Order replica Prada products! Abercrombie & Fitch? Bring it on! Ugg boots! Sushi! Gucci knock-off! Louis Vuittons! Payday Loan! Bridesmaid Dresses? Absolutely! I'll look stunning! Hermes handbags!! Yes! Yes! Is there more? You bet your sweet bippy there is!
My friends, this is but a sample of what doesn't make it to my blog on a daily basis. Every two days, I purge out of my spam filter about 50 spam comments that Blogger was able to redirect. I won't say that they weren't published on any of my post, simply because I moderate comments, so more often than not, they don't slip by to the next state of my comment queue, which is the link on my dashboard that says "X amount of comments awaiting moderation."
The one detrimental aspect of getting all of these spam comments is that is does a phantom jacking of my most popular posts. If you take a gander at the top five list on the left (you have to click through to see it if you're reading this via the e-mail or reader) at least three of the posts are there directly due to the shenanigans of those wonderful advertisers out there.
Sad to think that the top five posts are there not because people read them (especially if the post is four years old) but because advertisers use them in an attempt to clog up my blog with pointless verbiage.
I'm sure that you're wondering how I can put such a positive spin on receiving pointless verbiage on my blog without going nuclear? Well my friends, it's really simple. You have to have some faith that your host server can get the job done and you have to want to do whatever it takes to help your host server get the job done.
If you do the following step, chances are very good that you can cut down on the amount of spam that actually goes onto your blog. What I mean by "actually" is when you open up the comment section to a blog post and you see a spam comment on it.
Moderate your comments. Alternative: remove the ability of people to leave "Anon" comments.
If you moderate your comments, it gives Blogger a base platform to start from, because it force the comment into your moderation queue. And if the same IP is leaving the comment, this allows Blogger to eventually flag it and automatically move it to your spam filter.
Removing "Anon" eliminates the need for Blogger to flag comments, because no spammer that I know of actually has an ID to play with.
However, do keep in mind that if you do have spam filter, make sure that you go through it at least once a day. I suggest this because sometimes a comment from a regular reader will make it into your spam filter, either accidentally by Blogger, or if you're like me, accidentally hitting "spam" instead of "publish".
These really are the two most effective ways of cutting down on spam comments that I've found in the past 4 1/2 year of blogging. There are a few other ways to cut down on spam comments, but they have the side effect of irritating and potentially alienating your regular readers.
So remember kids, if you're tired of wiping out spam comments on your blog 'cause you really don't want your readers to go out on a seriously overpriced shopping trip and blaming your for it (or worse), using G.B.'s advice will make your blog super user friendly and fun place to visit.
However, if you really do want your readers to go on a seriously overpriced shopping trip, put up the links that the designers have created in the first place for their product.
Friday, December 21, 2012
10 comments:
Go on, give me your best shot. I can take it. If I couldn't, I wouldn't have created this wonderful little blog that you decided to grace with your presence today.
About that comment moderation thingy: While yes, it does say up above I can take it, I only use it to prevent the occasional miscreant from leaving thoughtless and/or clueless comments.
So remember, all of your comments are greatly appreciated and all answers will be given that personal touch that you come to expect and enjoy.
G. B. Miller
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I get the nastiest spam at work, of all places - all kinds of invitations to meet "hot, horny Russian women." Talk about barking up the wrong tree!
ReplyDeleteI get the occassional spam comment coming through but I don't seem to deal with the problem as much as many people do. Don't know if I'm doing something right, or wrong.
ReplyDeleteI allowed anonymous comments briefly and found that only spammers post anonymously, on my blog anyway. I haven't had any trouble since I blocked that again.
ReplyDeleteFor the life of me, I can never find that spam inbox. Usually I stumble upon it. I just looked and couldn't find it again.
M: We usually get the more insidious kind at my job, the kind that are looking for people's e-mail addys and/or passwords.
ReplyDeleteHere I get basically what I've mentioned in the post.
Charles: On your blog, you don't allow anonymous comments, so spam pretty much stays away. My other three blogs are like that because I used to get nailed with all kinds of spam there. Got tired of dealing with it, so I got rid of the "Anon" function on those.
Lynn: I believe if you click on the "Comments" link from your drop down menu on your dashboard, you should see a link for your Spam in box. However, since yours is like Charles's, I'm pretty sure that you don't have any.
Now thats funnie.
ReplyDeleteG.B.'s done nuked a shpanm comet on a posts abut spams evil influence.
EVIL!!!!!!
Whow!
ReplyDeleteG.b.'s dune nukked anudder spam comment, this time for Ugggggh boots.
Interesting. I had no idea that spam comments could be such a problem. The only one I've ever gotten (and it makes occasional re-appearances) is some rant titled "Boycott American Women". I don't even know what that means.
ReplyDeleteS.R.: Ahhh yes, I know that particular blogger (yup, he was a blogger) well.
ReplyDeleteSome back story: A few years ago, this particular individual would show up and post a page length diatribe about how crappy American women are and that American men should date/marry foreign women.
People immediately started labeling his comments as spam. Eventually, his blog was taken down (I believe) and he was forced to post his comments as "Anonymous" instead of under his persona of "Boycott American Women".
I saw his blog once and it was nothing to be impressed about.
There's a real guy behind those messages? That is so WEIRD! I assumed it was some 14-year-old kid who made up that rant just to have some content to throw around the internet and call his own. Well. I guess everyone has to have a cause. I wonder how he feels about Canadian women? ;-)
ReplyDeleteS.R.: Most definitely he is real.
ReplyDeleteSadly, some people are like that in the blog world.
I think if he wasn't so passionate about it, he wouldn't be in the predicament that he's in with his blogging/commenting.