Registration for Just Orb is currently locked. I have been dealing with what appears to be loads of spammers registering for my site. It hasn’t done them any good, of course, because I have all manner of spam-blocking stuff that keeps the comments from getting posted, but it’s annoying all the same. I deleted a bunch of accounts today, and I am pretty sure I didn’t delete any actual human beings who actually want to read my web site. If I did, I’m sorry. Registration will be open again soon, and you really aren’t missing anything anyway. I’ve been doing all my major griping in public posts lately.

Also, I have had to remove the contact form for Ask Orbie. This is also temporary, and it’s also directly related to spammers. I’m tired of getting 100 emails a day from my web site with the subject “Ask Orbie” and not a one of them is a question. Some of the previously mentioned now-deleted memberships have email addresses matching ones used in the Ask Orbie spamming. Once again, their efforts do them no good, because the only person who sees those emails is me, and I don’t fall for spam.

Crappy spammers … always messing up good things.

I have decided that when I put up the new site redo, I am going to totally wipe the membership rolls. Anyone who is interested will just have to sign up again. I am really sorry about this, but so many people have signed up recently, and unless they comment or otherwise contact me, I can’t tell if they are even real people or not. The registration process is going to be a little different when the new site goes up too. It’s not going to be a free-for-all. I’m going to have to take a little more control of the situation and be a little more involved in who gets to read the filtered stuff and who doesn’t. Starting with a clean state sounds best, but I will be trying to transfer the memberships of those of you who I actually do know. I just don’t know if I can do it, because it may be a little complicated. I am not a database wizard, not by a long shot.

Anyway, new site will probably be up in about two months. Sooner if I get off my but about working on it.