The time has finally come where I now need to implement some rules for commenting on my blog.
When I started my blog commenting journey I took a little advice from other people who were having great success with this. That advice to me was to visit everyone’s blog that left a comment on mine and return the favor to the best of your ability. I know I’ve done that.
At the time I’m writing this post I’ve been doing that religiously for the past nine months. I can honestly say that I’ve learned a thing or two. Here are a few of the pet peeves that I have with people who comment on my blog.
- You’re an affiliate marketer and you’re only here for backlinks:
Don’t get me wrong, some of you are here to learn and I appreciate you dropping by my place to acquire more knowledge. I’m not going to apologize for not leaving a comment on your blog if I have no understanding of the topics you write about. I refuse to be that person that says “great post” because I have no idea how to respond, I can’t relate to what you share or I have no interest in what you’re writing about.
- The comment you left has nothing to do with the blog post:
I’m starting to get more of these now and I can tell you’re trying to help it make sense but I can see right through you. I know you’re just here for the link juice so I’m afraid you’re going to have to go someplace else for that now.
- You don’t speak English:
I don’t mean to be disrespectful of anyone who doesn’t speak English but it’s my native language and it’s all I know. If you come to my blog and share a comment in another language or your blog is in another language, I will not accept your comment.
- You’re linking to your company’s product:
I know you were probably taught to leave comments on other people’s blog to build backlinks to your site but I’m no longer going to support your traffic methods. I want to connect with other bloggers so if you are really serious about this industry, get a blog.
- You don’t leave your”real” name:
There is a space for your name when you leave a comment. Put your name there because I’m here to connect with you. Not your company, your product or service but you, I want your name. I’m sure as heck not going to respond to “Web Search” or “Magic Webs”. If you can’t leave me your real name then obviously you aren’t here for the right reasons.
- You are linking to an Empower Network blog:
When Empower Network came out a lot of people jumped on that band wagon quickly. They soon were shut down by Facebook because so many people abused the system. Now their commenting system has you sign in if you want to leave a comment and since I don’t support this program, I won’t be visiting your blog. Therefore, if you have an Empower Network blog and you leave a comment here, it will either get deleted or your link will.
- Your avatar is a gray faceless person, an animal, the sunset, your favorite photo or a company logo:
I only connect with people. I want to see your face on your avatar. I probably don’t have to reiterate the facts to you now that being online and connecting with bloggers is about building relationships. We can’t build a relationships with a faceless person because 99.9% of them are spammers. Do you really want to be put in that category?
- You’re commenting just to be seen:
I have a lot of people who leave me comments who are trying to make it sound like you’re adding to the conversation but it’s so obvious that you either didn’t read the post or you seriously have nothing of substance to contribute. Blogging is about connecting and one liners or short tries won’t cut it here.
Now I realize that a lot of people are new to blogging and may not be aware of how to set your avatar up. Just in case you don’t know what an avatar is, take a look at my “Top Commenters” widget in my sidebar and check out all those smiling faces. That’s an avatar and I’d like to tell you how you can get yours set up in just a few minutes.
1. Go to Gravatar.com and sign up for a free account.
2. You will need to use the same e-mail address that you use for leaving comments.
3. Once your account is approved, click on the link sent to your e-mail address to activate and confirm your account.
4. Go to My Account and follow the instructions to add your picture.
5. Be sure and check that everything is confirmed and you are good to go!
What I love about this service is as long as you were using the same e-mail address when previously commenting on different blogs, Gravatar will update all those comments you have previously left with your picture. No more monsters or grey faceless faces.
Now there will be some exceptions that I’ll make. For instance, I have some friends that stop by every once in awhile to comment on my blog who are not in this industry so they wouldn’t have a reason to set their avatars up.
I also have a couple friends that have different things as their gravatar’s but because we have already built up a pretty darn good relationship, I’m not going to turn them away. I respect them enough to let this slide because I have built a relationship with them up to this point. But for those that I haven’t, they will no longer be allowed.
So there you have it, my commenting rules.
Would enjoy hearing your thoughts on this subject. Do you have any pet peeves about any of these same issues over at your place? I have a feeling a good bit of you are careful who you let slip by. You know I want to hear from you so tell me what you think.
Okay, go have fun commenting on some blogs and if you don’t have an avatar set up, there are no excuses now!
{ 258 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: genuineseonet
September 15, 2011 at 8:15 AM
Hi Adrienne, Now that are some pretty strict guidelines. I bet that you are going to spend quite a lot of time and effort into filtering those comments out. If I may recommend, if you think they are spam – just spam it. Else let them be as they would at least give you a comment count. No harm right. However, if you feel they are keyword linking, then it makes sense deleting comments.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 15, 2011 at 10:06 AM
Hey Eddie,
Maybe so but I just don’t want my blog to be the go to place for people to just get link juice. I really honestly want to connect with other bloggers so if you don’t have a blog, it will really benefit you in the long run to start one now. Granted, people who are new to the industry are just getting started and don’t have all of that into place yet. But the majority of the time I’ve connected with them previous to them coming to my blog so I’m aware of that. If that makes me a bad person, than I’m a bad person.
I always read and reply to every single comment that I get Eddie and I’m having new ones come through almost daily. The ones that are obviously spam definitely go straight to that folder while other ones are trying their hardest to say something remotely related to the post so they can get through. I don’t want them here so I can have a higher comment count. I want them here because they really are interested in what I have to share. Isn’t that why we have a blog in the first place? To connect with people and share information and build relationships?
Twitter: morafiindia
May 21, 2013 at 7:14 AM
Hi Adrienne,
I loved the bold and straight forward approach you took towards commenting and this is the first time that I am seeing such a straightforward and strict guidelines which is expressed by a blogger for commenting.
Yes, I agree with the fact that blogs are meant to share and inform people. So if a person can’t say a single word about the article, then it is pointless in accepting the comment.
Before reading the article I was wondering whether you might have set a specific number of words for the comment to be approved. Thank God, that didn’t happen. Otherwise I would have to take a 1 month commenting course from people like YOU and Harleena.
I am quite convinced that what you write is from your heart and from your experience. So I will keep coming here for more
.
One request – In all the other blogs I comment as Inspiring Citizen Rafi. So, may I use that here also for my future comments.
Sincerely,
Rafi
Mohammed Rafi recently posted..50 Important Life Questions To Ask Oneself Before You Die!!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
May 21, 2013 at 10:08 AM
Hi Rafi,
I assume you prefer to be called Rafi instead of Mahammed? Well welcome to my blog and for stopping by this post that most people never read. LOL!!!
As my post stated, I got to a place where I was feeling guilty for not commenting but then again there were just some blogs that I just didn’t want to and felt they were here for the wrong reasons. The more popular my blog became there were just more people that were only here for the link juice. Well, that’s not what my blog or Harleena’s is about. We genuinely want to help people learn and grow and we do that through building relationships with them. They feel they can come to me with questions and I’m more then happy to help.
I do have a limit of words set, absolutely. But I did have to put it up a little because there are a lot of conversations that go on here so when we’re responding a few times sometimes we’ll come back with just a few words.
Thank you for your lovely comment and if you’re speaking of using your name “Inspiring Citizen Rafi” then I would have to say no. I want your real name and I don’t allow keywords in the name. I will remove them but you’re linking to your blog so that’s really good enough. I appreciate you asking though, thank you for that.
Now, you go and enjoy your day and have a fabulous week okay!
~Adrienne
I agree with Eddie here. It can get frustrating when you get so many comments though. I’ve run affiliate sites for two years now and I’ve learn it’s a tough process to keep up. Sometimes it’s just better to outsource it for a couple of bucks an hour.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 11:50 AM
I love reading the comment Wilson but I certainly don’t enjoy reading the ones here for the wrong reasons. I’ve finally learned what they are truly trying to accomplish and it has nothing to do with adding value to my posts.
I’ve got several affiliate blogs myself but stay within your niche be at least be genuine about what you are doing. Don’t hide behind some product.
Thanks Wilson for your input. Eddie always keeps me on my toes.
Apart from having no picture I think I’ve followed the rest of your rules.
I actually commented on several posts before I ever read this and I proabaly won’t have enough time to take a picture and regiester with this site before you see my post.
Whether or not you approve my comments I do think that is a great blog.
Thanks Adrienne.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
October 7, 2012 at 11:22 AM
Hey Jay,
I’ve seen your other comments but wanted to respond to this one first.
I appreciate you dropping by this page and yes, you definitely need a gravatar set up because as you’ve read a few of my posts already, people connect with people. They want to see who they are chatting with.
Just follow my directions to setting up a gravatar and if you connect it to this email address it will show up on all the posts you’ve already commented on. That’s the cool thing about it. Let those people “see” who they are speaking with and that will help you tremendously.
Thank you so much for your comment and for taking the time to read several of my posts. I’m truly flattered.
~Adrienne
Welcome to the dark side
I am with you on this, I have been doing the same thing for months now, except I pretty much allow all gravatars cause I guess it is everyone’s choice to have a puppy pic or a logo there.
Just wanted to say that I am the same way about people I built relationships with. If you are my blogging buddy, you can pretty much get away with anything, anchor text, deep linking, more than 2 keywords, avatar of a hot chick in a bikini, etc, LOL
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 15, 2011 at 10:11 AM
Glad to join you here Brankica… Been really thinking about this for awhile now but went back and forth about it.
Well if I’ve connected with them elsewhere through social networking and they are embarrassed to put up their picture I don’t want to not allow them because of that but let’s face it, some people just really don’t know any better and that’s what we are here for. To share with them how to go about presenting yourself online the right way. You know me, I’m here to help so let me help you!
If you’re already my blogging buddy, I don’t care. We’ve already bonded and you have your reasons. I’m just really getting tired of all the other stuff that has been landing in my comment section. I’m sure you know what I mean. My goodness! The things people say to get a comment! LOL!!!
Twitter: bdorman264
September 16, 2011 at 7:48 AM
Am I your blogging buddy, can I get away with anything?
What if I said this ‘Имају велики викенд’?
It never ends, does it?
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 11:21 AM
With you, it never ends is right! LOL!!!
You CAN get away with anything
Even Google translate
Twitter: bloggersmarket
September 15, 2011 at 9:22 AM
OK … so you want my thoughts. Well here they are. I get lonely when I have no comment Spam to delete from my Blog. To date I have 1215 comments and 1,499,589,382 Spam comments. However, I make no requirement for a Gravatar from them. If I were they might disappear all together.
As for myself I like my cute little “B” with the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer red nose. It’s all I have. I hoping you can live with that cute little “B” for the next 90 days when I will then change to a new Gravatar. Its the “Vitruvian Man” 1487.
Sorry to disappoint. However, at this moment in time I’m out the couple of thousand that would be needed for a solid Gravatar Image. I don’t do cell-phones or web-cams ( I don’t care how my pixels they have ) thanks for the thought.
As they say …….. “Image Is Everything” – Andre Agassi
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 15, 2011 at 10:44 AM
Ah Jeffrey, I know you have absolutely nothing else to do but go through your spam..
Personally, I think you like to look at all the different things people have as their avatar and figure out who is behind it. Your own little guessing game! LOL!!!
You and I have already had this discussion which is why I wanted to be clear that I have great blogging buddies that don’t have their pictures up but I already know why and that’s okay. I’ve built my relationship with you. It’s the people who visit my site that really aren’t interested in building a relationship with me through blog commenting. I would rather have them just move along.
For you my friend, I’ll continue to look at whatever you put up. Maybe one of these days I’ll finally see what you look like! Or maybe not!
Twitter: bloggersmarket
September 15, 2011 at 10:59 AM
Ya know its funny you mentioned that. I would like for you to read this please. Written back in December of 2010, I touch of many of the same issues you bring to light. Here is the link: bloggersmarket.com/the-magic-of-comment-spam/
I use to follow all of my spam links, however I just don’t have the time anymore. However, I can’t even begin to tell you how much gold I have mined from those sites. To illustrate, I have a ton of background textures that are just too cool, most mined from comment spam. I’m going to sneak another link in here. Its to my personal twitter account. I don’t think you have ever seen my personal account. It has the new Gravatar in place. However, the background for that account came to me from a piece of comment spam.
twitter.com/#!/jeffreymorganme/
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 15, 2011 at 11:07 AM
Okay, I’ll check it out no problem!
You are a little more creative in the ways you can actually have good come from spam but trust me, there aren’t enough hours in the day for me Jeffrey! So you actually had time to go through spam? Wow, you must have been really bored! LOL!!
Checked out your personal twitter account. Not a bad look! Had no idea you had one so thanks for sharing!
Hi Adrienne,
I have set up an avatar a few times and the weird thing is that on some websites when I leave a comment the avatar shows up and others it doesn’t. I have no idea what is going and it really bothers me because I can’t get it to show on my OWN website! So when I leave a message or reply, I have to hope that people will look past that because I have no clue how to fix it.
Also, my new header is up (wink,wink). Maybe you could stop by and let me know what you think. I hope your week is going well and thanks so much for the email linking to this post
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 15, 2011 at 10:14 AM
Hey Julia,
Are you using the same email address every time you leave a comment? If you do then I would go to the help section and see if anyone else is having these same problems or if you’re able to put in a support ticket then I would go that route. Also just Google it and you might run across others who are having this same problem.
I know that on my other blog, my avatar just quit showing up too. Didn’t change a thing, it just went to a monster and that really ticked me off. About two months later, my photo was back. It must have been the service or something so I can relate to what you’re saying.
Okay, had to hop over there real quick and checkout your header. Looks good and I love the picture of you. I love that color too even though my favorite is blue! Could you tell by my blog? You must be so happy it’s done now. Looking good girl, looking good. Congratulations on the new look!
Hi Adrienne, I’m with you! Lay down the law. It improves the experience for everyone. Nicely but assertively worded. I am with you on personal pictures. I want to see the face of the person I am talking to, mind you sometimes even if there is a face I have had my doubts it was the real person. That’s another kettle of fish all-together. Keep up the good work. You did the right thing and I fully support it. Don’t worry about any flak. Have a great day and keep on blogging….. Dan
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 15, 2011 at 11:11 AM
Hey Dan,
Thanks for the visit and I appreciate your comment. I know for me when I was first getting started it was really important to connect with everyone and I still enjoy doing that. But the more popular your blog becomes, the more show up that aren’t here for the right reasons. I also know that some links can actually hurt your site so I just want to be honest with why I’ve decided to move forward in this particular direction. I know that my regular blog readers totally understand where I’m coming from and are probably at the same place or reached it before me.
So here’s my question to you. Where’s your blog?
Twitter: AngelMartorellC
September 15, 2011 at 10:15 AM
I support the right for protecting oneself, many times we allow other friends too much and we pay the consequences.
Sometimes is better to lose those “friends, ” because you might end up really hurt.
So, well done,! you have told us these rules in an honest way, as when i met you, son you are genuine Addriene, and you have rights.!
warmly,
Angel
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 15, 2011 at 11:02 AM
Thank you Angel, I appreciate that!
As you progress with your blog you will soon discover who is here for the right reasons so I have no doubt that you’ll be building you some great friendships as well.
So how is the other blog coming along? I can tell you’ve done a lot on your test site and you are becoming quite the pro now. I’m so excited for you. Isn’t it fun learning?
Enjoy your day young man and thanks for your support!
Twitter: bwlcompany
September 15, 2011 at 12:19 PM
Way to go. I know what you mean.
I wrote a blog on DISC and immediately some DISC company was on my blog commenting that they didn’t know how useful those assessments were and would have to get one.
Really? I can see your website. You are a major distributor of the assessments.
I didn’t know what to comment back.
Great read, thanks for lifting my spirits.
Bryce
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 15, 2011 at 12:51 PM
Thank you Bryce, I appreciate that!
I remember your post on the DISC which of course I thought was very good I might add. So seriously? Do they not understand how this all works? First off, they were just looking for link juice and you are right, how to you reply to something like that!
I’ve already had two commenters bashing me for implementing these rules on MY Blog! Oh, and they don’t have a blog and they don’t have their gravatar set up. One of them told me to stop moderating my comments! Seriously! At least I’m being honest with why I won’t approve your comments and for telling me that I’ll never be able to build relationships by implementing these types of rules. It’s pretty obvious you’ve never visited my place before and it’s pretty safe to say you’ll never be back either!
Glad I could lift your spirits Bryce. You know, we can just do our best! I’m not going to feel bad about it anymore.
Twitter: bwlcompany
September 15, 2011 at 4:03 PM
The fact that you have people bashing you shows how special your site is.
I don’t understand their problem. There should still be plenty of other sites that can take them.
Bryce
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 10:17 AM
The bashing isn’t something I’m enjoying Bryce… I know that not everyone is going to like me but this is my blog and these are my rules. If you can’t follow my rules then you just need to go someplace else. Like you said, there are tons of blogs so just pick another one.
Thanks for that though, I appreciate that!
Wow, the more popular you become the more bashing you have to take. There’s something wrong with that picture you know!
Excellent article Adrienne, I likewise have been receiving comments that really are not relative to the article(s) that I am posting. Therefore it is taking time to go in and physically remove them. I have used several of your articles on my blog to help my readers and would like to repost this one as well. Thank you again for your awesome blog posts they are fantastic!
Adrienne, sorry for the ugly avatar. I thought I had already placed a photo on avatar.com, went and behold I had not. So updated and tried to resend and request you delete this one, but would not allow me to do that. I am so sorry!!
Bob
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 15, 2011 at 2:37 PM
I remember seeing your photo so give it some time and it may start to finally work. It can be a finicky thing at times. I know what you look like though! Forget it, I’m not going to delete this comment. You’re here to stay.
Adrienne
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 15, 2011 at 2:34 PM
Hey Bob,
Thank you for stopping by today. I’m so happy to see you finally stop by and leave me a comment.
When people leave comments that have nothing to do with your post, they are just looking for a link back to their site. I wouldn’t approve those if I were you, it can end up hurting you in the long run in the eyes of the search engines. Do you have a good spam plug-in for your site? GASP is an excellent one and will cut down the amount of spam you get. It’s not perfect but it helps.
Thanks again Bob and I hope to see you again soon.
Adrienne
Twitter: johngarrettx
September 15, 2011 at 12:47 PM
Hey Adrienne,
I can totally understand your policy, for real. I usually tend to allow the blank avatar because some of my most commented posts are “how to” for a specific problem where I might not expect the user to ever come back again.
Recently I was “taken to task” by someone over my avatar. She felt I should have a photo of my face instead of my cartoon drawing. I did have that at one time, but I tried to explain that I thought it was fitting since I drew comics, etc and blah blah blah. She has a hardline stance apparently.
I think you’ve done a good job of making allowances for some common avatar situations.
So all he best with this and I hope the new policy results in more of the type of connections you really want
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 15, 2011 at 1:10 PM
Hey John,
Great to see you my friend, hope all is well with you.
I can see your point and I do get a lot of those too. I know that some commenters I get may not ever make it back around here and I’m okay with that. I really do want people to learn from me so I can’t hold that against them. I guess my beef is more with those who are not here for the right reasons or in their minds, it’s the link juice only. I’m not the only blog on the internet you know.
I love your cartoon character because it’s appropriate for what you write about. I thought at one time of getting one made for me because I think it would be fun. It’s not that I don’t have my face plastered all over the place anyway so I’m not hiding anything. But I guess there will be some people who want to stand their ground and they have every right on their blog. I think that others just need to respect it even if we may not like it.
I appreciate your comment John, I really do. I already know some people aren’t very happy with me but that’s okay. At least I’m out in the open about it.
Enjoy your day and thanks a bunch!
Twitter: deeannrice
September 15, 2011 at 1:46 PM
Adrienne,
I have been getting a lot of comments from people who put down a company website. It may be their company but it is still a static website that is selling something like photography or insurance or weight loss products. Some of these people have really good comments and I have sat and contemplated over whether or not to allow the comments over the past several days.
I finally come to the same conclusion that you stated in your post. I am here to build relationships with other bloggers.
I can not build a relationship with a static website that is a sales page and I am not sure that I want to be a advertising method for insurance, hospitals, photographers, fitness coaches or anyone else.
I have also said in my blog that if you comment on my blog I will return the favor and comment on yours. How can I comment on a static sales page or a blog where the author is only using the comments to get testimonials that they are then using as posts.
I have started putting all comments that are linked to static sales pages or blogs only looking for testimonials for the product that they are selling in the trash.
Some time ago my Alexa ranking started getting higher very quickly and in about 2 or 3 days it went from 250,000 to over 400,000. I think it was because I had several of the comments on my blog that were linked to sales pages. I went in and deleted all of those comments and over the next couple of weeks I watched it start to gain the ground that I had lost.
Thank you for voicing what I was thinking.
Dee Ann Rice
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 15, 2011 at 2:17 PM
Hey Dee Ann,
I understand what you are saying about that and I actually do like some of the comments I’ve been receiving as well. Would like to build a little better relationship with them but they are making it very difficult for me since I have no blog to visit. That’s what I don’t like the most.
I understand what you mean about the Alexa ranking. People don’t understand that when more people comment on your blog that have absolutely nothing to do with what you are writing, you are the one who is going to start getting penalized. I want to be the nice guy and help everyone out but at the same time I’m not sacrificing myself for it. I totally understand what you mean. We have a reputation to uphold but the majority of people who visit our blogs and comment are fabulous bloggers.
Glad you agree with me and I have a feeling you’re going to be implementing something soon your self.
Adrienne
Twitter: jmd164
September 19, 2011 at 1:40 PM
Hey Dee Ann,
I have had the same and if there’s no blog within their website, as long as they’ve written their name and not company, I have left the comment but deleted the website url. If they are really interested in what you have to say, then they’ll come back, if not, well tuff on them.
Just my two cents worth
Julie
Twitter: mytimematters
September 15, 2011 at 2:09 PM
Hey Adrienne,
You’ve definitely paved your way to some thoughtful comments … your ways of filtering them distinguishes the quality of comments among other blogs. Nevertheless, those are valid pet peeves and it’s not like you’re turning people away so to say … you’re just asking commenters to put more thought, personality, and professionalism into their feedback.
Although I encourage thoughtful comments and feedback on my blogs (let few things slide) because I just like seeing interaction, and usually can tell whether its spam or not. As long as it’s not some BS comment it’s OK in my book.
That being said, always love coming to your space and seeing all the enticing and straight forward content. Doesn’t have to be mentioned; but thank you for yet another thoughtful post Adrienne.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 15, 2011 at 2:21 PM
Hey Vitaly,
I appreciate you saying that, some guy has already bashed me today telling me I’m not building relationships here. It’s obvious he’s never visited my place before and doesn’t have a clue what I enjoy doing over here.
Like you, I’m here to connect with others and learn and grow while I’m here. I love the interaction I have with my readers and how everyone speaks their minds and shares their thoughts. I’m learned so much during this time and I continue to learn each day. I just ask that others have the same respect and stop by and visit because you are interested in what I have to share. Not because you want to promote your health product or medical practice. I’m just not feeling it you know!
I always enjoy seeing you Vitaly and you are welcome over here any day my friend. I appreciate your ongoing support and friendship. Thank you and have a great afternoon. I’ll see you again soon.
Twitter: mytimematters
September 15, 2011 at 2:46 PM
I know what you mean Adrienne. I’m so grateful to have found your blog and that I have established that connection with you and others from the community that share similar bond. On a deeper level, the relationships that are created are beyond the simple interactions that meet the eye. Thank you for being you Adrienne. Have a wonderful day and talk to you sooner than later.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 9:57 AM
Right back at ya Vitaly. I know at times I’m intimidated when I run across some blogs and see the relationships they have with their readers. I think to myself, they certainly aren’t going to want to hear what I have to say because they already have so many loyal friends. But after taking that step back, I have found that I have really made some great friends through blogging, you included. I even enjoyed our Skype chat that day. That was really fun getting to know you better. Thank you for being Vitaly and for opening your heart to me.
Have a fabulous day and a really fun weekend. You know I’ll be seeing you very soon.
Adrienne
Twitter: SheilaAtwood
September 15, 2011 at 2:40 PM
Adrianne,
Setting a firm comment policy is one of the most important steps we all take. Time is important to every business owner, both online and offline.
Good plugins help, like the GASP plugin you use. I just attended WordCamp SLC and spam was one of the big issues that came up. I know Automattic spends a considerable amount of time keeping Akismit updated. I have also added Conditional CAPTCHA for Wordpress, it asks for a CAPTCHA if the comment looks spammy.
Good luck on your new policy.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 9:53 AM
Hi Sheila,
I thought long and hard about this Sheila. Thought it was about time to put some rules into place. I continue to get more readers which I’m thrilled about but that also attracts people who are only here for link juice.
I briefly saw your post where you had attended the conference but was out the door so didn’t have a chance to read it. I have a feeling spam will always remain a big concern of ours. After moving over to GASP it cut it completely out. Then it started slowly coming back in but you can tell it’s someone just there for a link and they are doing their best to leave some type of comment related to the post but they don’t read the posts at all. I don’t care for captcha codes at all but if they only come up if the comment looks spammy then that would be something to think about. Thanks for sharing that Sheila and glad you enjoyed the conference. I bet that was really interesting.
Good for you, Adrienne. We’re looking 4 genuine readers, not lurkers or creepy spammers. I took 1 post down about aspeaker I had seen cuz she wrote a nasty comment purely to go up in the ratings. So. I took my post down and didn’t give her the opportunity. @elainecougler
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 9:59 AM
Why thank you Elaine! I totally agree with you, I want people who are here for the right reasons and that’s sharing their views on the posts they have read and hopefully building a relationship with me. I would not have approved her comment or I would have just deleted it altogether. I don’t mind approving comments where people may not agree with me but to be nasty just to be nasty isn’t going to get past me.
I appreciate you sharing that with me Elaine and I hope you have a wonderful day! Thank you for stopping by!
Twitter: livelovework
September 15, 2011 at 4:02 PM
At this point I don’t receive too many comments on my blog to turn people away, and I haven’t yet experienced inappropriate comments that weren’t caught by Askimet.
I do try to be a conscientious commenter on other blogs, and follow all your rules of my own accord.
What’s difficult for me is leaving a comment on a blog that doesn’t have CommentLuv and I have a blog entry that relates to the topic at hand. I often want to leave a link to my entry if it directly applies to the comment or if I reference my specific entry in my comment, such as, “I recently wrote about this topic and in my research I learned…”
I have left my blog link manually in comments when it relates to the topic, and I make sure to tweet the blog entry to my followers. I assume the blog owner can always delete my comment if they feel it’s inappropriate.
I’m not entirely sure about the etiquette for leaving a related link in a blog comment, what’s your take on it?
Great discussion, as always! I appreciate that when you offer a peeve, you also offer a solution. Thanks for being awesome!
Chrysta
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 10:13 AM
Hi Chrysta,
Don’t worry Chrysta, your time is coming and I’m thrilled that this time is now for me. It’s taken awhile to get to this point so when your blog become more popular, people want that link juice and they also start getting upset with you when you don’t approve their comment. I know we have to take the good with the bad so I’m just doing my best to handle it the best way I know how.
Leaving links in the comment really is up to the owner of the blog itself. Some don’t mind while others just will have none of it. I also wish everyone would use a plug-in like the “ReplyMe” so that we are sent a notice when our comment is responded to so that we can come back over and continue the conversation if we want. A lot of blogs don’t have that either so I never know what was said.
One thing you might consider doing is email that blog owner and ask them if they mind you putting a link if you aren’t sure. Building relationships is what this is about anyway so start by just asking. They will come to know you as the person who only shared helpful and good information so they will allow that from some people where they may not from others.
Or maybe you could suggest them using the CommentLuv plug-in and telling them why it would be benificial for them. Some people just don’t know Chrysta so we have to look at that being the case as well.
Thank you as always for your wonderful thoughts on this topic and I enjoy hearing what you think about this. I have a feeling that a lot of my blogging friends feel somewhat the same as I do so it’s always nice to hear their thoughts.
You have a wonderful day Chrysta and thank you again.
Twitter: Mazzastick
September 15, 2011 at 4:14 PM
Hi Adrienne,
The faceless avatar always makes me shake my head. The truth is though that there are still bloggers who do not know about it, well until they read your post then there is no excuse.
1.The one line commenter get’s me. And also the commenter that goes through old posts to leave/spam comments.
2.The blogger that has to find something negative or disagree with every post that I write. I do have one of those. I had to blacklist his name. Whenever he leaves a comment it has to wait for moderation.
3.The blogger who leaves a comment and you need the Rosetta Stone to decipher what they are saying.
I could go on and on about commenting etiquette and I was very close to writing a post about it on my blog. Thanks for beating me to the punch.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 10:35 AM
Hi Justin,
I’m with you on the faceless avatar but I meet a lot of people who are just starting out so it takes them awhile to get around to putting everything into place so I do my best to give them the benefit of the doubt. I know several people who just do not want to put their photos up because they obviously don’t like the way they look.
I don’t approve the one liners and I’ve had several going back to leave comments on older posts. Man oh man, those take me awhile.
I’ve been very fortunate to not have a lot of negative comments. I don’t mind hearing that other people disagree with me on something because sometimes I want to hear other people’s views and I never admit being perfect. It’s the being nasty that I won’t tolerate. That’s just uncalled for.
That’s funny, need to decipher it! LOL!!! I know those have to be irritating!
I think there comes a time when you just have to write a post about it. I mean, it is your blog. People shouldn’t get upset with you because it’s your blog and you can do with it whatever you want. They have the right to do the same. Guess I’ll be looking forward to reading that post soon.
Thanks Justin and have a good day!
Twitter: notetakingnerd
September 15, 2011 at 4:37 PM
Love this . . . “I refuse to be that person that says “great post” because I have no idea how to respond.”
I feel the same way.
I also appreciate how you’re laying down the rules of the road. I think a link to this would be great to add to your “About Adrienne” page. It’d add a dash of that “Stern,- but loving parent” presence here.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 11:52 AM
Hey Lewis,
I’m a talker anyway Lewis and I enjoy sharing my opinion. But at the same time, I admit when I have NO clue what you’re talking about. I do my best but sometimes I have blogs linking to niches that I have absolutely no clue how to respond. I can’t even say, “I agree” because I would be lying!
Thanks for sharing that Lewis… So when are you going to get that photo up for your avatar? I’ll be waiting!
Twitter: kingskiddd1
September 15, 2011 at 7:40 PM
You’ve done it again Adrienne,
Awesome post! Although to be honest with you, my knees were knocking a little when I read the title. I thought for sure I was in danger for my long post type comments.
Once I got good into the post I found myself shouting out loud say, “Good for you! Way to go!” 
You’d think as far as being a beginner blogger goes spammers would avoid their pages. Not that much traffic. But oh no, it’s the beginner bloggers that fall prey the most. Most of us, thankfully I’m not included in this category, have no idea about CommentLuv, Askimet, or any other types of spam blockers. So we’re especially susceptible. I think… No, I know on the new site I’m going to adopt these rules. They’re definitely worth applying.
Now – if we only had more than 140 characters to state the same rules for Twitter. You’d think, the people there thought that your profile was their national billboard!
Awesome post! I hope many of those listed above come across it. I certainly shared it in every corner of my world online.
Twitter: problogsuccess
September 15, 2011 at 9:57 PM
Adrienne,
Agree with you strongly on the gravtar point. Although I can’t strictly put a rule that I won’t allow faceless people, I would like to strongly advise people to use their faces. It is not hard to get a gravatar, its free and universal (all we need is an email address)!
Thanks for your insights.
Jane.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 10:40 AM
Hi Jane,
I appreciate you sharing that! You are SO right… It’s a free site, just sign up and you’re done. I don’t build relationships with people just based on their photo but I prefer seeing who I’m communicating with. I think it’s extremely important if you are a blogger.
Thanks again for sharing your opinion on this topic as well Jane. I’m so happy to hear that the majority of my blogging friends feel the same way. Now, enjoy your day!
Adrienne
Great post!
Seriously though, I’m getting a lot more posts these days that are actually appropriate and relevant, and they actually have a blog, but their latest post (I use CommentLuv too) is something kinda spammy, or at least majorly keyword heavy. I suppose that comes with the territory, but it’s still annoying. And it does create a dilemma.
So far I’ve been allowing them if they are actually relevant and have any kind of redeeming value, but I’m thinking I may have to raise the bar too.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 10:45 AM
Hey Scott,
Thanks for sharing that with me. That’s kind of where I’ve gotten to myself. I love helping people and I love sharing their content if it’s relevant and if they are truly here for the right reasons. I’ve gotten some really good comments but they usually are linking to some really crappy site that I would be embarrassed to be connected to myself. I have to think to myself, what were they thinking. Should I or shouldn’t I approve this one.
When certain links coming to your place can hurt you more than help you, that’s when you have to put your foot down and do what’s best for you. I applaud everyone who gets to that place. You’ve made it my friend.
Thank you Scott and I hope you enjoy your day!
Adrienne
Twitter: mitch_m
September 16, 2011 at 12:10 AM
Heck, you know I agree with you, and we’ve discussed some of these same things. However, I’m still giving people a break on the avatar thing, as well as linking to a website. I figure it’s more about the comments, and if I think the comments are weak, I remove them. If the comment is good then I’m okay, for now, with the other stuff.
Of course, it seems tonight that CommentLuv hates me on every blog I visit; sigh…
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 10:59 AM
Absolutely Mitch! I prefer people using their face in their avatars but like I did say in the post, I know some people are new and they just aren’t there yet. If I’ve met them on some other site and we’ve chatted before and like you said, they leave a good comment, I’ll approve it and let them through. But let’s face it, the majority of them aren’t like that. We know what the majority of them are here to do! But you do have a good point and I can see your point of view.
Oh no!!! You poor thing.. Okay guys, follow Mitch’s name over to his place. Trust me, you won’t be sorry!
Have a good one Mitch!
Hi, Adrienne. Just stopped by to read your post.
I commend you for being upfront about how you’ll handle comments from now on. With a thriving blog, I can only imagine the number of posts you have to weed through each day. Not to mention, double-checking the comments that Askimet sends to the spam folder! And yet, you continue to do a fantastic job supporting all of us.
Sorry about my avatar. I know it’s not my photo. I’ve read a lot of posts that mention that avatars should include a photo rather than a logo or something abstract. I’m kinda hooked to my avatar…hope that’s okay. This is one of my favorite blogs and I would love to continue to comment here. I’ve met many wonderful bloggers through you, and of course, learned a lot too.
I like leaving a return comment when someone comments on my blog. However, sometimes, like you, I just don’t get the topic they’re writing about or their comment leads to a product. It’s hard to know where to draw the line. Your post just helped me with that. Thanks, Adrienne!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 10:56 AM
Hi Allyson,
Thank you and I appreciate you saying that. Luckily, I don’t get too many that land in spam these days but that doesn’t mean that’s not what they are.
I knew you would be one of those concerned. I’m glad you like your avatar but girl, we want to see that beautiful face of yours. Once I got a look at you over at Christian’s place I can’t believe you don’t have that smiling face of yours up. I’m really glad that you love your logo but if the majority of people are telling you that you should have your face up there, they are telling you that for a reason. People connect with people Allyson, they don’t connect with logos. We feel so much more comfortable approving comments when your photo is there because you are telling us that you are genuine and you are putting yourself out there. Whether you choose to change it or not is up to you but I will never turn you away. I love your blog too and I learn so much from you but I know you can do even better were you to make that one change. Just think about it okay!
I’m glad this post helped you figure out about some of those comments being left over at your place. The majority of us are here to make some money so building relationships with people is the best way to do that. Having a blog is very important so if they are only going to link to a product site that they are promoting, they aren’t on your blog for the right reasons. I’m not saying that they aren’t a good person, but they certainly aren’t there to build a relationship with you. You have every right to not even approve those comments.
Glad you stopped by today and don’t worry, I’ll never turn you away. But I do hope you’ll reconsider and let us all look at that smiling face of yours.
Have a great day!
Adrienne
That’s fantastic that you don’t get lots of “obvious” spam nowadays, Adrienne!
Bless your heart, you know me so well. I was a little concerned when I read the post. I definitely support you on your decision though. It’s a good decision. You’re letting people know what to expect, so they won’t be surprised if their comments aren’t approved.
I know you’re absolutely right about my avatar and I should change it. Maybe I will. I’m still debating that in my mind. You’re right, people do connect with “people” more than faces. I really, really “do” appreciate your advice.
Thanks as well for the advice about approving comments. Not that I receive a lot of comments (that aren’t spam), but it’s something I’ve struggled with for some time. Thanks for that and thanks for allowing me to comment!
I appreciate you, my friend.
Hope you have a fantastic weekend!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 17, 2011 at 8:02 PM
Hey Allyson,
I was hoping you wouldn’t be upset but I do hope you’ll reconsider changing your gravatar but that’s totally up to you. People do connect with people, that’s definitely right and when they see that smiling face of yours, they will be connecting with you even more. But, if you don’t you are welcome here any time.
You will over time receive more and more comments because you share so much wonderful information over at your place. I have learned a lot from you so I’m so glad we have connected.
I appreciate you as well and hope you are enjoying your weekend. You take care and I’ll see you again very soon.
Adrienne
Thank you so much, Adrienne! I was just a little nervous, but not upset at all. You’re indeed “very kind” … one of the most helpful and sincere people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing online. Hope you have a wonderful day!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 20, 2011 at 12:08 PM
Thank you for saying that Allyson, I’m very touched. You are welcome here any day young lady!
Oops… I meant people do connect more with people than with logos.
Twitter: RyanBiddulph
September 16, 2011 at 1:44 AM
Hi Adrienne,
Good strategy here, it makes perfect sense.
Comments are meant to add value to your post. Comments which don’t add value don’t belong. I delete spam comments immediately. Sometimes, I get the sense someone is new to leaving comments, so I might let a “nice post” comment slide, but this usually doesn’t happen.
Thanks for sharing your insight!
RB
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 11:01 AM
Hey Ryan,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic. I 100% agree with you on everything you said. Spam comments, out the door immediately. But those who may be new, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. I’m also one that will email them and let them know. In the nicest way possible that is. I want them to succeed and they just might not know any better right!
I appreciate you stopping by and adding your thoughts on this. Hope you have a great day Ryan!
Adrienne
Twitter: thejackb
September 16, 2011 at 3:06 AM
Hi Adrienne. Sometimes when people show up for the sole purpose of link juice I adjust the URL in their link or edit their comment.. Every now and then they’ll come back and complain about it.
It is juvenile, but it makes me laugh- especially when they have the nerve to come back and tell me that I am not allowed to edit their comment or URL. If they leave a reasonable comment that advances the conversation I’ll usually let their link juicing go, but if they don’t…
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 11:05 AM
Hey Jack,
I’ve done the same thing when I think the comment is relevant but I don’t like their links. At first I felt bad about it but I got over that quick.
They have really come back and complained about the URL? I haven’t gotten any of those yet but I have a feeling maybe after they read this post that I’m going to get more now. Such is life right!
Hope you’re enjoying your day Jack. Make it a good one and enjoy your weekend. Hope you guys are totally unpacked now!
Twitter: wonderoftech
September 16, 2011 at 6:01 AM
Your playground your rules. If anyone doesn’t like them, well they can find another playground.
I struggle with this and tend to err on the side of letting comments through. I will delete some if it’s obvious that the comment is spam or ugly promotion. If I’m not sure then I will either remove the link or email the commenter to see if they used a legitimate email address.
Your rules about the avatars wouldn’t work at my blog, but that’s okay. I have app developers who like to use their app logos as their gravatar and I have no problem with that. But I have a very different playground.
My goal is to let my readers know about great tech. Developers who comment using their logo helps with that goal, in my mind.
Thanks for a great article helping others to understand this very complex topic! I hope you have a truly awesome weekend!
Twitter: bdorman264
September 16, 2011 at 7:44 AM
I’m just going to take my ball and go home……
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 11:21 AM
Fine, be that way!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 11:10 AM
Absolutely Carolyn… If you don’t want to follow the rules over at my house then you can go someplace else.
I think we have all done that which is why I’ve been thinking about this for while. I’ve done the same as well because I don’t want those spammy links hurting my blog in the eyes of the search engines. I just decided that I was going to openly let people know why they won’t see their comment over here any longer. Follow the rules or you just can’t come over and play anymore.
You do have a different audience over at your place so since it’s more techie, I can see that my particular rules wouldn’t necessarily apply.
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this topic. I love your blog and I learn so much from you. You are the Tech Queen and a winner in my eyes. Now enjoy your weekend. I most definitely will!
Twitter: bdorman264
September 16, 2011 at 7:43 AM
Well, you might have to give me a ‘hall pass’ about getting off topic because I’m apt to start talking about myself and it might not have anything whatsoever to do with your post; but it’s all about me anyway, right?
When I saw your headline I thought it might have something to do with the triberr incident and civility. That was a real shock to me but I guess I shouldn’t be so naive, not everyone is going to place ‘nice’ in here.
If you are looking for a formal commenting policy; I know @AdamPatorek at http://intensefence.com/ spent some time crafting a good one.
I’ll try to clean up my Avatar and stay on topic ma’am; it’s ok not to wear shoes though, right?
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 11:18 AM
LOL!!! Most definitely Bill, most definitely. Talk away my friend, I love it when you share more about you.
To be honest with you, I think what set him off and why he picked on me is because he came over here and commented on a post and it had absolutely nothing to do with the post so I didn’t approve his comment. Of course he didn’t mention that in his post, only that I didn’t follow him but I really think that’s what set him off. He may have been a new tribe member, but spam is spam and you don’t get a hall pass because you’re in my tribe.
Thanks for sharing that Bill. I was really searching for one and how I should go about approaching this topic. I didn’t really find anything so I had to just got with what I get upset about. I’ll read Adam’s post.
Yeah, would you do something with that avatar! I mean really!!! I do like this one a little better than your other one. Your other one was much more posed and this one you look more natural. You done good my friend!!!
Now, enjoy your day and have a fun weekend. I know I will!
Twitter: wonderoftech
September 16, 2011 at 11:27 AM
Bill, I think you should get a new avatar showing you in a housecoat with ratty slippers and a baseball bat. I’m just sayin’…
Twitter: bdorman264
September 16, 2011 at 11:32 AM
I sit on the front porch and scream at my neighbors if they try to walk across my yard…………
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 11:38 AM
Yeah, I can picture that now… As you tell them to come up the drive with your ice chest full of beer!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 11:39 AM
Ah Carolyn, I’m loving that! Yeah Bill, I dare you! LOL!!!
Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve last commented on your site Adrienne. Sorry to hear about all the spammers you’ve received. I feel like it’s definitely one of the drawbacks of a growing and more popular blog though.
Is it annoying? Yes. But at least it’s a sign that you’re going in the right direction!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 11:12 AM
Hey Paul,
Great to see you again and thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts on this post.
I’m thrilled that my blog has gotten more popular, I truly do love that. But with everything comes not so great things as well. I just hope this post will help with some of that so I guess we’ll see.
Thanks for your comment and I’ll stop by your place a little later.
Adrienne
Twitter: JymTarrant
September 16, 2011 at 8:02 AM
Wow – Adrienne. This is the best rendition of these sensible limits and their reasoning I’ve seen so far.
been meaning to put such guidelines in place myself but haven’t gotten around to it. Yet.
Manual spam is a real waste of genuine bloggers time, and 99% of the time, it smells and can be spotted a mile off. A solid commenting policy like this one will help I’m sure…!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 11:24 AM
Thanks Jym, I appreciate you saying that!
I couldn’t really find any “policies” others had written so I just did what I don’t like over here. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it if you are new and I’m here to help but my preference is to see your smiling face on your avatar, link to your blog and leave a genuine comment on my posts. I’ll do the same and they have NO idea how beneficial that will be for them in the long run right!
Appreciate you sharing that with me. Hope you’re having a wonderful day!
Twitter: radu_dascalul
September 16, 2011 at 8:07 AM
Hi Adrienne,
Great reminder here for every marketer,blogger, networker etc. Having your face up when you comment it’s elementary. If more and more people will implement these rules on their blogs, as you did, the “dog face” phenomenon will cease. It’s like meeting you in person, with a bag on my head
Comments provide an excellent opportunity to build a relationship with somebody online.. why eliminate it by spamming with products links and all kind of stuff.
As you noted above.. there is no excuse. Especially with this tutorial on how to leave compelling comments
Thanks for sharing your new rules with us.
Wish you a great day,
Radu
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 11:34 AM
Hi Radu,
I appreciate you saying that and you are so right. It’s like walking up to someone, sharing your thoughts on a topic with a bag over your head.
To me, if you are commenting on a blog then you should be sharing content that we can review and do the same. If you are sharing links to your product or some site where we can’t share our thoughts, then you aren’t really here for the right reason. That’s just my opinion at least. Do some paid advertising or other traffic methods. Bloggers will eventually get tired of you and no longer approve any comments.
Appreciate you stopping by and sharing your thoughts Radu. I really appreciate that. Have a great day!
Adrienne
I’ve had about 17,000 comments on blog and I average something like 50 per day. In all that time, I have deleted exactly three that were inappropriate and perhaps one a month that is overtly spammy. Of course the Akisment spam filter catches a ton, but as far me manually doing work — just doesn’t happen. Can’t explain why my audience and experience is so different that yours!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 11:45 AM
Hey Mark,
Wow, now that’s one popular blog. This post is the first one where I’ve received nasty comments. I guess when I stated how I was going to allow them from this moment on, I had a few people not very happy with me but they’ve never commented over here before so I have no idea why they chose today to vent.
I don’t have the Akisment plug-in any longer because it was collecting so much spam but also throwing my regular commenters comments in there with them. I got tired of going through them to fish them out because I certainly didn’t want to delete those. I use GASP for my spam and it’s really cut down a lot but am now starting to see more that are here just for the link juice and not to leave a genuine comment. I have no idea why this sort of thing happens over here but not at yours. You are very fortunate Mark. Very fortunate in deed..
Twitter: plrnetmarketing
September 16, 2011 at 12:14 PM
I guess I didn’t find the “rules” too strict as I can relate, and get so many “great post” or other generic types that are frustrating since they take several minutes each day to go through and delete. As the internet keeps expanding they’ll get more and more numerous I’m sure, but I’m hoping the technology improves to the point where it won’t be such a problem any more.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 1:55 PM
Glad to hear that Warren!
I know that some people hire others to comment in order to get links back to their site so for those types of people, we are always going to have to deal with that. But I think if we put some rules in place they won’t be retuning thinking they can get some link juice from our sites. At least I hope that will be the case.
Thanks for stopping by, always appreciate seeing you.
Adrienne
Twitter: start_networkin
September 16, 2011 at 12:34 PM
I second that rant!
“I want to connect with other bloggers so if you are really serious about this industry, get a blog.” You and me both. Get with it, or get out! lol.
Like, wouldn’t people learn after a while – ‘hmm, maybe I should get a picture, maybe I should link to my own site, maybe I shouldn’t be a spammer…”
Two reasons: 1) They should eventually realize that ‘hmm, nobody is going to click on me, my comments are dumb, I have no picture, I’m not personal…ect’
2) ‘Even if they DO click me, they aren’t going to buy or sign up for anything because I tricked them, I am faceless, my page looks spammy, I’m dumb…”
Jeez, I tell ya, I don’t know when THEIR ”aha” moment will come, but I sure hope it comes soon
.
Thanks for ranting!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 1:58 PM
Hey Brock,
Glad to hear that my friend! You’ve said things I have been thinking myself. For those that don’t know any better, here is your lesson. For those that do, here’s your invitation to leave. Enough said!
Thanks Brock, loved that one my friend. Hope you’re enjoying your day! We’re done ranting!
Twitter: xxFlavorDesigns
September 16, 2011 at 1:09 PM
Hi Adrienne,
hahaha, you make me laugh! Your post was highly entertaining to me because you are so right and I feel the same way. I mean, we all get those spam comments “great post, keep up the good work, it saved much time” and they really are spam. I think I deleted several real people who commented something similar.
Don’t really need those kind of comments!
I think my Mom is one of the very few people whom I tolerate without a picture, but she’s my favorite commenter (if she decides to leave a comment, rarely happens but it does!).
Franziska San Pedro
The Abstract Impressionist Artress
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 2:02 PM
Hey Franziska,
I think we get to a point where enough is enough. I consider myself a very nice person but when I see others trying to take advantage of that, I tend to get a little upset. It’s been nice to hear that I’m no alone in this thinking.
Ah your Mom has commented on your blog before! I can only get mine to look at it but not actually read any of the posts. She says she doesn’t understand what she’s reading so why bother. I can see her point on the majority of my posts.
I have a few I let slip by but now they know so hopefully they’ll start changing a few things. I sure hope so.
Twitter: xxFlavorDesigns
September 16, 2011 at 2:11 PM
Setting boundaries here, that’s good. They’ve been warned!
You are totally right, we often get so much spam on our blog as well just so people can get backlinks to their own. I think it’s good that you’re informing people how to sign up and get a proper gravaitar and I really look forward to reading some more of your articles.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2011 at 5:09 PM
Glad that you agree Joseph, I know that not everyone agrees with my rules. But that’s okay by me. For those who we already have a relationship, things will continue to go smoothly. For those that we don’t, well we shall see.
Glad to hear you enjoy my posts and will be back for more. See you again soon and hope you are enjoying your day!
Adrienne
Hey Adrienne,
I think it’s brilliant that your are laying down the rules with regards to blog comments, as I totally understand the last thing you or anyone would wish for, is to be wasting time reading/deleting spam comments when one could be spending that time on helping and building relationships with others who take action and want to achieve success online.
I also like how you added value to your blog post as well, by showing how readers how and what they should actually be doing instead, and how to get their own gravatar as well.
Keep up the great work, and I look forward to seeing your future blogs posts.
Best wishes
Nigel
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 17, 2011 at 7:59 PM
Hi Nigel,
Wonderful to see you, thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts on this post.
I have found that as I try to decide whether a comment is worth sending through or not, I’m not going to worry myself about it anymore. If I have a little bit of doubt, I’ll delete it and move on. Sure, I love seeing lots of comments but I much prefer building relationships and helping others much more.
That’s what I enjoy the most Nigel, helping people learn. If I can help just one person understand how this all works, the post was so worth it. I appreciate your comment and it’s really great to see you. Hope all is well with you these days.
Take care,
Adrienne.
Twitter: berget
September 17, 2011 at 11:03 AM
Hi Adrienne,
I’m finally back, although I would rather stay in Italy a while longer (even though I couldn’t find WiFi anywhere).
I totally agree with you points. It’s so much more interesting to talk to people who are at your site to actually engage in what you’ve written about (except Bill, he gets away with talking about anything LOL). And with no other intentions than support and helping out.
I don’t have any rules to commenting, other than that I delete the obvious spam comments. Many of the comments on my blog are short comments that are on the border to spam, comments saying “great post and I’ve subscribed to your feed and I love your blog”. But that’s ok. I allow them, but I probably won’t visit their blogs and comment
Jens
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 17, 2011 at 8:08 PM
Hey Jens, welcome home! I bet you did want to stay in Italy! Oh no, no WiFi connection anywhere! How did you survive? Well, I hope that meant just more site seeing with the family. Did you take lots of photos?
You are right, I do enjoying interacting with people who are sharing their thoughts on a topic I’ve written about. I learn so much from my blog commenters. Accept Bill, you’re right about him. What are we going to do with Bill. But, everyone needs a Bill on their blog, he keeps us on our toes! We love you Bill!!!
I didn’t have any rules either Jens but thought it was time. Oh, you’ll probably have to think about that soon. Your blog is getting more and more popular. People can really learn from you about marketing and those headlines. They get me every time.
Thanks for stopping by and welcome home! Hope you are enjoying your weekend and recuperating!
See you soon.
Twitter: jaynekopp
September 17, 2011 at 11:25 AM
Hey Adrienne, I cant agree with you more about the Gravatar… or lack theirof!
Drives m e crazy, with that said, there are a few things about commentators that drive me nuts. Not the legitimate ones of course, but the ones who say things like:
“It is with great honor that I meet your esteemed acquaintance and I know your post will do me well” LOL then you get sent to some Viagra site or worse!
I think these suggestions are excellent, particularly when it comes to simply getting a gravatar. I am not keen on logos, cartoons or really anything except a photo.
I don’t like to feel I can’t see the face of my visitor. Those who hide it behind a hand drawn picture or logo to me seem as though they have something to hide.
You sure come up with some great ideas… some we all think about but don’t get pen to paper in time!!
Hows things anyway Adrienne? I need to get refocused again. You seem to have taken some good leaps lately!
Best
Jayne
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 17, 2011 at 8:25 PM
Hi Jayne,
LOL!!! Oh Jayne, I can SO relate… I’m thinking, who are these people? And then they send you to some horrible website. Are you kidding me!
What bothers me the most about the no face on the gravatars is that the majority of them are spammers trying to slip through. Some are new and they don’t know any better and I don’t mind sharing with them how to set theirs up. It also bothers me if I head over to their site and even if they do have an about me page, which most of them are only company related, there is still no photo of that person. It’s like they don’t want us to know who they are. Those are the ones I have the most problems with.
I’m sure there are more ideas that I should have thought of but those were the ones that instantly came to my mind and I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. So if you decide to implement something like this yourself, here are the ideas all ready for you.
Things are great Jayne! Are the kids headed back to school now? I’m sure that you had a really enjoyable summer being able to take off and just go spend some time with them. But, ready to dive back in now. I’ll look forward to seeing what you’ll be sharing next. I love your blog!
Thanks Jayne and I appreciate you visiting. Hope your weekend has been a good one and you are looking forward to a very productive week.
Adrienne
Twitter: janetcallaway
September 17, 2011 at 8:45 PM
Adrienne, aloha. To use one of our favorite phrases “Great Post!”
Like you, I use GASP which makes a big difference. What I have noticed is that most any time there are brief comments or Great Post! comments they go into the filter. It doesn’t take long to delete because you can certainly tell at a glance whether or not they are real.
In terms of avatars, my position is not as strong as yours; here’s why. A number of people I interact with on twitter, only use company logos or cartoon type images. While I prefer to respond back to faces, it’s their choice. Also, I have a fair number of people from twitter who comment on my blog and who do not have blogs of their own. Because of that, they have not set up a Gravatar. There is no way I would deny their comments.
Like you, Adrienne, I have spent a lot of time commenting on other blogs. If I can’t say anything decent after looking through several posts, I leave without a comment. What a person says in a comment is a reflection of them. Since the people from those blogs likewise seem to be unable to leave a semi-intelligent comment on mine,it all evens out.
While it used to bother me to delete comments, I can now do it quite easily. To me, Adrienne, if you approve all that “junk” into your comments section, you are detracting from your blog. There are some successful bloggers we know that do, in my opinion, let “junk” through of the nature that Jayne is describing. When I see that, I always think “what on earth are they thinking?”
Plus, it does irritate me to have to scroll a long way down through junk as opposed to meat like you are serving up here. HUGE difference. Junk is a waste of my time; I far prefer tasty tidbits!
Great topic! Great post! Great lady!
Best wishes for a Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Sunday. Until next week, aloha. Janet
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 18, 2011 at 5:20 PM
LOL!!! Ah thanks Janet! But with you, I get SO MUCH MORE!!! Not just a “great post” and you’re off to another blog.
Since having the GASP plug-in, none of my comments go into the spam filter. So I end up having to go through them ALL but luckily, there aren’t tons of them like there have been in the past. When I first started using it I didn’t get any spam for months. But it’s slowly coming back now.
I can understand what you are saying about the avatars and like I did mention, if I’ve connected with them on another social media site and we’ve started building that relationship, I won’t deny them when it comes to commenting. I’m strictly doing this for the lazy people, the spammers or the affiliate marketers who are only after link juice. I think by my stating this though, I’m trying to cut down on there being any question as to why your comment didn’t get approved.
I have had a few people upset with me because they did come to my blog and comment yet I didn’t return the favor. To be honest with you, I had a hard time with the topic of their blog so after going through a few of their posts and not being able to find one that I could even relate to, I’m just not going to comment. Like you, if I can’t say something worth while I would rather say nothing at all. Nothing against those people at all, I just can’t relate to what they are sharing.
I have visited a few popular blogs lately myself Janet and after scrolling through the comments, realized that the majority of them were spammy. I was really surprised that they were even allowing them and confused at the same time.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this topic. As always, I appreciate hearing what you have to say! Glad you approved of the majority of it.
The last four days have been wonderful. Have spent them with my Mom so have not been on a lot this weekend. Guess I have some catching up to do now! Hope your Sunday has been awesome as well and you’re looking forward to a wonderful week ahead. I sure know I am…
Twitter: janetcallaway
September 18, 2011 at 5:30 PM
Adrienne, aloha. The only thing I can think on those bloggers letting the spammy comments through, is they must think it shows a larger number of comments. When I scroll through and see them, I mentally discard them.
Because of (1) not being able to comment on a topic or (2) receiving “spammy” comments in exchange, is the reason I decided to leave the group. Adrienne, I decided to invest that same amount of time commenting on blogs that I liked where I could get to know the people and build a relationship. With the other, I did not feel a relationship would ever build.
So, how was your mom’s reunion? Though the blogosphere was quiet without you, how nice that you took a break. Until later, my friend, aloha. Janet
P.S. Did you see the terrific post Yomar did today on Triberr? I really liked what he had to say.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 18, 2011 at 5:41 PM
I’ve been told to let them through because it would make my comment count look even higher Janet but I told them no way. I think my comment count continues to rise because I am being genuine and you won’t find a lot of junk over here. I went through my learning stages as well in the beginning so I’m not saying they aren’t here. As I continued to learn, I continued to do better. Quality is better then quantity any day of the week when it comes to commenting.
I definitely enjoy adding to the conversations on blogs that I feel I want to really get to know the person behind the blog. I’ve met so many wonderful people up to now, I certainly don’t want to waste my time on blogs where I can’t even relate to what they are sharing.
My Mom had a wonderful time. There were only 12 people that showed. Her class in dwindling in size but there have been about 15 they’ve never been able to locate since graduating from high school. I’ve been taking her these last three times so they welcome me with open arms. I sat in another room and let her visit for the first couple of hours but I did have lunch with them all. They are a delightful crew. Today I had to help her with some things around the house. She usually has a job or two for me while I’m there. That’s okay, I’m happy to be able to help her with these things.
I just now got online because I just got home so I haven’t been blog hopping since Friday. I have some things to do this evening so probably won’t get to Yomar’s post until tomorrow. I have a feeling it’s a good one though so will be anxious to see what he shared.
Thanks Janet and enjoy your evening. I know I’ll get there way before you so enjoy the rest of your day!
Twitter: LogAllot
September 18, 2011 at 12:50 PM
I loved how you pointed out the obvious with some people. You should see my spam filter and now I know why I use Akismet. You’re right about new bloggers not knowing any better, and eventually they will learn. To me it’s about blog etiquette and adding value instead of “fluff”.
You still will get a select few that know better and no matter what you say they will do whatever it takes to comment on blogs just for the sake of doing it. To me that’s lame and I can smell “smoking mirrors” a mile away. Good post girl and I love how you made it easy for people to register for Gravatar. Hasn’t anyone not heard of this?
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 18, 2011 at 5:29 PM
Hi Sonia,
Thank you for sharing this with me. Like I had mentioned, I’ve been thinking about this for while now and sometimes I have a problem myself with moving in a certain direction. When I first started out I told myself I would never to this or I would never do that. I was new and I didn’t understand so now that I am at that place, I get it! There comes a time when you have to put your foot down because I’m here for quality, not quantity. Oh don’t get me wrong, the more the merrier but only if you are here for the right reasons.
You are also so right Sonia about some people knowing better but doing it anyway. They just don’t care which is why they do their best to “try” and make a short but sweet comment that sort of makes sense just so it can pass inspection. That is why I’ll continue to leave my commenting feature on so that the first few times they stop by, I have to approve their comment. I prefer stopping them in their tracks right from the start.
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I’m happy to hear that most agree with me on putting these rules into play now. I just hope that for new visitors just stopping by, they will respect my decision for putting these into play as well.
Hope you’ve enjoyed your weekend! Now, have a great week too!
Twitter: AnaTrafficCafe
September 18, 2011 at 6:12 PM
Great rules, Adrienne – it still amazes me how many bloggers simply don’t know what an avatar is and how to get one.
Ana
PS Wanted to make sure you saw your blog on my new CommentLuv enabled blog list.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 18, 2011 at 10:50 PM
Thank you Ana, I think it’s about time. I am still surprised about the avatars as well, especially since it’s so easy to do.
You updated your list? Thank you SO much for including me, I really appreciate that. I’ve been meaning to put together a post like that but as you very well know, it’s SO time consuming. So thank you for including me and for doing all the work for us. It’s very much appreciated!
Adrienne
It was about time for some rules, every blog should have them.
And Adrienne, you don’t need to comment on everyone’s blog, even though i know this is a method a lot of people use to keep the comments flowing. I’m amazed you lasted nine month like this, i can only imagine the time you had to spend replying to everyone.
It’s only normal to leave comments just on articles you’re interested in.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 18, 2011 at 10:55 PM
I think once you reach a certain point then it’s time to lay down some rules. I appreciate that you mentioned it’s not necessary for me to comment on every single blog. I’ve done very well up to this point so yes, nine months I’ve done my best to return the favor and comment on others blogs as well. But I’m just not able to keep up the pace as much now but hope to continue to do the best I can.
I appreciate your comment so thank you for sharing that with me. Enjoy your week!
Twitter: adamsokoloff
September 18, 2011 at 10:48 PM
Adrienne, you would be in my top 5 of thoughtful blog commenters. This needed to be said, and you did an outstanding job of laying this out for the bottom feeders out there.
I can only imagine how much of this spam you are seeing, and how much time it takes to manage it, let alone have time to engage like you do.
Cheers for putting this out there my friend! -Adam
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 18, 2011 at 11:08 PM
Why thank you Adam, I appreciate you saying that! I’m also very happy to hear that there are other people you come in contact with who are also very thoughtful in their comments. I love hearing that!
The spam is slowly but surely creeping in and I take way too much time trying to decide what is the right thing and the wrong thing to do. It’s time for me to just make a snap decision and run with it. No beating myself up anymore and no more feeling guilty about it either. Onward ho as they say!
Thank you for sharing that with me. Glad you approve!
You have a wonderful week and I’ll see you soon.
Adrienne
Adrienne hi, maybe I was a visitor of your blog.
all the points that you convey terrific and I understand this condition. I also have implemented a rule like that in my blog to create a healthy comment. I myself hate spam for that I make clear rules to reduce spam. thank for sharing.
greetings from Indonesia.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 18, 2011 at 10:57 PM
Hi Velli,
Thank you for your comment and for sharing with me that you have also implemented some rules over at your place too. I think there comes a time when most people will need to do that.
Spam is never fun but just a part of blogging. I hope yours has been cut down a lot.
Hope you are enjoying life over in Indonesia! Thanks again.
Adrienne I can’t find a better word to describe what you’ve been doing the last 9 months than simply INSPIRING.
You give 10 times the value of what you expect to receive. We all know that not every blogger will stick around. Some fall off the wagon and it’s sad to see people give up. But you seem to focus on the positives in people, trying to build a relationship regardless, even if that blogger may disappear the next month.
You have earned to ease up on the gas pedal a bit. Time to set some rules.
Enjoy the fruits of your hard labor.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 19, 2011 at 9:45 AM
Thank you for saying that Allan, that means a lot!
I think we all start out trying to do our best and just keep our fingers crossed that not only will we be able to make a small difference, but also help some people along the way. From there it will lead into building a business for ourselves and the rest is history. But you are right, a lot of people give up way too soon and miss out on the end results.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and I will definitely have a big smile on my face the rest of the day!
Twitter: smartboydesigns
September 19, 2011 at 9:48 AM
My thoughts and drawn back to when I first started blogging. I would let just about ANYTHING slip by my radar. I didn’t really know what was a fake comment, and what wasn’t – I was just happy for some activity. I still even have some old comments from 2008 that I laugh at on old blog posts, because they’re certainly spam.
Fast forward to today – and I’m pretty zealous about ridding myself of spam comments. If if it’s not real, I get rid of the comment. Plain and simple. And if there’s a link placed in the comment (and not natural) then the comment is most certainly deleted.
I think being strict preserves the value you’ve placed on your posts and comments.
Love ya,
Christian
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 19, 2011 at 10:31 AM
Me too Christian, I was just happy people were showing up. Little did I know that that was mostly spam. I’m glad we are both able to laugh at ourselves now.
I still feel guilty when the comment seems very genuine yet they are linking to their product page or even blog that promotes only affiliate products or some health related website. That right there is a dead giveaway but from now on I’m not going to feel bad about deleting them. I can’t!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. It helps to know how other treat their comments as well.
Now, have a great week my friend.
Adrienne
Twitter: smartboydesigns
September 19, 2011 at 2:01 PM
You really can’t. Although the person might “seem” genuine, they’ve done so in order to share their link. It’s easy to delete when you realize they were just using you. lol hahahaha
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 19, 2011 at 4:17 PM
I know, I know!!! But you know me, I’m too nice. But guess what Christian! Not any more!
Twitter: IanIebablog
September 19, 2011 at 10:22 AM
Hi Adrienne
Hows things with you? Finally I can get back to blog hopping after a nightmare week where my blog went down and I could’nt even access my Admin Dashboard! I am glad to say all is ok now but it was terrifying at the time as I thought I had lost my blog!
I must admit Adrienne I have been amazed at how many spamming comments I recieve on a daily basis and I have now started to check out the IP addresses of commentors as I am now more security conscious about my blog with recent events, spamming and links where part of the problem!
I have uploaded some new security plugins namely, “WordPress Firewall” “WordPress File Monitor” and Limit Login Attempts” which was kindly advised by Jacinta Dean who was a great help with my recent problem.
What annoyes me more than anything is the “one liners” and they cant even be bothered to include their name! As you rightly say blogging is about building relationships, and you cant build a relationship when its clearly evident that the commentor has not even bothered to read your post, but then to add insult to injury there is no name so even if you wanted to reply you dont know who to address your comment too!
I use to have auotmatic approval set up for comments but I have now changed that and all comments are moderated now and if I think its spam or I feel as though they havent read my post they go straight to Trash! A bit harsh .. maybe but when I receive comments like this I dont think so …
” Read your post and I think is great, please can you return the favour” and then it takes me to a static page on “How to make $10,000 a month” sign up here! … Yeh right!
As always Adrienne another excellent post, I love your blog Adrienne I learn something new each time I visit and I always go away with a huge smile on my face. Thank you for sharing and being you ….
Take care, catch up soon
Ian
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 19, 2011 at 10:44 AM
Oh no Ian, that’s horrible. Sounds like both you and Barry had a bad week last week with problems online! I’m so happy to hear that nothing was lost. That would have been a nightmare.
That’s another thing I learned. In the beginning I really didn’t know any better and I let a lot of spam through. As time wore on and I upgraded my plug-in to GASP, the spam immediately just stopped. But it started coming back slowly and the most obvious I would delete with no problem. It was the ones that seemed genuine yet like you said, didn’t have a name and linked to their static website promoting their product. Or they had an affiliate blog about how to be a medical assistant or buy the latest and greatest new microwave. Seriously! But the comments were genuine so they are either pretty new and don’t know any better or they are pretty slick and know I’m a sucker for people being genuine. Who knows but I’m not doing it anymore either. Those links will hurt you more than help you.
I’m glad Jacinta was able to help you with those plug-ins and you are now set up to handle this from this point forward. I don’t have automatic approval either and although a lot of people think I should change it because people want instant gratification, if you are visiting me you just have to respect my wishes. Like I was out of town this past weekend and unable to get online. Had I not had my blog set up this way, I would come back to spammy comments and have to take the time to go through and delete them. I think it’s also not good for new people to come to my site and instantly see those either. That’s my take on this subject.
Glad everything has been taken care of and you are back at it. Glad you liked this post and agree with my new rules. You guys are the ones that matter the most to me so that’s comforting to know.
You have a great week and I’ll see you soon.
Adrienne
Twitter: learn_to_blog
September 19, 2011 at 1:03 PM
Wow, that’s caused a ruckus, Adrienne! 114 comments already, and I’m only 4 days late! I do agree with you, there are more savvy spammers who have to visit your blog to leave a comment as so many of us have the ‘no spammers’ box now, but they have a bland uninteresting comment, copied and pasted and bearing no relation to the post they are commenting on. Good for you for sticking up for us real bloggers! Oh, I am a REAL person, by the way!
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Twitter: learn_to_blog
September 19, 2011 at 1:05 PM
Mean to say, I love Adam’s term ‘bottom feeders’ – simply splendid!
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 19, 2011 at 1:17 PM
I loved that phrase too Mandy!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 19, 2011 at 1:16 PM
Yeah Mandy and I deleted a few comments as well! lol…
These spammers are getting a little more sneaky with trying to get around better plug-ins that are here to block them from ever even appearing. But since some of them are still rather consistent with their efforts, I thought it was time to put it out there for all to see what I will no longer be allowing over here.
Are you a real person Mandy!
Don’t worry about that girl, you are always welcome! Thanks for stopping by….
Twitter: jmd164
September 19, 2011 at 1:59 PM
Hi Adrienne
You tell ‘em girl! Got have the rules and you’ve got some good ones there. Strange, there seems to be quiet a few complaints about spammers of late…. must be the season!
As I said to Dee Ann there, I delete the link if there is no blog connected to the website and as long as their name is there, up till now I have approved the comment. No name though, it’s then bye bye.
Thanks Adrienne, this helps to make better decisions on, shall we say ‘iffy’ comments.
Take Care
Julie
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 19, 2011 at 4:16 PM
Thanks Julie, I do think it was time to set down some rules. I can see why people would complain about spammers. They are a royal pain!
I can see your point but I was having a problem with that because a lot of them were genuine comments. I’ve just let a few slip past me with no name but not anymore. I’m trying to connect with people here so if you are hiding behind something then you need to go someplace else from here on out.
I appreciate your thoughts on this subject. Always good to hear what others are doing as well and their thoughts on this topic.
Adrienne
Twitter: smartboydesigns
September 19, 2011 at 2:03 PM
You know, even if someone has KeywordLuv installed on your blog, I STILL to this day feel somewhat funny/awkward inserting my keywords in the name field. What do you think about this Adrienne? I’ve never really done so. I always just go with the standard “Christian Hollingsworth.”
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 19, 2011 at 4:18 PM
It’s not that I feel funny or awkward putting in keywords but normally I don’t write keyword rich posts so there isn’t a particular keyword I’m going for. The ones on my blog, there are quite a few so I’m with you, I just don’t put them in. But there are those savvy marketers that are doing their thing and it’s helping tremendously.
That’s my take on it at least!
Twitter: twittersuperdaddy2007
September 19, 2011 at 1:37 PM
Hi Adrienne,
After reading this new rules that you have set, will you still delete my comments on your blog? I think I am ok with everything that your have laid down except that fact that my blog is on personal development which may not be your area of interest right? Nevertheless, I do want to succeed online though. Besides, I am learning great things from you about setting up things like autoresponders, Twitters and so on. Hope to remain on your list.
Cheers
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 19, 2011 at 3:48 PM
Hey Jimmy,
Absolutely not, why would I delete your comments? I’m just saying that the people who don’t follow my rules from this point forward, their comments won’t get approved.
I have blogging friends that are heavy into personal development, one I call the Tech Queen and I’m no gadget person but I love learning from her. I also have some serious internet marketers as well as a lot of network marketers that visit. I have one friend who writes about relationships so as long as they all continue to add value in their comments, they will always be welcomed here.
Don’t worry about a thing Jimmy. Unless you decide to become a spammer, we’ve good my friend! Very very good!
Twitter: seonowlocally
September 19, 2011 at 3:02 PM
I think I’ll just stick with real. It’s way too much work to be fake. Do I really need an avatar? I look funny in green.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 19, 2011 at 4:21 PM
I’m with you Morris, it’s too hard to pretend to be something or somebody I’m not. I can’t ever keep up with what I did.
I like your avatar, you and your hat! You did good! No green men over here!
Twitter: janetcallaway
September 19, 2011 at 4:30 PM
Adrienne, aloha. Wanted to share this comment I received today on asking for help. Needless to say, I am deleting the links which he included. Also, I saw that he tweeted that he asking for help so wanted to see what I would do. Charming. This does not have the makings of a long term mutually beneficial relationship.
“I have invented a new way to trim medical marijuana for my wife who has M.S. this product will help people that grow in there home or small apartment, I would not be able to grow here with out the ____________. It keeps me safe at what I do! if you can help me with this project please let me know! I don’t ask for help often, but this is the one time that i will. Thank you for your time.”
This post with its 3 links will be deleted when I go back to my blog; I was saving it to share with you.
Aloha. Janet
P.S. Love the thread on this post; will be back to read in detail what has been written since my comments.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 19, 2011 at 6:50 PM
Oh my word Janet! I’ve had a few of those myself. I outwardly say that I am here to help but some of what they ask is just out of line in my opinion.
Thanks for saving the comment so others can see the shameless way people try to take advantage of commenting. Wow, I haven’t gotten one of these yet but this one will be sticking with me for awhile.
I’ve gotten a lot of input so you’ll enjoy reading what others have shared. Have fun and thanks again!
Twitter: janetcallaway
September 20, 2011 at 1:45 PM
Here’s my contribution for the day on my current post:
“Thanks mam for this awesome post, it is helpful of some sort; keep posting, don’t be tired.”
That Delete button is so light and easy to push!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 20, 2011 at 1:58 PM
LOL!!! Oh my goodness Janet… You should write a post on some of the most ridiculous comments you receive. Share them in your post so hopefully they’ll become too embarrassed to try this on other sites. You could say something like “we KNOW who you are, STOP it NOW!”…
I’m lost for words over here!
Thanks for sharing, that delete button just gets easier and easier to use doesn’t it!
Twitter: janetcallaway
September 20, 2011 at 3:40 PM
Adrienne, aloha. Great idea for a post, however, I want to give all my friends a chance to participate. Therefore, please send me your favorite spam comment from your blog and I will include it. I am going to send a note to blogging friends and ask them to send me theirs. Adrienne, this will be so much fun.
Yep! That Delete button is might easy to push. Until later, aloha. Janet
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 20, 2011 at 4:40 PM
That sounds like fun.
Okay this might be hard since I’ve deleted them all and trust me, my memory isn’t what it use to be. So how much time do we have because I have a feeling I’ll be getting more in? Yours so far have just been hilarious so it will be fun to see if anyone can top yours. The medical marijuana is my favorite I must admit.
Okay, give me a time frame and I’m in!
Twitter: janetcallaway
September 20, 2011 at 5:34 PM
How about until next Wednesday? That way I can post it a week from Thursday.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 20, 2011 at 5:41 PM
I’ll do my best to will spam to come my way!
Will do Janet, I think this one will be a fun read!
Twitter: benny_hsu
September 19, 2011 at 11:20 PM
I’ve noticed I’ve gotten some really short comments too. Not much has been added that wasn’t already said. If I see the Commentluv and it seems like they’re trying to get a link for that post, I’ll remove CL. I doubt they’ll even really know.
then there are comments that just don’t make much sense. I’ve gotten some of those. I’ve had to just delete them.
I get some people who come by w/ no Gravatar but some of them I’ve talked to via email so I know they’re good people. They just are too lazy to update a picture!
I’ve just noticed these types of comments lately. Maybe you and I are growing so we’re getting more comments like this! I guess it comes with the territory. I’m glad you vented and said something about it. You’re totally right!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 20, 2011 at 9:51 AM
It does sound like we are both growing at the same speed here Benny. So with growth comes people heading to popular blogs trying to get link juice. Hey, I can’t blame them really because like me when I first started out, that’s what I was told to do. I was told that the only reason to comment on blogs was to get traffic to my site. I think we both know what the real benefits are though. So I can’t get too mad at them, I’m just saying I’m not going to be approving their comments anymore.
Twitter: blogaks
September 20, 2011 at 4:18 AM
Hi Adrienne,
How are you doing?
Of late since I installed Keywordluv, I am seeing a lot of such comments on my blog. Sometimes they are well intentioned and they leave meaningful comments but then most of the times, they are totally off-topic and I dont know what to do with them . I think they are more of nuisance because we waste time reading and replying to them.
I have seen many blog owners kindly replying to generic comments because they don’t want to be impolite to anyone. However the nuisance grows . If you look at analytics data, then you will find there are keywords “This blog uses Keywordluv………” . I seriously find that they are doing wrong because they are flooding the box. We don’t approve them and they don’t get anything.
I think you have written very comprehensively about this here. I would also need to write something on the same lines.
Thanks for raising this important thing. Have a great day
Ashvini
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 20, 2011 at 10:05 AM
Hey Ashvini,
I am really good and I hope you are the same. Thank you for asking!
Those types of comments are only on your blog for link juice. If they are off topic or don’t make any sense, delete them. You really have to watch which ones you approve because it can end up hurting your blog over time. Google will continue to see junk sites linking to yours and think your information isn’t relevant enough. I know we both want to help people out, but not when we have to pay that price down the road.
I have been deleting comments along the way as well as leaving the comment but deleting both the CommentLuv link as well as their URL. If they have gone out of their way to make a genuine comment but with the intention of getting link juice then I’ll accept the comment but I won’t access their links. I hope by making my rules clear now that this will just cut down more of their commenting. I guess time will tell.
Thanks for stopping by today Ashvini and for sharing my post! You’re the best!
Twitter: barry_wells
September 20, 2011 at 5:03 AM
Hi Adrienne, that makes perfect sense.
As you know I’ve been having loads of issues lately. It started with me hitting my CPU limits so I removed all but 2 plugins and still had issues.
So I removed all my widgets…. and still had issues.
I was then informed that it looked like someone was spamming me via a comment I had approved, so I spent a whole day going through my blog comments and removing all suspect comments and marking them as spam.
I have also now implemented rules and before a comment appears on my blog I have to approve it. I don’t really like this rule as it means friends, like yourself, now have to wait and I think that’s unfair. I may relax this rule later, not sure at moment.
I am also looking into everyone that leaves a comment unless I know them. I now go to IP Look UP and check the IP address along with the domain. I’m amazed at how many Ip’s state one country and the domain another, for example the IP says the Philippines but they have a co.uk domain extension.
I’m also getting a lot that leave comments with no URL but a commentluv link and many of these come from the Philippines as well.
We do need to be a bit savvy of who we give our link love to as the headaches I’ve had this past 10 days was an absolute nightmare.
I will also start to use your rules as well Adrienne, they make perfect sense.
Have a good week Adrienne,
Barry
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 20, 2011 at 10:19 AM
Hi Barry,
I knew you had some major issues over at your place but I just wasn’t sure exactly what they all were. I’m sorry to hear that this all happened due to a comment. Which is why I wanted to point out to others that I know when we get started we are excited that people are just showing up. Heck, we don’t know any better so we approve them all. But over time we start to recognize which ones are spam and which ones aren’t. Those types of comments not only can hurt you with the search engines but you are the perfect example of the serious damage they can do to your blog. I am so sorry you had to deal with all of that but now you can share with others why they should be more careful.
What I have done is someone has to comment on my blog two times before they will automatically be approved. I know people want instant gratification so if they don’t want to wait or they decide not to come back because of that rule then so be it. I want to make sure I catch those spammy comments before they do any damage to my blog. So far, it’s been great! But if that’s what you have to do, I’ll still comment. You can’t chase me away that easily.
I have also just deleted their CommentLuv link as well as their URL but left the comment because it was genuine. These people are really getting pretty sneaky with their comments just to get some link juice. For me, I’ll take the comment but the rest is history. Keep that in mind too, just delete all their links before you approve them. I have a feeling they’ll stop coming around.
Have a great week Barry and I’m so happy you are back!
Adrienne
I guess it’s a good problem to have, Adrienne. It means you’ve arrived
.
Honestly after Akismet’s done with the spam in my comments box, there’s very little left that’s real comments. Also, I do wish more bloggers took the same tactic and commented back on the blogs of people who commented. I don’t think nearly enough people do this.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 20, 2011 at 10:31 AM
Hi Ross,
Welcome to my blog, happy to see you!
I know, I complain on one hand but am just thrilled on the other. It’s a great problem to have Ross, trust me!
I quit using Akismet some time back because I would have hundred’s of spam comments but found that several of my regular bloggers comments were landing in there as well. Talk about time consuming to go through them all just to pull those few out. Now that was a royal pain. So I switched over to GASP which is now included in the CommentLuv premium plug-in as well. That saved me a lot of heartaches Ross.
Locating blogs that are quality and they will comment back on yours are hard to find. I know you’ve checked out my other post “A List Of 165 CommentLuv Enabled Blogs” where Ana has gone through and done all this work for us. Check out some of those blogs and I have a feeling you will start seeing some return comments. But then again, it might be a slow process if a lot of people start visiting these blogs after seeing her list and we have even more comments to go through. Ah, what a horrible problem to have Ross!
Thanks again, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this. Enjoy your day!
Will definitely give GASP a go, I think you might be right about Akismet. I was worried I myself somehow ended up on their blacklists a few months ago after real blog comments weren’t showing up. If it’s included in CL premium, it sounds like a great deal.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 20, 2011 at 12:48 PM
With that plug-in, the actual person has to check the box saying they are human. Those bots that spit out comments will not long make it through. So the people coming to your site are humans, it just helps cut way back on them now.
The new CommentLuv premium plug-in has seven plug-ins combined so that does help with deleting other plug-ins so I have found that really helpful as well. I love that GASP is one of them.
Twitter: http://igorgriffiths.com
September 20, 2011 at 12:06 PM
This is an issue that we as bloggers all face and it sounds like you have come up with a reasonable plan to deal with this issue.
Since adding the ‘your not a spammer ‘ confirmation tick box my spam levels have massively reduced, plus I always manually review those people that are unknown to me.
I check their website for relevancy but if they add a link into the comment then that is a massive red flag. If you want to mention a site be respectful and just add the link in plain text, you put it there to help the conversation not yourself right?
igor Griffiths
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 20, 2011 at 12:22 PM
Hi Igor,
I think more and more people will start having these problems so although I did start doing these already, I wanted others to know why I will start not approving their comments. Some I will give some warning too because I’m going to go on the pretense that they just don’t know any better. But if they do, they just won’t make the cut that’s all!
The GASP plug-in really does cut down on a lot of that spam Igor, you are so right. But now people are taking the time to stop by and doing their best to say something smart. It’s their links that get them into trouble.
Glad you approve of my rules, that’s nice to hear. I appreciate your thoughts and hope you are having a really nice day!
Twitter: IMarketerLinda
September 20, 2011 at 2:41 PM
Love it, love it, love it! I have stopped allowing those comments who don’t know what they are talking about, just want a link back, etc…because it works both ways, as far as I am concerned. Sometimes they may have a blog, I comment and then they don’t approve them…I don’t need them either. Aggravates me and I am happy to see that I am not alone.
So, kudos to you, Adrienne! You have made the right choice here
Linda
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 20, 2011 at 2:46 PM
Thank you Linda, spammy comments can be so time consuming to go through. We all know they are only here for the link juice so if they aren’t interested in building a relationship with me then I’m just going to move on. It’s their loss right!
I appreciate your comment and great to see you. Hope all is well with you!
Hello Adrienne,
I’ve gotten allot of these comments but they go to my spam.
I’ve even gotten sex sites posted to my blog before. Today on
FB some guy or kid was trying to tell me he had pictures of 15 yr
old deleted him fast blocked and reported him.
The ones I find funny that I use to get on social network sites
like yuwie and 6dgr both out of business was Oh your so pretty
your the love of my life. I want to cam with you or please I need
help I won this huge amount of money but need you to help me
by transferring it to your bank. I don’t think so.
The ones that put about loving I had in bold black letters on my profile
Happily married with 8 kids. I would send back to these creeps you didn’t
read my profile and email them with what I wrote above. Only 1 guy had
the nerve to answer me back. I ended up blocking him.
I’ve not check my spam folder on my lately but i guess i need to.
Have a great day Bonnie
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 20, 2011 at 7:57 PM
Hi Bonnie,
Because I have a different plug-in for spammers, a lot of them are showing up in my comment section now. Luckily for me, there aren’t a ton of them. Some are so obvious while others aren’t so much. The links are what really give them away.
That’s so funny, I still get those on Facebook. I mean seriously, do they all cut and paste the same messages? I guess some people fall for all of that but I just delete them as soon as I read the first few words.
I have a good friend that continues to get hassled by guys and she’s been happily married to one of my best friends for 11 years now. People don’t read the profiles at all so for those that don’t, I don’t accept their friendship.
Thanks for sharing this with me. Boy, can I ever relate.
Hope your day has been a good one and you’re looking forward to a great rest of your week. I know I am!
Twitter: kathydobson
September 20, 2011 at 6:11 PM
Hi Adrienne,
Ditto, ditto, ditto…on all counts.
It’s amazing to me that these spammers even waste their time. Wonder if anyone really entertains giving them link juice?
I must tell you that I signed up for your blogging series (Home Business) and I am quite impressed with the amount of free content you give. No wonder your blog is a hot spot and one I find I am attracted back to all the time.
You are a pleasure to watch in your videos as your face lights up the screen.
You’ve joined the ranks of those I am patterning myself after…and there are just a few I consider “great” enough to want to emulate.
And, by the way…after watching through all your outsourcing videos…which were wonderful I’d like to tell you about EasyOutsource.com. This is a community of Filipino freelancers who are looking for work. The guys that put this together actually live in the states…Chicago I think.
At any rate you can hire Filipino’s long term, short term and everything in between. They have a wealth of information there and the best part about it..unlike Onlinejob.ph…is that there is no monthly fee to use the service. Check it out. I’ve have two Filipino outsourcers…one that I’ve had for over a year now and both have come from this site. I haven’t had luck with any other site that concentrated on the Philippines…but this one turned out to be a gold mine.
So, now you’ve inspired me to do a video series on outsourcing and I am going to start with EasyOutsource.com as I know it well. I’ll do a blog post on it this week sometime.
Thanks Adrienne…you’ve been a real find in my blogging world
Kathy
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 20, 2011 at 8:08 PM
Hey Kathy,
I know some people do not really knowing better yet! Hey, we all started somewhere right!
I’m glad you are enjoying my free training site Kathy! It just broke my heart all the people that would call me that were so lost and just needed some help which is what inspired me to put that site together. Sometimes we just need a little help with some basics and then we are good to go. Glad you are finding it helpful and that you enjoy reading my posts.
Oh wow Kathy, thank you so much for saying that. I’m so honored that you think that. I can understand what you are saying though, I have a few people myself that helped me understand that no matter what, stay true to yourself. Gosh, I’m so glad I took their advice and didn’t make this blog a bunch of stiff posts with no personality. That would have been a huge mistake on my part.
At the time I shot those videos there was no site I could find that outsourced Filipino’s without you having to sign up for a monthly fee. I know that they do really great work and have so much attention to detail. I’ll be sure and check that site out and add that to my list since you have used it for awhile now. I appreciate you telling me so thank you.
I can’t wait to see your video and post on this site. I’ll really look forward to that Kathy.
Thank you again for all your very kind words. They really mean so much to me, seriously! I’m so glad my information has been helpful to you and you know that if you ever have any questions about anything, just give me a shout. I’m here to help.
Have a fabulous day tomorrow and enjoy your evening.
Adrienne
Twitter: janetcallaway
September 20, 2011 at 7:09 PM
Adrienne, go back to the early days of your blog and you will likely find some that you let through. That being said, I have faith that over the course of a week, some spam gem will come your way.
Of course, after this post people may be “afraid” to leave you a spam comment.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 20, 2011 at 8:10 PM
I was thinking about that Janet but I’ve got two years of posts now so that’s a lot of posts to go back through. But I’m sure I’ll come up with something. Don’t you worry about that.
I hope your post will definitely scare them off. Do you think they’ll take a hint? That would be just too easy! Instead, let’s just make fun of them.
Twitter: IncomeMC
September 22, 2011 at 1:53 PM
Hi Adrienne,
Must say you’ve made some very fundamental decisions here. I’ve been thinking of something in this line but have kept myself from really implementing them for now. Some time ago I decided to moderate every comment just to ensure that most of those who were coming around for the backlinks were turned away but unfortunately, it affected the other readers who were sincere friends and I had to discontinue it.
About the use of gravatar, do you really mean to delete any comment without an avatar? I have thought of doing this but have to shelve it. I even made a post about it expecting some change but it made no lasting effect
If there is any system you are using to make this work, I will be glad to know it.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 22, 2011 at 2:14 PM
Hi Chadrack,
Great to see you, sorry I haven’t been by your place in awhile.
I have been hesitating myself with implementing these rules. I didn’t want to upset anyone but at the same time, I get a lot of traffic and while some is openly recognizable as spam, some isn’t as obvious. I’ve always been open and honest about returning the comment favor by dropping by their place but some of my commenters are making it more difficult for me to do that with their affiliate sites or linking to their products. I really do want to build relationships with my readers and they aren’t here for that at all.
I do moderate every comment but have it set up that if you are new to my blog and haven’t commented before then I will have to approve it. After you leave a couple of comments then it will automatically be approved. I know that people like instant gratification but I also know that some links from commenters can infect your blog because it’s happened to a few friends of mine. So I’m not going to give them the pleasure of doing that to me.
Like I said in my post, it depends on who it is. If I’ve already connected with them on some other site and they don’t have their avatar set up I’m not going to turn them away. If they are fairly new to the industry and don’t know any better, I won’t necessarily turn them away either. Who I will turn away are those only here for link juice. If you can’t link your comment to a blog, it will get deleted.
If you continue to allow comments that are only there for the link juice and aren’t really relevant to what you share, Google will start seeing you differently Chadrack. You’re the SEO guy so I’m sure you are aware of how those comment can eventually hurt your blog. If you can’t get quality commenters leaving their thoughts and only spam, you need to change the way you are bringing people to your site. Be sure and check out my post “A List Of 165 CommentLuv Enabled Blogs” and find more quality blogs to visit and comment on.
I don’t have any system in place but it does look like you are using the GASP plug-in to help cut down on spam. That one is a great one in my book. It has cut down a lot but then again, now these are real people coming over here leaving these crappy comment and expecting to get through. It’s just not going to happen any longer.
Twitter: IncomeMC
September 27, 2011 at 9:44 AM
“It’s just not going to happen any longer.”
I truly love that decisive note! I truly understand what you mean here. I’ve been battling with these issues for a long time.
You know my blog is a dofollow blog implementing both keywordluv and commentluv. It has been a target of these people all this while. I’ve used different tactics to reduce the menace but it has always continued. It was when I installed G.A.S.P. that I stopped deleting every comment that did not meet my standards but thought that since the person has visited and maybe read a little of the post, I shouldn’t be too harsh on them.
But like you said, I think most of them are taking advantage of it. Right now I’m ready to introduce some new changes and this is going to be part of it. In fact I’ve picked some ideas from you here. The only thing I’m still “struggling” with is the issue of affiliate sites. I’m really wondering whether to include this also.
Though, I want to believe that not all of us need to a blog, but from experience, most of those posting comments using affiliate sites are doing it as a career. Those sites are not really their sites but they are employed to post comments and then get paid. This is why most of them are in a hurry to post something quick and move on to another blog.
Well, I’ve just a few hours to decide on what should really be my next commenting policy. I think you have helped much on this. Thanks for the help. Frankly!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 27, 2011 at 10:05 AM
What GASP has been able to do Chadrack is cut way back on the spam bots that attack us on a daily basis. You are right that some people are hired to comment in order to get backlinks while affiliates are also doing the same thing. But they are trying to get their sites ranked higher in the search engines. What can happen though by approving a lot of those is it can hurt your rankings down the road.
I get that they want to learn from you and I struggle with that as well. I want them to learn but if you have a blog and you want it to be popular and have a lot of comments, that’s only going to happen by you building relationships with other bloggers. These people hired to make comments or build up their own sites aren’t here for that reason. So they can visit your blog and learn from you if they choose, but I sure wouldn’t help them get the link juice and end up hurting you down the road.
Keep up with approving them all and you will see more and more of these people continue to take advantage of you because that’s exactly what they are doing. There comes a time when you have to say enough is enough. You have excellent content on your blog. Don’t let them be the reason you get penalized.
Hope that rant helped some. I want to see you succeed my friend!
Twitter: marcus_baker
September 23, 2011 at 8:30 AM
Hi Adrienne,
I have also noticed a massive increase in the number of suspect comments on my blog. Right now I have in excess of 200 comments to approve! I have used GASP ever since its release and it works really well. So when did all these random comments start increasing? For me it was when I installed the new Comment Luv version.
I love all your rules and I agree with them but my gripe is that I don’t have time to go through hundreds of comments every day to see which of them are valid and which aren’t. The problem is that many great comments get lost in all the pollution too.
What I am finding is that a lot of spammers have become quite devious too. Many use my name in the comment and will refer to something in my post so that it seems relevant. What gives them away of course is the niche many come from.
While it’s possible that Lucy from FrillyNickers.com (dinkum example here!) may be interested in what I blog about, it also seems highly unlikely!
~Marcus
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 23, 2011 at 1:00 PM
Hey Marcus,
Now that’s odd because I started seeing an increase in my spammy comments probably a couple months ago. Not just since I installed the premium CommentLuv. I’m sorry you are seeing so many more though.
Well in a way, that’s a good problem to have. But only if the majority of those 200 comments are not spam. I would love to have that much of an increase to be honest with you. But it is time consuming to go through them all, I totally agree with you. But I also don’t want all my hard work to go to waste if the majority of my comments that are approved are spam along with bad links that can infect my computer. I would much rather take the time to go through them.
I agree with you and that was what my problem has been. These spammers are really devious and some of their comments seem so genuine. They will include their name and email but link to a product or affiliate site which totally turns me off. It’s a dead give away.
That’s too funny and you are right. I very seriously doubt that “Lucy” is really interested in what you have to say. Link juice is all they are after. What a shame.
Adrienne
Twitter: IncomeMC
September 27, 2011 at 9:55 AM
Hi Marcus,
Devious is really the right word to use. In fact a few months ago when I started seeing some of those ones I became concerned if at all these spammers have in any way compromised G.A.S.P. I even made a post about it and from the comments from that post, it does appear that though these people visit the site, they only copy and paste their already prepared comment. Some will simply copy some gibberish symbols and paste as a comment. I most of them are frustrated people who will only want to frustrate others. But like Adrienne has here, I think we need to stand up to them and push them away.
Twitter: fredtracy
September 23, 2011 at 2:47 PM
Hey Adrienne,
It is annoying when people are leaving comments simply to get back links. That’s one of the reasons why my comments are nofollow, although that comes at a cost I suppose.
I’ve had people put links in the comments to their stuff before too, and that annoys me. That one’s easy though – I just edit them out.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 23, 2011 at 4:35 PM
That is annoying and that’s why I put up my rules because although I don’t allow all of those comments, I wanted people to know why they aren’t being approved. I’m here to build relationships and if you are only here for the link juice then you can go someplace else for that. There are plenty of blogs to visit.
If you are careful with your comments and watch them then having a nofollow blog can sometimes hurt you in the long run. But it’s your blog and you have every right to do with it whatever you want.
I also edit those links out, that’s what CommentLuv is for. But then again, if they are only after the link juice, the comment gets deleted altogether.
Thanks Fred!
Twitter: samanthaluy
September 26, 2011 at 7:08 PM
Adrienne, this is something that I dealt with recently too! I finally put together a Blog Commenting Policy a couple weeks back. I probably haven’t had to deal with as much spam as you have, but I wanted to be clear on what I would accept. For me, the trickiest ones were comments along the lines of “Great post!” I noticed one slip by my Akismet last week and I had already replied to it, but later realized that the same commenter had left 5 others comments that were marked as Spam. Bah! =P Oh well!
I think it’s a good idea to make it clear like this! I’m sorry that you’ve had to deal with more spammers lately, but at least you can now delete them and feel less guilt. =) Great post!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 26, 2011 at 8:10 PM
Hey Samantha,
I’m happy to hear that you are also putting some stricter guidelines into place as well. I hate that we have to but I did this so that I will no longer feel guilty about it. I know some people are legitimate but they either learn how to build relationships with other bloggers and they can just move on down the road. I’ve had enough!
Thanks for sharing this with me. I feel so much better about this now!
Twitter: techoclock
September 27, 2011 at 12:55 PM
Before publishing this comment I was using an exclamation mark as my gravatar. No more! I just changed it to my face as I am here for all the right reasons
Well, nice post or perhaps a “reminder” you have here. It’s always good to have a policy / rules page for commentators so that some of them don’t keep on spamming you.
Message to affiliate marketers: There is absolutely no issue in building links, if you follow the general policies of all blogs i.e. post worthy comments!
Saksham
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 27, 2011 at 1:44 PM
Good for you Saksham, I like seeing your smiling face! Most definitely better than an exclamation mark!
I think when your blog gets to a certain place then rules need to be implemented. I love commenting and I so enjoy helping other people learn but I want them here for the right reasons. If they can’t then go find some other blog to get your link juice from.
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with me on this topic. It’s comforting to know that the majority of people agree with me. Makes me really know that I’m doing the right thing.
Twitter: michaelpowers
September 27, 2011 at 1:17 PM
Great post Adrienne. I agree that a lot of people try to take advantage of blogs and just try to get some link juice. I have to admit at one point in time I was the person trying to get that link juice. However I never linked back to a company product or had a faceless avatar.
However now I am better and actually reading blog posts that make sense to me and trying to leave a meaningful comment so that it adds to the value of the blog post. Hopefully its works out in the long run and the bloggers like my comments.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 27, 2011 at 1:55 PM
Hey Michael,
We’ve all been guilty because we all started at the beginning. But once you know better you do better right? I mean there are plenty of affiliate blogs out there that you can leave a comment on and get link juice. It’s pretty obvious that for blogs such as ours we are about building relationships and helping others learn. If they can’t respect that then move on down the road that’s all!
I’m happy that you are learning more from other bloggers as well. I find this such a wonderful experience for me. Plus the connections that we are able to make along the way. Pretty awesome.
Thanks Michael and you have a great day!
Twitter: MarianneWorley
September 28, 2011 at 2:15 AM
Hi Adrienne,
This is a very timely post for me because I have seen a big increase in human comment spammers during the last month. And like Barry, many have an IP address in the Philippines. While I was away on vacation, it seemed like a few people decided that my blog posts were simply the most brilliant posts they had ever read, so of course, they had to comment!
Like you, I stopped using Akismet because it was trapping too many real comments. GASP is great, but it can’t stop those crafty human spammers. I’ve also seen them use my name in the comment, which makes it more difficult to spot. I just started adding IP addresses and email addresses to the blacklist in WordPress. I’ll let you know if it helps.
I think you’ve created a strong commenting policy that fits your goals, while also encouraging meaningful conversations. I need to do the same thing.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 28, 2011 at 10:03 AM
Hey Marianne,
You aren’t the only one who has seen an increase in spammers Marianne. It’s “amazing” how truly wonderful and “brilliant” our posts have become now isn’t it! I went back through my comments yesterday actually, my earlier ones, and got a good laugh. I actually thought those people liked my posts. Silly me!
To me Akismet catches all the spam bots but they still come through and you now have 100′s to delete. But within those hundreds are some genuine comments and from some of my regular readers. I found I was spending way too much time going through them to get those out of there. It’s too much of a pain for me. GASP totally cut out all the spam bots.
I also blacklist some that I have found truly annoying and that I won’t be letting through. It’s so much easier to just do it right then and I don’t need to add another plug-in to catch them.
Glad you agree with the commenting policy! I wanted to put it out there so I no longer feel guilty when I delete them without hesitation. What a relief!
Twitter: EffortlessEbook
September 28, 2011 at 2:32 PM
I am going to implement the same rules too. I really suffer when approving comments. What I get now is commenters with the same e-mail but different websites and names. Fighting those is so hard. I have been seriously thinking about making my blog NoDoFollow but I still want to reward my friends…
Now I think I’ll just implement some rules. This way I won’t feel bad when I delete a comment or remove a link.
I believe I am in the white list as far as your new rules are concerned.
Mouh
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 28, 2011 at 3:25 PM
Hey Mouh,
I finally got to a point where I’m not going to beat myself up any longer with not approving some comments. Unless I know you personally or have already built a relationship with you, if you don’t follow my rules, your comment will not be approved. I have it set that I have to approve the first two comments before they go live so I don’t want anyone sneaking through. I know people like instant gratification but they’ll just have to wait. I believe it will be worth it if I like you and approve your comments.
I wouldn’t set your blog to a nofollow, just moderate your comments and don’t feel bad about removing links or deleting them altogether. It is your blog Mouh and you can do whatever you want. If they don’t like it, go find someone else to bother. Just blacklist them and move on.
You will always be welcome here at my place. That will never be a problem!
Twitter: donna_tribe
October 13, 2011 at 8:38 PM
Oh my gosh, You are the comment queen! I like the way you have outlined How and Why to leave a good comment on a blog post, especially Gravatars. Without that, you can’t see the face behind the comment. I get lots of comments without a picture and have to go through the painstaking work of seeing who they are and then allowing them or not to comment. I is a very important part of the equation.
Thanks for giving people a great lesson that they can apply so they too can give better content.
Donna
Twitter: adriennesmith40
October 14, 2011 at 9:54 AM
Hi Donna,
Ah thank you Donna, I don’t think I’ve been called that yet! I love that!!!
I fought with that for awhile now and finally just decided I only want people here who are here for the right reasons. The beginners, I’m willing to help. The others, not so much!
I do have relationships with some people who don’t have their faces on their avatars but I’ve already built that relationship with them and I know the reasons why. I guess there will always be an exception to the rule but it has to be your judgement call because it is your blog.
You are very welcome and if you need to implement some rules over at your place, feel free to use these as well.
Have a great day Donna!
~Adrienne
Twitter: drumweaver
October 14, 2011 at 12:30 PM
wow… this is one very cool thread and i really appreciated this post Adrienne – as i too have may concerns about the those whose only motivation is to post on other’s blogs just to “get” a link…
i myself haven’t had the issues re my blog as of yet cuz my blogs are really not that popular (being in a niche that is specific to the ‘healing drum and Reki” and “heart health”) and so don’t receive a lot of comments – i hope to sometime for sure…
however, what i find the most frustrating is the amount of spam email i receive and that just seems to keep getting worse – i feel as though i’m being targeted for everything under the sun that’s not even related to what i’m doing.. so, i always welcome some kind of tips re that.. i don’t want to get rid of my email address becuz of it being so established…
i look forward to reading more of your blog because i really like what you have to say – especially this post and have bookmarked you…
thank you – you are a genuine person and i like that – it’s refreshing for sure – i also look forward to reading more of your work…
blessings, weaver (((o)))
Twitter: adriennesmith40
October 14, 2011 at 12:49 PM
Hi Weaver,
Glad you stopped by and commented on this particular post. Happy to hear that you found it helpful.
You need to locate other blogs within your niche or even personal development blogs geared toward people who may have an interest in what you share. Once you start commenting on more blogs within your niche, you’ll start getting more attention. I have a friend who is into Rekki but doesn’t have a blog.
Whenever you sign up for things, use a dummy email. Go to gmail and create another account just for that reason. Don’t sign up for things using your main email because that is exactly what will happen. That would be my suggestion.
Another suggestion would make is to change your avatar to you. People connect with people Weaver, not with photos. I know it represents the healing drum that you love so much but it’s going to make it harder for people to connect with you and that’s what you are aiming for.
I appreciate your kind words and looking forward to seeing you again. Have a wonderful day!
Twitter: brpraveen
October 14, 2011 at 2:06 PM
Wow – this is an awesome pet-peeves list, i agree with you on the affiliate marketers and the “faceless” bloggers, there are many out there. I followed you here from Carolyn’s Wonder Of Tech, both of you are doing a great job.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
October 14, 2011 at 2:54 PM
Hi Praveen,
Why thank you, I think! lol… It was time to lay down some ground rules and for me to stop feeling bad for not approving every comment that wasn’t necessarily spam. I still get that trusty old spam, luckily, not as much these days.
Glad you followed me from Carolyn’s blog. Isn’t she awesome? I learn so much from her, she’s my lifesaver in the tech world. I don’t know what I would do without her. Happy to have you so thank you for stopping by today!
Hope this message finds you well.
Twitter: bobandrosemary
October 14, 2011 at 8:58 PM
Wow, Adrienne I love the way you put this out there unapologetically. After all, it’s your blog and you can set the rules. I did the same recently and it was met with very positive feedback, mostly by the people who do blog commenting “the right way.”
I will say this about cleaning up your blog commenting policies — it enhances the reader experience for everyone who comes to your blog. It may take a bit more work in the beginning to police your policies, but the end results is a blog chock full of informative, meaningful comments that help everyone who reads them.
And that’s part of what great blogs (like yours) are made of!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
October 15, 2011 at 10:45 AM
Ah thanks Bob, I appreciate that. Yeah, I worried about it for awhile but finally just decided you know what! This IS my blog and I shouldn’t apologize for wanting to keep it on the level that I intended for it to be. I love helping people but I’m not going to let them drag mine down because they want some link juice and they aren’t really interested in building a relationship with me. I’ve only received a few negative comments but as you can guess, it was from “those people”.
You are so right Bob… Since putting my foot down and not feeling bad about it one bit, I know it’s improved the interaction here. Not that it needed much improvement because I have the best bloggers online visit my place and they do add so much value with what they share. I’m just really enjoying this experience that much more.
I appreciate your thoughts on this topic and so happy to hear you did the same thing. I think we are moving in the right direction Bob!
Twitter: kenpickard
October 17, 2011 at 2:50 PM
Adrienne,
Not only is this a great idea, but I’m starting to see these rules or guidelines pop up all over the place. Maybe because I’m attracting them to me. I see this as a great way to leverage your blog and brand, promote your leadership and foundation while guiding the masses. I honor your stand!
Every point. From the reason why to the faceless comment is right on. We see it all the time where people try to game the system by leaving week or meaningless comments. But those who take their blogging seriously will connect with the right mindset. it’s about building relationships and your blog community showcases that perfectly.
Thanks for leading by example.
Ken Pickard
The Network Dad
Twitter: adriennesmith40
October 17, 2011 at 3:09 PM
Hey Ken,
I think what happens is that you finally get to a certain place with your blog and for me, I was starting to get a lot of comments. Some not so great like I mentioned in this post. I use to feel guilty about not approving the comments that actually were genuine but their avatar was a monster and their link was to their product. At first I would just remove the link because I thought they had left a decent comment. But that’s not what I really wanted. I want the interaction, I want the people here that really want to be here, I want to get to know my readers. I can’t do that if they aren’t willing to get serious about this business.
I can’t fault those people that don’t know any better. I can fault those that are only here for the money. Sure if they want to build backlinks to their sites there are plenty of other blogs that are doing the same thing so you guys go play with each other. Me? I’m here to build a real business with real people and that all starts with building relationships through comments.
I appreciate your thoughts on this subject Ken. I’ve really received a lot of positive feedback about this so I’m really glad I finally decided to just put this out there. Now others won’t feel so bad about doing the same thing.
~Adrienne
Twitter: DeeDawber
October 24, 2011 at 2:59 PM
Hi Adrienne
Spammers with different names but the same comments get trapped in my spam folder, but I had a spate of comments about toothbrushes???
I rarely have to filter mine, as a beginner I don’t get many comments most times.
My avatar works everywhere except Twitter and Google +1 but don’t know why.
I hate the obscene and nasty comments. but yes a huge amount of comments are just there for their own purpose.
Take care
Dee
Twitter: adriennesmith40
October 24, 2011 at 4:51 PM
Hi Dee,
Welcome to my blog and it’s nice to have you stop by. I love that at your age you are making your way online as well.
Yep, those are definitely spammers when they are referencing toothbrushes. I get a lot about car insurance myself.
Over time you’ll start getting more spammers so be sure and upload the GASP plug-in. That will really help cut down on the amount of spam that you get. Real people will still spam but those spam bots can’t get through at all.
Your avatar is setup through whatever email you are using to comment on other blogs. It wouldn’t work on Twitter or Google+ so that’s the reason.
Thanks again for stopping by and adding your thoughts to this post. Always a pleasure.
Hope you’ve had a wonderful day!
~Adrienne
Twitter: paullee
November 16, 2011 at 12:12 PM
Hey Adrienne,
love it. something about reading a “rant” like that makes me feel like we understand each other in this small way. As i am a online marketer by profession, comments looking simply for a backlink or link juice is just blatantly obvious, even the ones that try hard to mask it. I feel ya
btw, I arrived at your site as I was doing research on commentluv premium. thinking about making the jump. how’s that working out for you? looking forward to poking around your site. first time on it.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
November 16, 2011 at 1:21 PM
Hi Paul,
I appreciate that you understand where I’m coming from. When I first began my blogging journey I approved almost very comment plus I visited their site and left comments too. Over time and as my bogging community grew, it was obvious who was not here to get to know me or really learn from what I shared. I know they think they have us fooled but they’re only fooling themselves.
Ah, so you found me through researching the CommentLuv Premium plug-in. I’m actually giving one away for free if you’d like to get in on this still. Here’s that post if you’re interested. >>> Get In On The CommentLuv Premium Giveaway
Honestly, I love this plug-in. There are just so many advantages to having the upgraded version. I could go into an entire explanation but just check out my post where I go over all the features it offers.
So glad you stopped by and welcome to my blog. Hope you enjoy some of my content. I do share a variety.
Have a great day Paul and hope to see you again soon.
~Adrienne
Twitter: paullee
November 17, 2011 at 2:36 PM
Hey Adrienne,
thanks for your thoughtful response.
I decided to take the plunge and give commentluv prem a try. Just implemented it on my site. Will see how it goes! First going to write up a post explaining the change to my readers just like this one
thanks
Twitter: adriennesmith40
November 17, 2011 at 3:03 PM
You are most welcome and congratulations for taking the plunge. I have no doubt you’ll be pleased with your decision. Enjoy the ride and I’m sure you readers will appreciate you implementing some rules. This way, you’ll only allow comments that are at your place for the right reasons.
Twitter: paullee
November 17, 2011 at 4:17 PM
Hey Adrienne,
quick question. I noticed every time you reply I receive an email showing my comment + the reply. Is there a specific plugin you use to do this?
appreciate it
Twitter: adriennesmith40
November 17, 2011 at 4:23 PM
Yes there is Paul, it’s called “ReplyMe” and you can access it here:
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/replyme/
It’s one of my favorites!
Enjoy!
Twitter: dvfriant
November 30, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Ok so I came over by way of profit on knowledge, where my good friend Larry is. Well I was going to read your article and leave comment, but I saw you had rules so I decided to read them 1st and about half the comments as well. I admit I look for link juice. But in my defense I always read the article and try not to spam. Matter of fact I’m looking blogs I want to regularly visit, read the current article or whatever one happens to catch my eye at the time, and leave a comment. If a article is torture read I most likely won’t go back for second helpings. Because even though I’m looking for backlinks I feel I owe it to the person who wrote the post and took the time to craft a blog in the first place the common curtesy of showing and honest interest in what they’ve done. So I come for the backlink but hope leave with more. I’m a networker. In order to network I’ve got to build relationships. There can’t be a relationship if don’t give people respect they deserve. Next time I come back I’ll start delvingg into your actual posts. Sorry got side tracked by the rules.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
November 30, 2011 at 9:22 PM
Hey Dave,
Well welcome Dave and glad you popped over here from Larry’s site. I was there today commenting on his post about commenting.
If you read my rules then you know what I’m all about. So first off you do have an avatar of you so that’s good. You are also linking to a blog even though it is the empower network blog. My whole point with comments is like you mentioned, this is a relationship business. So in order for us to want to eventually purchase from you we have to get to know who you are first. When people are only here for backlinks and they are sending us to their product or service then it’s obvious why they are here.
We all want link juice Dave, we would be lying if we said we didn’t. But when you are blog commenting and you want people to continue visiting yours so it can get the recognition it deserves then you have to take the time to actually read the post, make a genuine and honest comment and let us know you really are interested in connecting with us. I don’t think that’s too much to ask do you?
I’m glad you stopped by and I do hope you’ll be back. I went to visit your site but am getting an error message for some reason. Hope it’s just something odd with the link and it will be back up and running soon. I know several people who have joined that community so I know it’s top notch.
Okay, enjoy your evening.
Thanks again!
Twitter: LTGMonkey
December 6, 2011 at 3:30 PM
Phew again
I have a gravatar and I think I obeyed all of your commenting rules (but thought I’d check anyway).
Good idea having these, when I get an audience as big as yours I might do the same, but to be honest I don’t have a problem not approving spammy comments, seems to be the way of the world these days unfortunately,
take care,
Alan
Twitter: adriennesmith40
December 6, 2011 at 3:49 PM
Hey Alan,
Do I sound too harsh in my post? I think you can probably tell who I’m really speaking to. I’m sure you’ve gotten those spammers over at your place. I think what a of people don’t realize is that by approving those types of comments, you are really just hurting yourself. We all want comments, but Google will only reward you for the good ones pointing to your site and punish you for all the bad ones. I don’t think anyone who is serious about their business wants that happening to them. Plus, I want to connect with other bloggers and you sure can’t do that with some of the links they place in their comments.
Once you start getting enough comments over at your place you are going to have to set down some rules for sure. Or, just delete the comments and don’t think another thing about it. Either way, it is your blog!
Thanks again Alan and sure hope you’re having a great day.
~Adrienne
Twitter: LTGMonkey
December 6, 2011 at 5:21 PM
No you don’t sound too harsh at all.
Do you know what, I started my experiment with Google Sites which doesn’t really have great commenting features. I finally moved to Wordpress and quite quickly thought ‘that’s more like it’ as I started getting literally hundreds of comments quite quickly. I was feeling very happy and proud of myself. Plus many of the comments said what a great post I’d written, how great my site looked and that they would definitely be bookmarking my site and visiting again…
Then I installed my first anti-spam plug-in and all of the comments stopped.
… and I realised that I wasn’t suddenly really popular overnight. At that moment it was still tempting to let some of these comments through but I didn’t. I got very very few comments (and still don’t get lots at all compared to blogs like yours) but would and still will only accept genuine comments from genuine people. The same goes for guest posting. I’ve actually had lots of guest posts offered but have accepted very few.
Integrity and authenticity mean a lot to me and I’m prepared to take as long as it takes. Short cuts, tricks and tactics may work for some but I’m not comfortable with most of these practices like article spinning etc.
it still amuses me how happy I was to get so many comments and how I lapped up all the ‘great post’ compliments.
That being said, a little wiser now and realising that ‘great post’ has unfortunately become a warning flag for spam, I will still write ‘great post’ if that’s what I think because I don’t like the idea of spammers dictating what I can’t say. Just a thought – I will surround that great post comment with something genuine though – I agree with you, if that’s all I have to say, then it’s probably not worth commenting that time at all.
anyways… forgive me rambling too much… it just reminded me of that moment…
Twitter: adriennesmith40
December 6, 2011 at 6:43 PM
Thank you Alan, I appreciate that.
We’ve all been there and if you were to look back at my first few posts, I’m embarrassed at what I let through too. I was just so excited to receive a comment. I didn’t really have a clue it was spam. We all feel kind of silly now that we realize it but it’s a learning process.
Just get in the grove of visiting a few blogs each day and leaving some genuine comments and you will start to see your traffic pick up. I have a post here titled. A List of 165 CommentLuv Enabled Blogs. Check out the blogs on this list and start leaving some good comments. It’s a great place to start for sure.
Just be consistent and you’ll watch your blog start to explode. It’s truly an amazing thing!
Thanks Alan and have a wonderful evening.
Twitter: LTGMonkey
December 7, 2011 at 3:47 AM
Hey Adrienne,
yup – I saw that list when Ana posted it & am slowly getting through it – though what I’m also trying to spend more time doing is finding blogs in my niche (which isn’t really IM). I love zenhabits for example but unfortunately Mr Babauta has switched off comments – worth checking out all the same if you haven’t been there already (zenhabits.net).
thanks again for your help Adrienne!
take care,
Alan
Twitter: adriennesmith40
December 7, 2011 at 10:02 AM
You definitely want to comment on blogs in your niche but the post I visited was about putting up a blog in three minutes which has nothing to do with zen habits. That’s why I suggested it. Be sure and stay on topic with your blog. It’s really important.
Thanks Alan, I appreciate that. Have a wonderful day!
Twitter: LTGMonkey
December 7, 2011 at 6:11 PM
Hey Adrienne,
actually it is on topic – my site is all about telling people How To Enjoy Life More For Less. We do this via 4 means:
1 – Improve your Life (Free Life Coaching)
2 – Improve Your Health (qualified Health Advice & Articles)
3 – Get More for Your Money/Get more for less
4 – Work Smarter (Free Business Coaching/Advice)
creating a blog for free fits into #3 – i.e. showing people that you don’t have to pay for a website (as a lot of people may think).
Our whole site is about celebrating the simpler and truly valuable things life has to offer and making the most of every moment – hence why I like zenhabits so much, please feel free to have a look around our site & let me know what you think.
Admittedly we don’t have a really tight niche, covering effectively what could be 4 different topics but we do like it that way because these 4 topics do combine to give something very unique – how to enjoy life more for less – and to truly do so, you won’t achieve it if you were to focus on just one of these areas,
take care,
Alan
Twitter: adriennesmith40
December 7, 2011 at 6:27 PM
Thanks Alan, I’ll be sure to take a look around the next time I swing by! Appreciate you letting me know.
Twitter: JudithZen
December 7, 2011 at 8:21 PM
Well said Adrienne! What you’ve spelled out is the blog commenting etiquette. Sooner or later, they will be the unspoken rules that everybody will abide by, I’m sure. Somebody has to spell them out and we bloggers and avid commenters should be propagating the etiquette.
Adrienne, I just found you from Danny Iny’s blog, the “Take a bow” post, because you won the award. I can totally see why! Congratulations!
I should add that the facelessness is not such a big deal to me as long as the commenter has something worthwhile and relevant to say that deserves to be heard. I’d imagine that only seasoned or “professional” commenters are likely to have a gravatar photo to show. Some people integrate Facebook into their comments displacing the WP comment system altogether so everyone who leaves a comment has to have a name and a face. What do you think about that Adrienne?
I have to confess that I haven’t read the 200 comments on this post. Too many to plow through so if you have already discussed the points I raised, I apologize.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
December 8, 2011 at 8:34 AM
Hi Judith,
You are right Judith, these really should be unspoken rules.
I’m so glad you decided to visit from Danny’s place. What an honor that was and a wonderful surprise. I was so very touched by the nomination alone.
I deal with a lot of newbies though so I enjoy teaching the proper way things should be done online. That’s why I also accept some of the faceless comments because they are doing their best to set things up properly. While the others, well not so much.
I don’t use Facebook any longer because it can really slow down the load time of your blog. I have visited a few that have it and I don’t have the patience to wait for the blog post to load so I bypass leaving a comment because of it. That’s the only downfall to having that option on your blog although it really is a great option to have.
No problem Judith, there were a lot of comments left here so for the most part everyone agreed with these rules. I did have a few nasty comments and they came from people who were just wanting links so they got deleted just like I said I would. Since implementing these rules, I have no problem with that any longer.
Thank you SO much for visiting and welcome to my place. I hope you’ll come back and visit again soon. You can believe I’ll be by to visit your blog as well. Until then, have a wonderful day!
Twitter: mike_cleveland
January 8, 2012 at 5:33 AM
Adrienne,
I don’t fault you for having standards on your blog. If you let people do anything on your blog, it will reflection on them, but – their gone and the blame with come back on you. If you want to reflect quality, you have to watch what is allowed on your blog.
Keep your standards high.
Mike Cleveland
Twitter: adriennesmith40
January 8, 2012 at 10:36 AM
Hey Mike,
The time finally came when I had to lay the guilt aside and just delete comments that I knew were not being left for the right reasons. I must admit, I think I’ve got a pretty darn good blogging community here now so I did the right thing.
Thanks for your support, I appreciate that! Now, enjoy your day!
Twitter: hajraks
January 28, 2012 at 2:05 PM
Hey Adrienne,
I was just working on a post about comment moderation and someone mentioned how having commenting rules makes more sense. That way people do have a criteria which makes it clear as to what is expected of them. I loved the page and if I do get around to writing that post I am sure setting this as the example.
What I love about this is that you have it all crisp and clearly stated as to what you are looking for. No beating around the bush!
Is there any reason you feel comments should be moderated (despite having a commenting policy)?
Twitter: adriennesmith40
January 29, 2012 at 6:22 PM
Hi Hajra,
My blog finally got to a place where I was getting a lot of comments and I had always told everyone that I would respond to all comments. I started feeling that some of them were really just here because my blog was getting a lot of traffic and they weren’t really that interested in getting to know me at all.
I finally decided it was time to implement some commenting rules so now I don’t feel bad if I decide their comment isn’t worth approving. I’m not here to help your blog move up in the ratings if you’re not really interested in what I’m sharing.
By moderating do you mean not letting every comment go through first? I have it set so that you have to have commented on my blog twice before I don’t have to approve it. Even though some people suggest not doing this because people like instant gratification, I don’t want crappy comments coming through on my blog period. I will just delete them and I don’t want to worry about having to check them over again. That’s just my own personal opinion for my blog so everyone has their own that’s for sure.
Twitter: alexpippitt
January 30, 2012 at 4:44 PM
I think your comment rules are fine – I honestly don’t understand some things like link juice. I don’t have a blog yet. I have looked at several and haven’t been able pick one yet. But I think your blog is very nice and I love seeing women be successful in IT companies. Alex
Twitter: adriennesmith40
January 30, 2012 at 7:48 PM
Thanks Alex,
When you get ready to set up your blog I have a free training site that will walk you through how to do everything and I can explain all about the “link juice”.
Glad you like the look of my blog and I like seeing women excel in all areas. I’m definitely not in an IT company though, far from it!
Thanks for the comment and hope you’ve had a really wonderful day!
Twitter: bradlees1
March 26, 2012 at 12:45 PM
Hi Adrienne
First, let me apologise for for my avatar being non-conforming in terms of your new commenting rules – I actually chose to use it as part of how I brand myself. We’ll see how that works.
I am a real person and there is a photo of my (and my wife, Alison) in the ‘About’ page of my blog.
I’m actually one of Alex Jeffreys’ current students and I wanted to find the blogs of some former students to see how they have done, which is how I found yours.
It’s obvious you have a great deal of information to give and a great community around you which I can learn from.
So, to my question: if I comment on any topics – with genuine, valid feedback – will my comments be declined because of my avatar?
Brad
Twitter: adriennesmith40
March 26, 2012 at 1:22 PM
Hey Brad,
I hope I don’t sound too terribly harsh with my commenting rules but I’m sure you will notice that the more traffic I get to my blog, the more spammy comments I receive. I just had to “put it out there” for those to see why there comments aren’t being approved.
I kind of like your avatar and I have a few friends who refuse to put their mugs up too! I really would prefer to see your face but since you are a student of Alex’s and found me through that community I welcome you with open arms. I did hop over to your blog and read your About Me page. You guys make a lovely couple I might add.
Hey Brad, I built this community through Alex’s training although I did take a different direction and am back in network marketing. But Alex helped me get outside my own comfort zone and do things I hadn’t been comfortable doing in the past. I’m so glad I took his training or I don’t think my blog would be where it is today. Plus, I’ve met some awesome people through that community too that are still good friends of mine today. So welcome Brad..
If I can help or offer any support whatsoever, don’t be bashful. I’m sure you’re learning plenty from Alex but you never know.
Thanks a bunch and hope to see you around again. Have a great week.
~Adrienne
Twitter: bradlees1
March 26, 2012 at 1:36 PM
Thanks Adrienne, appreciate the support.
As you know from experience, Alex’s course certainly takes you out of your comfort zone. First there’s the blog (“what could I possibly have to say?”), followed by the need to create a product (“I’m not an expert at anything”) and build a list (“oh, no, accountability & judgement!”)
After all the initial negative reactions I’m actually starting to enjoy it – particularly the blog.
I’m on your list now and will stop by regularly.
BTW, Alison doesn’t yet know that I put her photo on my blog. I’ll have to make some money from it before I tell her
Twitter: adriennesmith40
March 26, 2012 at 1:40 PM
Yeah Brad, I was so out of my comfort zone I was shaking over here as I started doing things I was not comfortable with but I’m so glad I did now.
What I decided to do with my blog is just share what I learn and then as time goes by people started asking me questions and I would write about that. I had no idea how many people I’ve been able to help that had no clue how to do some of the things I was writing about so it’s really worked in my favor. It can help you also when you get to that point of creating your first product. Just ask you readers and your list. Just share things with them like you’re having a conversation with an old friend.
Thanks for joining my list Brad… Happy to have you here my friend.
I hope she doesn’t get upset but I guess what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her right!
Hey Brad, you’ll do great.
Just when you think you know what you’re doing, you learn something new. I did not know about the avatar image being controlled by gravatar for wordpress blogs. So, I went to gravatar and now I have an avatar. Say that 10 times fast
I also like your comment rules. I may need to put them to use as well.
Cheers,
Chris
Twitter: adriennesmith40
April 19, 2012 at 8:18 AM
Don’t you love learning something new?
Happy to hear that this helped with you getting your gravatar all set up. We definitely would prefer seeing who we are chatting with. Those monster faces are just weird.
I had to implement some rules after some of the things people were leaving. Those short sweet repeated comments don’t fly for me. You’re either here for the right reasons or I’d rather you not be here at all.
Thanks Chris!
Adrienne.. I get so many comments which are spam. I guess I need to put this one up on my blog as well.
Dont want it to look like a copy and paste but I think you have covered what I wanted to do for long.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
May 8, 2012 at 9:23 AM
I don’t mind you copying these rules Latha. There just comes a time when you can’t feel bad about deleting people’s comments. I’ve only had one person get mad at me and blast me on Twitter but he was all about promoting himself and not linking to a blog. I want to interact with people on my blog so if you can’t share the love in that respect you aren’t welcome here. It’s that plain and simple.
Sorry you’re getting that spam but don’t you feel bad about not approving their comments. That will only hurt you in the long run.
Thanks Latha!
Twitter: salescleopatra
May 23, 2012 at 11:54 AM
Very helpful post Adrienne! Know this is an older post, but hope you can answer this…
Have noticed my Gravatar image does not always (automatically) show up on comments that I leave. Any suggestions? Could it be a setting?
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
May 23, 2012 at 6:09 PM
Hi Vanessa,
Are you using the same email address? I’m sure you are but I have to ask. It has to do with the gravatar account and nothing to do with you personally. I had that problem some time back where it would show up on some but not others. I would just go in and check the link again and make sure that it’s set up on their end. It is an issue with them though.
Happy to see it’s working now!
Twitter: spencerjones
June 7, 2012 at 8:07 AM
Hello Adrianne, Just noticed your commenting rules tab. I think it’s a great idea to have a clear commenting rule. But don’t you think that people will miss the rules tab because it’s way up there at the top ? Wouldn’t it be better to have the rules link right next to the comment box ?
Dr.Spencer Jones
Twitter: adriennesmith40
June 7, 2012 at 9:07 AM
Hey Spencer,
Glad you checked them out and I don’t expect everyone to. The way I look at it is if they get blocked and if they’re curious, they’ll check it out. If not, no big deal.
Thanks Spencer.
~Adrienne
Twitter: Hubi1857
July 10, 2012 at 2:11 AM
Hi, Adrienne!
Half an hour ago I stumbled upon Your fantabulous blog via twitter.
Now checking if my gravatar is working with Your site.
Love and greetings from Berlin,
Hubi:-)
Twitter: adriennesmith40
July 10, 2012 at 8:47 AM
Hi Michael,
Oh good, you found me via Twitter. I love hearing that and I’m so happy you decided to stop by.
Your gravatar is working but I sure would prefer seeing your smiling face. Remember, people connect with people so there is a reason we like to see a face in that gravatar instead of something else. Hey, I’m just saying..
Anyway, thank you Michael and I appreciate the greetings from Berlin! Wow..
Enjoy your week okay.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne
This is the first time I’ve seen commenting rules. What a darn good idea!
Thanks
Shan
Twitter: adriennesmith40
July 11, 2012 at 8:36 AM
Hi Shan,
I had to implement them because I didn’t want to really insult anyone when I didn’t approve their comment but I wanted them to understand why. So glad you approve. Thank you so much.
You enjoy your day okay! Speak soon.
~Adrienne
If only. I can’t believe I didn’t get into this years ago. Missed opportunities. My son suggested I go into computer science in the 90s, returning to college. After Katrina, I started a website -paid for. Jumping in the ‘Nets’ with a big wave hitting everyday. Your tips, like Ileane and Lisa’s are helping calm the waters. Ha! Now I’m a Baby Boomer Gravatar.
I’m taking this blogging in strides. I hope you will check out my blog. I guess I need the Google Analytics or AdSense. I don’t know, Adrienne, I may have to work 24/7 to keep up with all of this. Thanks again
Twitter: adriennesmith40
August 9, 2012 at 8:19 AM
Hi Consuelo,
I would have never made it, I’m not that smart. A lot of this was way over my head and it took me quite some time to learn it all because I didn’t have that many people who were willing to help me. I’m also a baby boomer Consuello so you are by no means alone my friend.
You are following the advice of two very awesome ladies so you stay on that road and you’ll be just fine. You have one more awesome lady to help you too!
I’ll definitely stop by and check out your blog. You definitely need Google Analytics but I wouldn’t mess with Adsense. You aren’t going to make that much money from it and it’s distracting when you’re trying to build up a following.
Best of luck to you Consuello! Enjoy your day!
~Adrienne
Twitter: kimulmanis
August 17, 2012 at 11:36 AM
I’m all about the photo of a person. It tells me a lot about whether the person wishes to be taken seriously or is just skipping along in blog land.
Although I don’t think a professionally taken photo is mandatory, I do think a quality photo is. This means being able to see your face and not some blurred or dark image of what we think is you but could really be a photo of your cat. I’m fortunate in that I am married to a pro photographer so a decent photo of me is possible at any time. I would encourage friends to politely ask a photographer friend to do the same, even if it means coughing up a few bucks.
To me, a decent photo goes a long way in determining whether you want me to take you seriously or if you want me to think you might not be in it for the long haul.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
August 17, 2012 at 12:30 PM
I agree Kim because this is where we connect with others. I want to know who I’m speaking with.
I think if you have a professional photo taken then that can always turn people away. Only because they see that and think they have to be the same way and they aren’t comfortable in that position. You’re very fortunate to have a photographer in the family. I use to have a friend that was a photographer but we parted ways awhile back. I now just have my Mom.
~Adrienne
Twitter: bloghelpdeskcom
August 22, 2012 at 10:53 AM
I’ve never thought of using comment as a way to build backlink. It’s not what commenting was born for, this is the section to build interaction and relationship between blog owners and commentators.
Btw, I don’t agree that you require an avatar for commenters. Most of readers on my blog even don’t know how to create a gravatar like that. I think only bloggers know about it.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
August 22, 2012 at 2:02 PM
The only way I was taught in the beginning to get backlinks was to comment Tuan. As soon as I started doing this the more I realized that this wasn’t the way I wanted to go about this. I want my blog to be a format for building relationships because of the business I’m in. So I started concentrating on that much ore. So if I’m building relationships with people, I want to see who they are. Hence the gravatar needs to be in place. Now I know there are a lot of newbies out there and I’ll allow some of the comments but will be sure to share with they that for their sake, they need to get this set up.
My blog, my rules right!
Thanks for commenting and sharing your thoughts.
~Adrienne
Twitter: RozBennetts
September 16, 2012 at 7:32 AM
Feels smug because I have a Gravatar
Adrienne, I may be being a bit dim, but where do I subscribe to your blog? I see links to subscribe on YouTube, which I’ve done but the blog one escapes me. Maybe you can just add me to the list? I’d appreciate that.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
September 16, 2012 at 1:12 PM
And what a great gravatar you have too!
In the top right hand corner of my sidebar I share with you how you can grab my free report on my relationship marketing secrets. Just add your name, email and phone number and not only will you get my report but I’ll call you and say Hi! You’ll be added to my list and that’s how it’s done my friend.
Thanks Roz, love to have you.
~Adrienne
Twitter: DebbieDoglady
November 3, 2012 at 7:58 AM
Just discovered your site and am very excited about reading more. Blogging has been strictly a hobby for me, but now, I’d like to take it to the next level and you seem to have the expertise I need. Hope this comment doesn’t contravene your rules. My followers are small in number and I’ve rarely had any spam comments myself. Thanks for your time.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
November 4, 2012 at 12:32 PM
Hi Debbie,
Well welcome to my blog and I appreciate your comment. Glad you discovered my blog and I can definitely help you with taking it to the next level. I’ve definitely learned the tricks of the trade so to speak through my own education.
Your comment fit perfectly with my rules so thank you for that.
I appreciate you stopping by and hope to see you again in the near future.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne,
I understand the problem you are facing. This problem is not only yours, almost all the blogger are facing this same problem. I have activated Akismet to protect spam comments. Akismet kills the spam comments but still now I am facing problems. People do manual comments which is not related with my topics.
Omar Habib recently posted..How to Build Blog Readership in 2013
Twitter: adriennesmith40
January 5, 2013 at 11:34 AM
Hi Omar,
These rules were put in place for the humans who are mostly here to be noticed or the link juice. Since I’m very good about visiting everyone’s blogs that visit me, I wanted people to understand why I will either not approve your comment, I will remove your links or I won’t visit your blog.
Akismet is a joke in my opinion. It still allows all the bots to get through which are your main spammy comments. With the GASP plug-in they have to check that they are human so the human comments will still get through. It’s just up to us whether we believe they are worthy or not.
Thanks for your comment though and hope you’re doing well.
~Adrienne
Twitter: nononcentsnanna
January 31, 2013 at 1:37 PM
Adrienne, I am so happy to see that you set boundaries.
I have my blog, but also write on a pay perview site which I love. However a hourd of money grubber flooded in. they try to look like they are commenting, but obviously do not read the post. I wrote on Rape and get commenst like, “cool post dude” or HumanTrafficking “Nice.”
Those are so not appropriate. I flag them.
I am wondering if I should post my rules on one page or post at the end of some posts. I also hate the fact that people use ocmments just to self promo, “read and LIKE” most posts.”
I just ranted, sorry. I do want to thank you for setting apresidence to lay down the law.
I love what you write and am sure i will continue to glean great info. My tahnksto youis that I can keep passing on you links.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
January 31, 2013 at 1:45 PM
Hi Malika,
Oh wow, they all sound like spam bots to me. Now I have a great spam filter plug-in so I don’t get that many anymore but I’ll still have people stop by and want to be seen on my blog with their links yet they don’t write enough of a decent comment in order for me to approve it. Trash bin they go.
I would just post the rules as a page and if they don’t read the page that’s their problem. It’s not going to stop those kinds of people Malika because they’re just spammers. It will get the legitimate ones to take notice.
No problem, we all have our moments and I got to the place where I had to write some rules. Sad but necessary.
Thank you for sharing that and you enjoy your weekend.
~Adrienne
Twitter: angeld0ve
February 4, 2013 at 2:36 AM
Dang, Adrienne…I was leaving a comment on your “Introduce yourself” page when suddenly I got kicked out and just automatically submitted what I wrote there, and when I tried to cut & paste what I wrote about myself & introduction it says that I had duplicated it…so what was submitted for that particular post is unfinish…
Anyway, I want to tell you when I started blogging for the first time, I was spammed over 2,700 comments in 3-10 days!! I thought I was doing good. I had comment like, “What a great blog!” “Well design, I bet you have the paid design” “Your information is amazing!” yada…yada..I thought I was doing real good. Little did I knew they were all SPAM.
So, I activated Akismet and since then it’s been quiet.
Angela McCall recently posted..21st Wedding Anniversary
Twitter: adriennesmith40
February 4, 2013 at 8:47 AM
The comment came through and it looked finished to me, you signed your name! Sorry for the internet connection.
I know the feeling with the spammy comments. I did also install Akismet but soon found that a good bit of my legitimate comments were hitting the spam box and then it would take way too much time to get them out so I moved to GASP. That stopped all spam immediately and none went to the spam folder. Yay!!!
Thanks Angela for stopping by and enjoy your week.
~Adrienne
Twitter: netmarktsuccess
April 13, 2013 at 2:27 PM
Well, I have read the rules. I like rules. I’ts a good thing there are rules. The world is chaotic enough even when rules exists … . Without rules it would be a disaster. Plain truth.
I have just created a gravatar and I’ll use this comment to check everything works.
Thank you for the guidelines.
Silviu
Twitter: adriennesmith40
April 13, 2013 at 8:27 PM
Hi Silviu,
There came a time I had to implement some rules only because some people would get upset when I wouldn’t approve their comment so I felt it was time to let them know why. I mean this is my blog so I’m sure some people may think differently.
I appreciate you commenting though and your gravatar is set up now. Glad you did that too.
~Adrienne
Twitter: GlobalCraze
May 7, 2013 at 6:17 PM
Hello Adrienne Smith,
I learn some new rules from you.
1. Affiliate marketers only leave comments for generating backlinks. Most of the people simply write ” Great post” or ” Nice post ” because they do not read a single line. so my suggestion is not to approve that kind of comments for affiliate marketers.
2. English is most important for commenting.
your own rules for commenting are good but i want to share some more.
1.I read the post carefully. It is also important for commentors to ” read post carefully” so that they can discuss about that in comments.
2. Commentors should format their comments with ordered points, bold and italic words, so that people will feel good while reading comment like my comment.
3. Leaving long comment is very good for discussion because mostly long comments add value in discussion.
4. commentors should have reason for leaving a comment like me
. My reason is that I want to share some other points with fellow readers.
5. Always use writer name in comments. Am i right Adrienne ???
Please let me know what you think about my comment?
Chetan Gupta recently posted..How to Plan a Website in Few Easy Steps
Twitter: adriennesmith40
May 7, 2013 at 8:47 PM
Hi Chetan,
At the time I wrote my commenting rules my blog had been picking up steam for about nine months as I mentioned in this post. I was sharing my pet peeves about what I will NOT allow here on my blog. My rules aren’t teaching people how to comment, that should be up to them and not me. All my commenting rules are is what I will not allow here at my blog and why your comment will not be approved.
So although I appreciate your tips, people who are here for the right reasons already know all of this.
~Adrienne
Twitter: GlobalCraze
May 10, 2013 at 7:08 PM
Dear Adrienne
I know that you are not teaching others how to comment. you want to inform all that what you to accept in comment. so i think to help you by some other tips for quality comment so that people add quality in their comment which is good for any article.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
May 10, 2013 at 7:47 PM
Hi Chetan,
No, what I’m sharing here is what I will not accept “if” you comment.
If you spend any amount of time on my blog you will see that I certainly do not have to teach anyone how to comment. My readers do a fabulous job of that and I have the best blogging buddies online. I mainly created my rules to inform those people who are only here for a backlink or to promote their products why their comments won’t be accepted.
That’s the only reason I create these in the first place. No more excuses.
~Adrienne
Twitter: film_naturally
May 30, 2013 at 9:25 AM
I know that as my little blog has started to get more traffic the bogus comments have increased quite a bit.
I know some bloggers have resorted to not allowing any comments or limiting the number of days comments can be left on a post.
I know sites like yours though I get a lot from reading the comments that others leave as well as your responses.
It’s pretty easy for me to spam a comment here or there but I can’t imagine what it’s like for you to have to wade through dozens and dozens of comments every day.
Thanks for taking the time though to do that and to keep your comments open. I’ve been learning a lot from your site and the comments are a part of that.
Kevin
Kevin J Railsback recently posted..Avoiding Nature and Wildlife Filmmaking Regrets
Twitter: adriennesmith40
May 30, 2013 at 10:25 AM
Hi Kevin,
Yeah, they’ll start coming the more popular your blog becomes. For some reason these spammers actually believe we’ll approve their comment and they’ll get some link juice. Goofy people…
When I installed GASP then the spam stopped instantly. Of course now people are paying spammers to comment on blogs so they’ve started getting through but luckily, I really don’t get a lot. Maybe 10 total a day, the majority of mine are legit. But then again, I have people comment linking to something other then a blog so I just mark them as spam as well.
I’m so delighted that you enjoy reading the comments as well because I learn a lot from them too! I love that you’ve been learning some things from me too and as we chatted earlier, I’m only human and I still make mistakes. lol…
Thanks Kevin for adding to this conversation and we can only do what we can right!
Have a wonderful day.
~Adrienne