So I’ve mentioned CAPTCHAs before, probably in regards to blocking spam. One of the problems is that they prevent blind people from using them since it’s just a picture of the text it needs to decode. I just noticed on Blogger/Blogspot the other day that the sites that do turn on the CAPTCHA spam blocking now have a little accessibility symbol next to it (I just noticed it, maybe it’s been there forever). When you click the symbol it speaks a code for you to decode and type in. Try it that way they next time you post!
I know some people frown against CAPTCHAs because they are a slight pain to deal with. But if I’ve got a thought to share with others and I’m willing to type it up, another six characters aren’t going to kill me. It certainly levels some of the bumps that it had and I’m happy with that. Clearly it still won’t work if you’re blind and deaf so it’s not perfect yet…
Also, I don’t have to see spam on the sites I like to read also makes it a bonus for me. It’s certainly better than having to log in on a site to get it approved. Although my problem with this is a lot of MovableType sites say they use the TypeKey verification service but they don’t have it configured properly (which is then a pain and annoying and it doesn’t actually work right); it might just never have been registered.
What’s interesting about Blogspot/Blogger’s way of doing this is that it speaks a number and not the exact text. But hey, as long as it works.
