna, Lily and Katz have one, then there's catmom.de and my photo website, and the pet memorial page and the Pet Talkers page )

All of them have guestbooks, and it used to be fun in the beginning, but for while, I noticed that everytime there's a new entry, it's just spam. Sometimes it's even more than one entry. Online casinos, drugs, penis enlargement, gay video... the list goes on and on and on.

It's really no fun anymore. Instead of getting nice messages, you waste your time by deleting that crap over and over again.

Anyone else here who has to deal with this problem?

Kirsten

[Craftlady]

My family website I just have "email" us to say hi. I dont bother with a guest book.

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Same problem here! Well, I only have 1 guestbook, but at least once a week I have to delete some disgusting messages
I don't get it why people do this

[Miss Z]

Ack, I guess some people have nothing better to do in their lives than to surf the net and spoil everyone else's websites

[Laura's Babies]

If it get really bad, I would consider just not having it anymore. Is there anyway you could pre approve messages before they are posted?

[Kirsten]

Is there anyway you could pre approve messages before they are posted?

I'm not sure, but I think the free guestbooks I use don't have that option.

Kirsten

[ramanth]

I have that exact same problem Kirsten. Hardly anyone chimes in if they visit the site, so I'm thinking of just shutting the guestbooks down.

I spend too much time cleaning out the spam for it to be worth it.

[Corinna]

Thats too bad I enjoy seeing who all else has been to see all your lovely sites. I get too much of that stuff on my normal email too.

[sirrahbed]

Kirsten - I have also been thinking that guestbooks really are more annoying than useful. Years ago I loved them - but now I seldom bother to read or sign them at pages that I visit - for the reasons you have mentioned.

I LOVE your websites but probably have not been to the guestbooks for the past year or so.

It really is a shame that you get all of these nasty and annoying posts - I wonder if some of the comments are generated by computer?? What a waste of time if people are doing this individually.