Keeping GuitarTabCreator.com Safe and Respectful for You
Hey there, fellow music makers! I’m the person behind GuitarTabCreator.com, a little corner of the internet I built for us to write and share guitar tablature and fretboard diagrams. I’m honestly humbled every time one of you uses it to jot down a riff or craft a full song—it’s amazing to see what you create. But I’ve always wanted to make sure this site isn’t just a tool; it’s a place you can trust. So today, I thought I’d pull back the curtain a bit and share how I’m working to keep it secure, private, and spam-free for you. It is not an easy task: the internet is full of bad intention, and with the advent of AI, more people and companies are interested in stealing your ideas to make the AI bots smarter at your expense. I used to use tools such as google analytics and ads as a way to learn about you, but it was an empty feeling because I knew they were benefitting more from the data than I was. I tried affiliate marketing, but, again, I was ceding control to third parties to use your data in ways I did not know, and that did not feel right to me. I didn't want to bombard you with consent management either, these tools are costly and the return on investment on them came at your expense. I started my career on the internet in a time that was much freer from this desire to profit off of your data, even if I absorb the cost. So, instead, I decide to tune in, turn on and drop out of the rat race and start with a foundation of trust and privacy inherent in the app itself, and see if I could commit to creating a site that respects you, you would respect me enough to use guitar tab creator as your site to express your music theory. To that end, I thought it's only fair to let you know how I do that by outlining the tools I use.
Stopping Scrapers and Bots with Cloudflare
Before I added some new defenses, this site felt like it was like an all-you-can-eat buffet for data scrapers and bots. I’d see tons of weird traffic trying to snatch up your tabs, and fake accounts popping up left and right. It bugged me—your work deserves better than that. So, I flipped the switch on Cloudflare, a tool that acts like a bouncer for the site. I’ve got it set up with a DNS proxy, Web Application Firewall (WAF), and Bot Fight Mode to keep the riffraff out. It does the job of making sure the traffic that make it to our site are musicians wanting to write down their musical thoughts, or the people you share your content with. Amazingly, this site is constantly being hit by bots from all over the globe, making the site less performant as the steal our resources - and attempt to steal your work. Every 40 milliseconds a bot is trying to attack the site, this is not the popularity I signed up for when creating the site! And with the advent of AI companies are trying to teach the LLMs with your creativity and knowledge, at all of our expense.
Your Privacy Matters to Me
Here’s the deal: I’ve never been a fan of plastering ads or affiliate links all over a site. I did try third-party stuff once, just to see, but the revenue was peanuts—and honestly, it felt wrong. I want GuitarTabCreator.com to be a clean, straightforward space, not a billboard. Plus, I’ve got this thing about respecting your privacy. I’d rather keep it simple and GDPR-compliant without bugging you for consent pop-ups every five seconds.
One way I put that into action is by giving you control over your tabs. Everything you write stays unpublished unless you decide to share it with the world. I figured, why should I assume it’s okay to show off your work? It’s yours, not mine. That’s my way of saying I’ve got your back—and I’m not here to cash in on your creativity.
Kicking Spam to the Curb with CleanTalk (and a Little Honeypot Trick)
Bots weren’t just scraping data—they were trying to clog up the site with spam, too. Fake sign-ups, junk comments, you name it. I hated the idea of your inbox getting flooded with nonsense because of me. So I brought in CleanTalk, an anti-spam tool that plays nice with Drupal (the tech running the site). It was a breeze to set up, and it’s been quietly zapping bots trying to mess with your experience. I also threw in a little extra layer called Honeypot to protect comments—it’s like a trapdoor for spammers. Together, they’re keeping the site clean so you can focus on your music, not sifting through garbage.
Why This Matters to Me
Look, there are plenty of tab sites out there loaded with flashy ads and pop-ups, and that’s fine for some folks. But I wanted GuitarTabCreator.com to feel different—a place built on trust and privacy. No shady data grabs, no spam overload, just a spot to write your tabs and maybe share a killer solo if you feel like it. Seeing you use the site is what keeps me going, and I’ll keep tweaking things behind the scenes to make it worth your time. This will allow you to have confidence in creating tabs, fretboards and chord diagrams, and give me the ability to create new features instead of getting bogged down trying to keep the site safe. Together, we can build a great and trust worthy site.
What do you think? I’d love to hear how the site’s working for you—or if there’s anything else I can do to make it better. Drop a comment below (don’t worry, the bots won’t get through!), and let’s keep the music flowing.
Rock on,
Gregg
Gregg
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