Today’s “Quick Tip” should be pretty quick, but I think beneficial to many of you bloggers out there. I HATE Spammers and I am sure most of you out there do as well. One of our many goals is to try and keep spam out of our comments section of our blogs. To help with that goal… many (if not most) WordPress bloggers use a plugin called Akismet which is designed to filter out spam comments. For the most part it does an AMAZING job of catching a large percentage of the spam that comes through each day. But it is not 100% perfect, so you need to occasionally check the spam folder and make sure no legitimate comments got put in there. I usually find at least a few comments every few days that mistakenly got pushed into the spam folder… so I just need to go in and approve the legitimate comments.
Not only does legitimate comments get wrongly put in the spam folder, but occasionally a few spam comments make it into the “Pending Approval” folder where you decide if you want to approve the comments or not.
So how do you tell if a comment is spam or if it is a legitimate comment? No one wants to lose a potential regular visitor to their blog and if someone writes a legitimate comment and you do not approve it… there is a good chance they may never come back.
Well there is no exact science to this, but some spam comments are much more obvious than others and they are usually very easy to spot. But what about the ones that aren’t so obvious?
Many times you will see comments like these:
“Great post. You really know what you are talking about!”
“Interesting concept. I have never thought about that before. Thanks for the great advice.”
“Hi, good post. I have been wondering about this issue, so thanks for writing. I’ll definitely be subscribing to your blog.”
Would you approve any of those comments above from someone who has never left a comment on your blog before? I definitely would not. I have one #1 RULE when it comes to approving someone to be able to comment on any of our blogs…
“I need to know that you read the post by something you say in your comments!”
Those 3 comments above are so generic that they could be used in almost any post on any subject, and you have no idea if they read the post at all.
Well I came up for the idea of this post tonight when I saw a Pending Comment in my WordPress admin. As soon as I read it, I knew it was SPAM, but it didn’t get filtered into my spam folder… and I wondered how many of you out there would approve the comment. I know there are some, as I will show you in a minute.
The image below is a copy of the comment that is in my Pending Approval folder. Here is what the comment says:
“Thanks! You made some good points there. I did a search on the topic and found most people will agree with your blog. It will greatly help me in my activities. Thanks though, I’m glad some people share good stuff like this! It will greatly help me in my activities this is one of the most extensive articles I’ve read on the subject of making money from blogging”
Let’s be honest… if we didn’t know any better, that actually sounds like a pretty good comment, wouldn’t you agree? I definitely think so. The one problem is… it is in direct violation of my #1 Rule, and I will not break that rule.
So just for fun, and to prove to YOU that it definitely was a SPAM comment I performed a simple test. I took the text from the comment below and highlighted it and copied it…
and then I pasted the text into Google’s search box and clicked the “Search” button. Below is an image of the results.
I found pages and pages of the exact same comments on dozens (if not hundreds) of blogs. That just shows you that not everyone knows what to look for when it comes to SPAM.
Hopefully this simple little test can help you too!
Sire (132)
Lee Ka Hoong (106)
Asswass (75)
bbrian017 (69)
Extreme John (64)
The Gooroo @ iBlo... (55)
Typhoon (53)
Vote on this arti... (47)
Benjamin Cip (41)
EarningStep (38)
Jared P Little (38)
Samjien (33)
Tycoon Blogger (33)
Trey - Swollen Th... (31)
Compute Live (29)
Stefan on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 5:04 am
Really smart method. I tend to use the same rule and often find myself visiting their site to see if it’s a spam site or not. I know I’ve been spam-marking comments simply because the site they linked to weren’t trustful.
Stefan´s last blog ..How to Choose a Theme For Your WordPress Site
Doug Dillard on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 10:18 am
I don’t even visit their site if I can’t tell they have actually read my post. I might on occasion if they have a cool Gravatar though.
Lee Ka Hoong on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 6:36 am
That’s a great test Doug but I think it may take you some times to do that for every comments you have in your blog right? Basically I’ll firstly approve commenter who has avatar and I’ll read what the commenter write, if the comment doesn’t sound like a spam, then I’ll approve it. Secondly, commenter who doesn’t has avatar, then I’ll read the comment and also visit his site, if you realize, most of the spammer site is a landing page that sells something else, normally I’ll just treat it as spam and hit the “SPAM” button.
Regards,
Lee
Lee Ka Hoong´s last blog ..The Next Generation Google Search Engine : Google Caffeine
Doug Dillard on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 10:22 am
To be honest I HARDLY EVER do the test. I pretty much make my decision by reading the comment… but I wanted to share it with you guys just in case you were interested.
Good point about the Gravatar as well Lee!
Lee Ka Hoong on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 5:47 pm
Haha yea, sometimes it’s not difficult to justify whether the comment is legimate or spam comment, depending on how relevant the comment with the post. Checking spam comment in the search engine is a good way though.
Yea, you know not much spammer who uses Gravatar but people like you and me, most probably will have using Gravatar.
Regards,
Lee
Lee Ka Hoong´s last blog ..The Next Generation Google Search Engine : Google Caffeine
Atul on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 6:41 am
after reading ur post I did the same search on popular SEs and here are the results
Google: 83,700 results
Bing: 596,000 results
Yahoo: 115,000 results
Thanks for letting me know this copy/paste issue
Atul´s last blog ..Funny Lines
The Gooroo @ iBlogPlanet on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 9:00 am
Yikes…so many results. I think they should just ban whoever is making those comments, from commenting on blogs permanently!
The Gooroo @ iBlogPlanet´s last blog ..CommentLuv NOT Coming To iBlogPlanet Soon
Doug Dillard on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 11:14 am
That’s a lot of spam Atul!
Typhoon on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 7:08 am
That’a very very easy trick..No headache..Just copy and paste in Google and Google will show it’s power ;0
Typhoon´s last blog ..Make Money with Your Email List
Doug Dillard on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 10:31 am
It’s an easy way to double-check… just in case you are not sure if it is spam or not.
The Gooroo @ iBlogPlanet on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 8:53 am
Very smart way to detect spam. I’ve been checking my “spam comments” lately, just to make sure no legitamite comments were sent there, and to be honest, half of the comments I saw were just like the generic ones you listed above. I know they didn’t read it — furthermore, I’m pretty sure it was a bot commenting.
The Gooroo @ iBlogPlanet´s last blog ..CommentLuv NOT Coming To iBlogPlanet Soon
Doug Dillard on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 10:24 am
I HATE SPAMMER BOTS!
The Gooroo @ iBlogPlanet on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 9:12 pm
Me too…I don’t see why spammers even bother anymore though. It’s extremely difficult to get past the filters out there these days. I’ve never had a spam comment not be caught — gladly.
The Gooroo @ iBlogPlanet´s last blog ..CommentLuv NOT Coming To iBlogPlanet Soon
Ricky on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 9:02 am
To be honest I did approve a spam comment in past. But after seeing the same comment on some blogger i came to know that it is a spam comment. In general we all did the same mistake. I usually check the spam comments.
Doug Dillard on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 10:46 am
Yep… there are some that might get though now and then.
TechZoomIn on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 9:30 am
Good trick..I personally monitor spam tab daily…
TechZoomIn´s last blog ..20 Free Hot Headers for Your Blog..!
Doug Dillard on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 10:45 am
Definitely a good thing to do… especially on busy blogs.
Asswass on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 9:45 am
haha I’ve gotten all those types of comments. Nice test Doug, but how did it get into the pending folder and why wasn’t it automatically approved? These robots know how to write perfect comments to cheat akismet.
I have to readers 1) CartoonBears and 2)Teratips. Both have websites and blogs, but their comments are terrible and I always have to delete them. The problem is that I told akismet they’re spam but it doesn’t work with future comments.
Asswass´s last blog ..Where the Hell is Matt going to dance next?
Doug Dillard on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 10:42 am
It was in the pending folder because it was well written, and it was not automatically approved, as I have my comments set-up so I have moderate the first comment someone makes.
I noticed you banned them the other day. I believe there is somewhere in the WP admin where you can blacklist them, so they can’t leave comments anymore. I am not sure where, as I have not used it yet.
Lee Ka Hoong on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 5:52 pm
I think there is a wordpress plugin that used to ban visitor’s IP that you consider them as spam, perhaps you can check in WordPress org.
Definitely it’s not a good idea if we set to auto approve comment, end up you will receive tons of spam comments. Usually I’ll approve the comment for the first time commenter, then their second comment will be approved automatically, I believe that most of the people using this too.
Regards,
Lee
Lee Ka Hoong´s last blog ..The Next Generation Google Search Engine : Google Caffeine
Asswass on Fri, 21st Aug 2009 7:37 am
I have to find it Doug beacuse they’re driving me crazy lol.
Asswass´s last blog ..Where the Hell is Matt going to dance next?
Benjamin Cip on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 10:25 am
Oh yes, that’s true! I always remove those spammy looking comments… is that bad if google caught you with diplicated comments?
Benjamin Cip´s last blog ..What Is The Best Place To Display Your Ads?
Doug Dillard on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 10:44 am
Who knows what Google actually thinks? Not me Ben… sorry. I wouldn’t think one or two could hurt though… but that is a total guess.
Lee Ka Hoong on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 5:58 pm
Doug one more thing, I’m curious why sometimes there is some spam comments will be going into pending folder instead of spam folder? Is it because of they’re new and yet to treated as spam?
I assume Akismet has yet to blacklist them so they can still leave spam comment everywhere.
Regards,
Lee
Lee Ka Hoong´s last blog ..The Next Generation Google Search Engine : Google Caffeine
Doug Dillard on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 9:28 pm
I think it is because they do not look like spam to Akismet, but I am not sure. I would definitely have thought the one in my example above would have never made it the the Pending Approval folder.
Lee Ka Hoong on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 9:39 pm
Hmm, spammers are getting clever to cheat Akismet, but I don’t think they will stay longer. I’m curious how Akismet filter those spam comment, I’m thinking whether they receive a few notification from bloggers who note them as spam comment, then Akismet will throw them into spam list.
earningstep on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 6:10 pm
wow… they must use some software to do that . actually commenting on other blog is not the point . but the point is read what people say in the post and i got lot of useful tips from other blog . include what i got from this blog.
earningstep´s last blog ..Test the compatibility of your blog – blogging killer tips
Compute Live on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 9:19 pm
Ohh trick is very simple and smart…Before accepting the comments I generally visit the site first, and then depending on the site I approve the comments..
Compute Live´s last blog ..Guild Wars 2 Trailer online
Klaus @ TechPatio on Fri, 21st Aug 2009 4:23 am
Great post. You really know what you are talking about!
(sorry, couldn’t help it!)
Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..TechPatio Is A “Do Follow” Blog – Spreading The Link Love For Free
Doug Dillard on Fri, 21st Aug 2009 10:11 am
LOL
Sire on Fri, 21st Aug 2009 4:19 pm
I’ve actually developed a Comment Policy so that people know what I expect from them. I take a bit of time formulating my posts and I would like commenters to take a bit of time with their comment. If I don’t approve I delete or spam depending on the comment.
I’ve noticed some people in their endeavors to get listed on the top commentator plugin leave a whole lot of useless comments and if I have no problem deleting these at all.
Sire´s last blog ..WassupBlog’s Ultimate Blogging Contest
Doug Dillard on Fri, 21st Aug 2009 4:25 pm
I have “Create a Comment Policy” on my To Do list, and I think it is a great idea… I just need to do it
Sire on Fri, 21st Aug 2009 4:39 pm
Don’t you love it when people like me keep reminding you of things that are on your to do list
Man, now that you’ve let the cat out of the bag you will never hear then end of it. How many reminders would you prefer? One a week perhaps? lol
Sire´s last blog ..Sedo For Buying, Selling And Parking Domains
Doug Dillard on Fri, 21st Aug 2009 4:43 pm
Can you remind me by email… so you don’t embarrass me in front of all these people?
Sire on Fri, 21st Aug 2009 4:56 pm
Why sure Doug, anything less could be conceived as spam, and that is the last thing I would want to do, especially after reading this post.
Sire´s last blog ..Dominance Is All About Your Domain Name
Extreme John on Fri, 21st Aug 2009 8:41 pm
This really great post. You have best ideas.
Extreme John´s last blog ..U Comment I Follow Blog List
Extreme John on Fri, 21st Aug 2009 8:43 pm
Ok just kidding, you know I see so many different bloggers out there using all kinds of tools. Counters to stop spam, Capthca to stop spam, guard dogs and more… To stop spam.
My spam comments make me laugh and I have been known to turn them into posts, which usually result in a spammer getting pissed off. All worth it.
The most annoying thing by far for me is how my comments end up in the spam folders of some of my favorite sites to comment on all because I have four x’s in my emil address and “Extreme” as the first name in my username. Very annoying when bloggers #fail to check their spam folder.
Extreme John´s last blog ..U Comment I Follow Blog List
Doug Dillard on Sat, 22nd Aug 2009 2:01 am
You have been in my spam folder many times John! I think I have always rescued you from falling into the blackhole forever… well at least I hope I did.
James on Sat, 22nd Aug 2009 9:18 am
I find that Akishmet works for me. Maybe too well, as it seems to frequently filter out comments that are perfectly fine, not spam at all.
James´s last blog ..Problem solving activities for toddlers
The Gooroo @ iBlogPlanet on Sat, 22nd Aug 2009 10:41 am
That’s probably because the commentator has been flagged by the Akismet filter, possibly because of previous comments they’ve made on other blogs. I’ve had the same happen on my blog.
The Gooroo @ iBlogPlanet´s last blog ..Second Time’s A Charm!
Jared P Little on Sat, 22nd Aug 2009 3:47 pm
Pretty cold using google to see a trend. I make it a point to check my spam folder from time to time as like you said some good ones get flagged.
Make you wonder what set it off. I have another domain that I have not been active and I swear it gets more spam than anything.
Jared P Little´s last blog ..Doug Dillard – Making Money Online Interview
Selurus on Thu, 25th Mar 2010 1:49 am
Thats an amazing trick. Now why didn’t I think of that.
I too don’t approve comments that are too generic and don’t relate to the post.
Reggie on Sat, 7th Aug 2010 11:16 am
Soon when I have my own blog site, I will surely experience those. It’s great to have tips and advices from you guys!
Reggie´s last blog ..The best LCD TV Stands updated Sat Jul 24 2010 12-02 am CDT
Fred on Thu, 19th Aug 2010 1:46 pm
Great look into spam comments, I just installed akismet on my blog and didn’t realize that it might put some comments into the spam folder, thanks for pointing that out.
Fred´s last blog ..Best Online Colleges for 2011- Ashford University
Team Roster on Fri, 29th Oct 2010 8:32 pm
You you should change the post name title Comment Spam Detective Trick to something more specific for your blog post you create. I enjoyed the post nevertheless.