Spam comments – how to determine
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I don’t care about Comments on my WP blog that’s used as a portfolio, besides which 99.9% of them are Spam. But I did receive one the other day that Akismet determined might not be Spam and so they (there were three of the same) are waiting moderation.
However, it looks like Spam to me:
It says, “We are looking for a content writer” (or some such thing).
Then it gives this email address that looks like Spam since it’s clearly not a company or organization. I replied to the Comment to ask them to verify themselves but they didn’t.
So, the question is, why didn’t Akismet rule it as Spam and how do I know for sure if it is or isn’t? What are some ways of telling?
(email visible only to moderators and staff)
72.225.237.107The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)
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Please see here and don’t be mislead by the title > http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2010/05/06/trackback-and-pingback-spam-what-to-do/
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~~timethief
Oops, broken link. This is the correct one (in despite of the typo)
http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2010/05/06/trackback-and-pinback-spam-what-to-do/ -
Well, I wish I could say that cleared it up for me but frankly I find the whole world of spam, pingbacks, and the like very confusing. I’m not a techie nor do I ever want to become one. So the article confused me more than it helped me to be honest.
I have to say, I rather resent the author of that blog calling newbie bloggers “stupid” simply because they don’t entirely get the whole ping thing & how spam is connected with it all. Anyone who thinks this stuff is NOT confusing to people–newbie or non–is living in Nerdsville. (With some people qualifying as its mayor.)
Bottom line is that I’m going to delete that so-called comment that Akismet (love these guys) didn’t identify this time as Spam because in my mind it is. After all, if a prospective client really wanted to get a hold of me, they wouldn’t post a comment … they’d email me. I mean, I have my email address under Contact Me, so it’s not rocket science.
One question. Do I mark it as Spam or simply delete it? And does it make a difference one way or the other if I do?
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I am the author of the post in question. I did include several quotations in the article though. But for the record I did not call newbies stupid. I said:
“When we first begin blogging our comprehension of what’s going on and why we ought to do this or that is cloudy. As we proceed we become exposed to a wide variety of bloggers who approach the same subjects from different angles and eventually a light shines into the darkness and we begin to gain understanding.”
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Time Thief,
First, I sincerely apologize if I offended you. I respect your level of expertise and your willingness to help those of us “newbies” who are still trying to grasp the world of blogging … in all its complexities.
Of course, I did not know that you wrote the article; nonetheless my observation stands as it was because it was not without warrant. First, what you quoted back to me in your response was not the portion of the article I was referring to. Rather, it was this:
“I can’t imagine doing business with any business that employs people to undertake such sleazy practices, however, there are many STUPID [emphases mine] bloggers … some new and some not so new to blogging, who are sucked into the vortex. “
I think a better way of saying this would have been: “…however, there are many UNINFORMED bloggers…some new and some not so new….” In other words, vocabulary does matter.
Unfortunately the article further compounded the IMPRESSION that new bloggers are not only stupid, but also “desperate and needy” by the fact you also said this:
“But due to their desperation for recognition and validation new bloggers don’t find it easy to click the “spam” button.”
I think perhaps that this kind of misplaced semantics–where words like “stupid” and “desperate” are being used to describe new bloggers, addresses a larger issue which is that sometimes experts like yourself–people who clearly know their stuff and have been blogging a long time (and undoubtedly have more time to devote to it)–forget that newbie bloggers are just that: neophytes excited at the prospect of communicating their ideas and passions to the world, yet lacking in the technical know-how (through no fault of their own) of how to successfully manage that process. I have no doubt that at one point you belonged to that class.
Sure newbie bloggers will make foolish mistakes, as I have and I’m sure will continue to do. Yet also as newbies they (we) are not going to be tech savvy enough (and perhaps never will be) to fully grasp the dark and complicated underbelly of blogging, aka, spamming, etc. Ergo, they (we) do some of the things you’re referring to in your article. This does not make them (me) unintelligent or lacking in common sense (definition of “stupid”) but simply uninformed on a subject that is, yes, complicated to the untrained mind, and especially to right brain types such as myself.
Further, I’m sure you can understand why it would be easy to take offense at the statement that “new bloggers are all mostly ‘desperate for recognition & validation.’ ” I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and choose to believe that you simply chose the wrong words to try and express what you were trying to convey.
I’m not sure what that was exactly but let me just say for the record that a newbie blogger’s considerable enthusiasm for sharing their thoughts with the world at large does not translate them into being “desperate for recognition” anymore than artists–visual or performing– do what they do for the sole reason that they are driven by a “desperation for recognition.” (Some may be, but certainly not all.) In other words, everyone has a voice and the wonderful world of blogging opens up a way for people to use that voice.
Finally, I find there is a lot of assumption on the part of experts that everyone automatically knows what they’re talking about when they throw out terms like “pinging” when in fact, most don’t. Even after looking up some of these words in a glossary, I still am left with questions as to how it all works exactly. Of course, I’m attempting to learn, but I only have so much time in the day to devote to such things.
Like most people, I have considerable work, family & personal responsibilities to manage every day. So to expect new bloggers such as myself to go beyond figuring out how learn the technical aspects of building a blog and then, on top of that, to also grasp the complicated ways spammers and their ilk employ to fool and/or sabotage them (let alone understand the technology behind the process) is, I believe, a bit too much to expect.
That’s all. Again, I sincerely respect your considerable expertise, your proven readiness and willingness to help us newbie bloggers. I certainly had no intention of offending you by sharing my feelings as to what I feel was simply a wrong choice of words on your part.
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I am astonished that my use of words which did not meet your approval evoked a lengthy essay in a forum thread. That’s all I have to say.
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Wow! Sorry. I’m a thinker, so I tend to be rather analytical. I apologize if that offended you. I only wanted to let you know how myself & other newbie bloggers might react to the use of certain words and why.
No offense intended. Like I said, I’m sure you don’t actually feel that way about new bloggers … it just sounded that way.
Had I written that blog, I would appreciate any and all feedback (whether I agree or not with the comments or not) that might make me re-think how I word things … because I wouldn’t want to offend anyone. (Though I clearly offended you!) Sorry if I assumed you would react the same way.
End of subject. In the future I will refrain from giving honest feedback.
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