As most established bloggers know, spammers and comments can be a serious problem if left unchecked and unfiltered. If you are new to this and are wondering what comment spam is, it is basically people leaving comments on your blog that are completely unrelated to the subject of the article.
The reason they do this is to create back links to their website to gain a higher page rank. Some people use automated software for this that spams the same comment to multiple blogs, hence the reason they are usually generic and have nothing to do with the subject matter.
Long time bloggers might laugh at this, but for you future or new bloggers, here's what is in store for you comment spam wise.
"Hey nice blog!" --buy penis enlargement pills
"This is the most wonderful site I've seen, I think I just creamed myself!" -buy weight loss pills
Now obviously I exaggerated with the second example:), but you will see comments similar to these.
The thing about comment spammers is, they will find your blog even if it is brand spanking new.
So do not think for a moment you can wait a few days to install a comment spam plugin to your WordPress blog. You will most likely be deleting and trashing spam comments within the first few days.
Now I am not anti-comments or anything, I just like the comments on my blog to be related to the subject and not just a back link advertisement. If people post a comment that has to do with the article, then I give them link love, if not, it's trash time. And if it is just a blatant advertisement with a link in the comment itself, even if it pertains to the topic, forget it, not interested.
You can use these comment software applications and manually leave comments, but some people like to take shortcuts and automate it which in the end works against them, because their comments aren't getting approved most likely. Comment spamming doesn't pay off usually. I guess these people are banking on the comments that slip through unfiltered.
So what can you do about comment spam for your WordPress blog? Make sure you have Akismet activated. WordPress comes with it installed already by default, so all you need to do is set it up by getting a WordPress API key. It will prompt you to pay, but it is free if you move the slider over.
This plugin is excellent when it comes to determining if a comment is spam or not and I highly recommend setting it up as soon as you get WordPress up and running. If for some reason you do not see the Akismet application in your plugin list, you can download it here.
Get this WordPress plugin and just say no to spammers and green eggs, yuck.
I'm new to commenting, how should I comment?
When it comes to commenting in other peoples blogs, I believe the most effect method is to actually go to other blogs that are in the same niche, read an article you find interesting, and comment like you would naturally, as if you didn't have a blog you wanted a back link for.
I have found the more interesting the comment, the more likely I am to click on the persons back link to check out their blog. So just be creative, put some of your own personal experiences into your comments. If the article was helpful to you, tell the author you appreciate him or her sharing it with you.
Build friendships with the other people posting comments
The best way to do this is reply to others comments. If they say something that adds to the topic and is helpful, just put an @ Their Name at the begging of your comment.
Example: @ Bill Thanks for the added tips on [topic here], on top of [Authors Name] great article, this was a lot of great information.
You see, doing this will help you build a rapport with people. Plus it makes them more likely to check your blog out when they see your comment.There are a lot of ways to comment, just make sure you come off as being fairly knowledgeable about your niche, and more importantly, come across as a real person, not a salesperson.
Do your part to prevent comment spam, don't be a spammer.:)
Brian @ http://affiliate-bloggers-club.info
Brian @ Affiliate Bloggers Club
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