This post is part of the blog improvement series, which is designed to help you as well as your readers get the most out of your blog.
Comment spam is one of those things that just is. Over time we’ve come to deal with it and not really give it a second thought. But if you’re running a WordPress blog, then you might want to.
I’ve logged into client blogs which are hefting around thousands of comment spam, mostly trapped in the Akismet or moderation queue. But they’re not being displayed on the blog, so what’s the big deal?
Even though it may have been identified as spam by Akismet or another spam catching technique, each of those comments in taking up space in your database. Not only that, a large amount of comment spam makes it more difficult to scan and rescue any false positive comments (good comments accidentally marked as bad). This is why it’s a good idea to keep your spam queue as small as possible.
Before WordPress 2.7 was released, a plugin called Close Old Posts would automatically close the comments and trackbacks on posts older than a certain number of days. As of 2.7, this plugin is no longer necessary since the feature was rolled into the package.
To use this feature, log into your WordPress admin, click on the Settings tab and underneath, select Discussion from the list. When you’re brought to the comments settings page, you’ll find the option listed under Other comment settings (the second section on the page).
This is a good option because spammers usually hit posts that are older than two weeks and that should allow your regular readers ample time to read and comment should they so choose.
If you find that you’re unwilling or unable to close comments on the older posts, then consider adding a CAPTCHA to your comment form. There is still debate on whether CAPTCHAs are accessible, and while some are not, others can be. Make sure to select one that’s right for your needs and avoid those which feature letters or characters that even you cannot decipher.
Also, consider setting up the trackback validation plugin which will do a quick check to see if the blog who sent you a trackback or pingback has actually linked to your blog in the first place. If it hasn’t, the trackback/pingback can be added to moderation queue or automatically deleted. Since it may behave differently on your blog, it’s a good idea to have moderation enabled and watch it for a little while before flipping the switch to immediate deletion.
While this may not completely kill the comment spam problem on your blog, it should greatly reduce it making it easier for you to spot any false positives and keep your database at a manageable size.
Is comment spam the same as email spam? My son made me a website for my business recently and I had to remove my email from it because I was getting so many emails to it that were spam…
Is there a way to fix that?
# February 13th, 2009
So how will you define the thin line between a spam and a good comment, for instance if I put a link here on my post would you
automatically consider it as a spam or just a SEO strategy?
# February 25th, 2009
It’s never ending the spam that comes around to my blogs. I have considered turning off comments all together. But then I think I will lose regular visitors. It’s 6 of one and half a dozen of the other.
# February 25th, 2009