Managing Comments and Spam

Easy steps to ensure you avoid spam and unwanted comments!

This helped: http://www.megansweb.com.au/handy-hints-3-managing-spam

1. Install an Anti-Spam Filter! (Luckily, with wordpress Akismet already comes with the standard set-up) ‘Bad Behaviour’ is another useful plugin. I’ve chosen to stick with Akismet as my blog traffic is fairly minimal anyway.

2. Set up DISCUSSION SETTINGS so that Spam can be moderated and monitored!

3. Know how to recognise spam (Often the content of the comment is not directly linked to the post or it contains dubious links to websites unrelated to the content of your blog post)

The purpose of spam on a blog (like email spam) is to direct traffic to their website by surreptitiously persuading you to click on their link as – in a moment of egotistical flattery – you are curious as to who in the world is interested in reading a blog that you thought nobody read.

I did fall for the first few ‘followers’ and comments on my blog. Until I clicked the link (vulnerable, naive new blogger as I am) and realised that they just wanted me to buy their b-grade framed landscape photographs as mother’s day gifts.

Damn.

Nobody loves my blog.