Maddenation
Comment Spam: Why?
Like you, I was wondering what possible benefit a spammer could get from posting a comment on an old entry in our blog. Unless we had a “Recent Comments” area (which we do), we’d never even know the spam was there, so we’d never click on the links to visit their site. Even if we find the spam, we’re not going to click through the link and buy the crap they’re selling (I guess some people might, but mostly not, because 1) bloggers, currently, are intelligent people, because you have to be to set up the program that runs a blog, and 2) it’s offensive that some idiot has violated your site’s sanctity with links to pornographic or other materials (by the way, that “dog jewelry” spam was really about pornographic stuff)). (I think I punctuated that right.)
Then, today, in searching for ways to stop this problem (others have it much much worse than we do), I ran across the following
Comment spam is a different animal than email spam. At this point in time (although it may change), the purpose behind comment spam is to add the spammer’s URL to your site. By sprinkling their links over hundreds or thousands of pages, they hope to increase their search engine rankings.
So now it makes sense. It’s still nefarious, but at least it’s logical. The same author also warns that leaving comment spam on your site may lead to more spam, because spammers search for sites that already have spam, thinking that “there’s a site where my spam will remain for a while.”
By the way, I believe I have found a solution. It’s a plugin for Movable Type developed by a charitable code jockey and distributed for free. This, in direct opposition to my complaints on lack of social awareness, is the way people should be: willing to help one another, share talents for the overall good. I find this fairly often among the small community of Movable Type users (where, invariably, I’m the one needing help, not giving it). I’ll set it up.
Patrick • Stuffs • 10/14/03 • 4 comments
Comments
Patrick • 10/14/03 • 10:24 AM:By the way, I believe we all receive an email notification when someone posts a comment to one of our entries, right? So that’s another way of getting rid of spam. If you ever get notice of spam, tell me right away, and I’ll delete it. I also think you all can delete comments on your own entries, but I’m not sure. Let me know.
Dad • 10/14/03 • 11:07 PM:Correct. The author gets an email when a comment is posted to his entry. Also, I think an author can delete comments on his entry. We can certainly try it with the next spam.
Dad • 10/14/03 • 11:26 PM:Regarding that “willingness to help one another” attitude of which you speak, author James Redfield of The Celestine Prophecy fame suggested (in another book) a future world in which we would all voluntarily pay each other for help or information, according to what we thought it was worth. The software you referenced is indeed free, but the author offers you the opportunity to make a donation. I like the concept, which is in keeping with what the internet was once envisioned to be.
Patrick • 10/21/03 • 9:42 AM:I haven’t yet installed the plugin, but when I do, we can send the guy a donation, accoring to the program’s usefulness and our ability to pay. I remember a Little Rascals episode where the kids put on a play that was “pay as you exit.” If you weren’t satisfied, you didn’t have to pay. But I forget what happened, if people liked the play and payed, or if Butch tried to get out without paying, or what.
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