Have you ever left a comment on a blog and wondered why it was not published?
There are many reasons why this can happen, including:
- Your comment included links, words or phrases that triggered the blog’s software to block it. Like most wordpress blogs, this blog uses a trackback / comment spam plugin. The one I use is called Akismet.
- The blogger deleted your comment for some reason.
- Your ip address, website or email address is somehow listed in the popular comment spam databases.
- Your comment was too short. This is the one I want to focus on here.
Comments too short?
Yep! Legitimate comments like yours, can get trapped in blog spam filters, simply because they are too short. Blog comments like; “I totally agree” or “This is a great blog”, are regularly used by some SEO’s, as a way to build backlinks for their clients sites. They simply paste the same generic phrase into thousands of well ranked blogs, hoping they will find some, which do not have comment-spam / trackback spam plugins installed. Whilst these brief comments are pretty harmless (in my opinion), some bloggers really don’t like them and as a result, filters now try and stop them appearing.
Here’s an example of how a genuine comment can get lost. I just found a legitimate comment in my filter, which contains only 5 words; “what’s your bookmark plugin Jim?” This was instantly filtered it as spam and it would have been missed, had I not spent 20 minutes reading through the last 12 hours worth of comment spam, for this post.
By the way: 99% of the spam I get is NOT from SEO’s! The SEO comments I see are largely benign and tend to point to regular sites. No, the vast majority of the comment spam I see (and don’t want published) is sent via zombie computers and links to everything from porn sites to drug sites and malware.
So, if you want the best chance of seeing your comment published on a blog, use more than 3 or 4 words if you want to avoid the blogger’s filter. This also helps you add to the conversation and adds value to your input.
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Great tip Jim…. ooops, better make this more than five words
Thanks for sharing, it’s a valid and useful point as always.
Cheers
Barney
.-= Barney Austen´s last blog ..Scope creep, hidden project killer =-.
It’s just a pity Barney, that because of the auto-generated comment spam, legitimate comments get wrongly filtered.
Thanks for the comment sir.
I don’t think that problem will ever be mine. Most of the time, I have much more to say if I am going to comment. Of course, just because short comments was your topic, I will be rendered speechless.
Not likely to happen. Seriously, I can relate because occasionally I check to see what my spam filters are catching.
.-= Julie Walraven | Resume Services´s last blog ..I Don’t Wanna =-.
It’s always a good idea to check the filters, from time to time, so see how accurate they are.
Thanks for the feedback Julie!
Hey Jim,
Nice post. I like that you are classy enough to call out the difference between the SEO guys and that crap sent by bot networks.
Great Post!
Ok, just kidding. Seriously, great tip to point out. I try and shy from leaving comments like “Great post” or “thanks” anyway so I guess that puts me in the clear
.-= Ricardo Bueno´s last blog ..Start With the Basics =-.
Consider yourself cleared Ricardo!
This is a very interesting post I honestly had no idea that the spam filters worked that way and could parse our legitimate comments.
Thanks for a great post, Jim!
Long time to hear, Holli!
I think you are in the majority, as it’s not a topic I have seen written about previously.
All the best and thanks for the feedback.
My funny end of the week mood insists I declare “I totally agree with you” … which I do by the way as my blog gets around 2000 spam message a month, sometimes more! I also use akismet for spam blocking – it is by far the best filter I can find … loving the rest of the articles
Thanks Andy. I agree 100% regarding Akismet’s filter. It’s the best I’ve used.
Do you have any thoughts on the best type of comments to post to a blog?
Only to avoid obviously spammy comments, that the blogger might think are added, purely in order to grab traffic.
Adding something of use or value is probably a good start Bob.
What do you think?
Having thought about this a strategy could be to post comments that challenge or extend the post?
I’m pretty fortunate, Bob. As you can see, the vast majority of comments I get already fit that description.
The rest gets deleted manually, even if the spam software misses it.
The other one that gets me, is when someone calls a radio show and feels compelled to tell the DJ that they are a “first time caller.” Why would that make any difference?
Thanks for the feedback Dave.