Archive for the Category »Spam «

We can spend hours and hours searching for tools which will make blogging easier for us, or we can ask other bloggers what they use and like.

Today I’m sharing five of my favorite blogging tools.

Today’s Lessonwoopra homepage image

Although I continue to compare statistical programs, my favorite stats tracker is Woopra.

I’ve been using Woopra for over two years now and thoroughly enjoy all it offers. As the photos show, it’s colorful and has loads of options.

For blogs and websites woopra options My Fave Fivewith under 30,000 pages views per month, it’s free. After that, an upgrade is required (rates start at $4.95 per month).

Some of Woopra’s features are:

  1. Live, real time tracking
  2. Real-time analytics
  3. Ability to manage multiple blogs
  4. Deep analytic and search capabilities
  5. Live chat
  6. Rich user interface

Woopra also offers a plugin so you can easily review your Woopra stats from your dashboard, plus they also provide a desktop application for Windows, Mac & Linux, which I highly recommend.

A good spam blocker is essential to blogging.

I use Akismet which is preloaded in WordPress, in conjunction with Bad Behavior. If you look at the footer of this blog, you’ll see how Bad Behavior stopped over three thousand spam comments in the last week before they reached my spam filter. How cool is that?

CommentLuv is my all time favorite plugin.

I like how it rewards those who comment by adding a link to their latest post. With a catchy sounding title, chances are others will click through and this added exposure can possibly increase your readership, as well.

Gravatars, or avatars are another blogging favorite of mine. I like how just by using a small photo helps to brand us in blogosphere as well as on social networking sites such as Twitter or Facebook. The power of avatars was proven when we played a guessing game in the “Who’s Who In Blogosphere” post.

LinkWithin is a new favorite of mine. The thumbnails it produces and displays at the end of each post adds a little bit of pizazz, plus may inspire our readers to dig deeper into our blogs. Since adding it to this site and The Blog Boutique, I’ve seen an increase in my page views.

So there you have it. My fave five.

How about you?

Today’s Assignment

What blogging tools, plugins, or widgets can’t you live without?

Care to Share?

signature for blog post.

I remember when Darren Rowse of Problogger mentioned Akismet had blocked over four million spam comments on his blog. According to the stats for my blog, Akismet has blocked over 100,000 (and counting).

Although I don’t check my spam folder often, whenever someone emails me and says they left a comment but it’s not showing up, I’ll start digging.

spam Comments  Why Some Arent Worth Reading

That’s what happened when Ana of Spiritual Research Foundaion contacted me and said her comment wasn’t showing up on the Blog Registry. Since her comment hadn’t gone into moderation, I assumed it must have landed in the spam folder.

Interesting enough, I noticed those who are now spamming blogs are getting much better at it.

Today’s Lesson

Here’s a small sampling of what Akismet blocked, If I didn’t check the URL, I’d actually think they were real.

This first group of spam commenters must think if they appeal to my ego, I’ll approve them.

I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the great work Look forward to reading more from you in the future

I really liked your blog! It helped me alot…

I just sent this post to a bunch of my friends as I agree with most of what you’re saying here and the way you’ve presented it is awesome.

Awesome! I have read a lot on this topic, but you definitely give it a good vibe. This is a great post. Will be back to read more!

Great information! I’ve been looking for something like this for a while now. Thanks!

Valuable information and excellent design you got here! I would like to thank you for sharing your thoughts and time into the stuff you post!! Thumbs up

I find myself coming to your blog more and more often to the point where my visits are almost daily now!

These spammers must believe if they ask a question, their comment will be approved.

How do I password my macbook pro so every time you turn the computer on it will ask for the password. I have a password set on here but i seem to only use it for when i download software or unistall things. I really need the password so you cant even get the computer started without one! Is this even possible I am used to the PC and u can password protect it so no one can even do anything on it untill password is typed in correctly. I really need to get one on here so my dumb room mates stop using it when I am not around.

I am not pro, but I wish to write my question here…
How you think what to advise to my friend – to disaccustom to alcohol?

Sports or easier walks in the forest, at open air?

This is a little random but what insurance company do you use? My current insurance company has just told me they’re not paying out on my claim. I’m furious and want to leave immediately. Who do you recommend?

I realize many spam comments are generated by bots, but I’ve also read you can get paid to comment on blogs.

Although this may be a good way to generate additional income, for us bloggers who treasure each comment we get, it could be disheartening to find out what we thought were “real” comments, are instead paid for.

Today’s Assignment

What’s showing up in your spam folder these days?

Would you ever comment on blogs for money?

Raise you hand and share your thoughts.

signature for blog post.

311134263 e4dc9f1727 How Can You Tell If They Are Real

Don’t you love getting comments on your blog? I know I do.

Unfortunately when I last checked, my spam comments outnumbered my real comments by almost three to one (Akismet has caught 14,628 spam comments thus far)

Today’s Lesson

When I first started blogging, I would have welcomed some of these comments.

Here’s a sampling of what Akismet recently caught. They actually sound promising, don’t they?

Thanks for allowing me to comment. I normally don\’t leave them, but I really like what you had to say. This is important stuff!

I didnt find the subscribe button….where can i subscribe? :) :)

You have excellent analysis. thanks for writting

I\’m pleased that i found this blog today, its a wonderful resource and i will make sure to show to my wife when i get home !

The site’s very professional! Keep up the good work!

Regards to administration of bloggingwithoutablog.com – you made a excellent site in the Internet!
I was able made only several pages of blog
I hope this it is the best topic for my post. If there is no forgive for disturbance please.
several pages of my small blog :

This commenter went on to share links to their X rated posts. No thanks!

Some spammy sites are misleading. I recently had one that was a one page blog. At the bottom of the post was a sentence that said something like, “For serious marketers, click here for additional information”. It was a link to a full page ad. THAT was the extent of the site.

If a comment adds value to a post, I will often approve it even though it links to an “advertising” site. For those, it’s on a case by case basis.

When editing comments, remember, it’s YOUR blog, it’s YOUR call. Delete those you don’t want to be affiliated with.

Today’s Assignment

How are you handling comments that link to advertising or spammy looking sites?

Have you noticed how spammers are getting more creative?


Photo Credit: buggolo’s photostream

Photo Credit junkmonkey’s photos
32937587 d105102196 Spammers Hit The Jackpot

Several comments to my last post, “Comment Luv – Linky Love – NoNoFollow” inspired me to dig deeper into the subject of blog spam (also referred to as comment spam). I wanted to know why blogs get spammed, and what we can do to prevent it.

Today’s Lesson

Wikipedia, states spammers are on a mission to elevate their websites in the search engine rankings. By linking to blogs they obtain more links pointing to their sites. Apparently this method is working. Spammers are gaining sales/income via clicks from visitors. Spammers hit the “jackpot” with the creation of blogs.

According to Wikipedia,

In 2003, spammers began to take advantage of the open nature of comments in the blogging software like Movable Type by repeatedly placing comments to various blog posts that provided nothing more than a link to the spammer’s commercial web site

Several of the solutions listed by Wikipedia to block comment spam, include

1) Keyword blocking – blocking words such as viagra (spammers know of this practice and will intentionally misspell words)
2) Using the “rel=”nofollow” code. Wikipedia states the argument against this is:

Some weblog authors object to the use of rel=”nofollow”, arguing, for example, that

* Link spammers will continue to spam everyone to reach the sites that do not use rel=”nofollow”
* Link spammers will continue to place links for clicking (by surfers), even if those links are ignored by search engines.
* Google is advocating the use of rel=”nofollow” in order to reduce the effect of heavy inter-blog linking on page ranking.
* Google is advocating the use of rel=”nofollow” only to minimize its own filtering efforts, and to deflect that this actually had better been called rel=”nopagerank”.
* Nofollow may reduce the value of legitimate comments

3) Validation, or the use of a potential commenter to provide an “answer’, such as “is fire hot or cold”, “2+2″ or to retype a series of numbers and letters (CAPTCHA)
4) Disallowing links in post comments
5) Using a spam blocker such as Akismet
6) Turning comments off.

Short of turning comments off, it appears blog spam (comment spam) is here to stay.

Today’s Assignment

How do you deal with blog spam?

Do you use a spam blocker or hand moderate each comment?

Do you have any other ideas of how spam can be eliminated? Spammers Hit The Jackpot

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