If it looks like spam and tastes like spam, it’s probably spam.

But what if it looks like ham and tastes like ham, could it be spam? Good question…

Apparently, if this “revolutionary” Blog Commentator software is any guide, spam that looks real is just fine and dandy.

This genius named Jason Thompson (whoops, maybe he’s a guru) has released some new blog commenting software that uses some screen-reading technology to actually “read” blog posts and leave thoughtful, relevant comments. Apparently it’s the same principle as contextual ad networks like Adsense.

Hey, what good would one of these sales letter be without outrageous claims?!

I’ll have to rank this right up there in quality with the BuyBlogComments service.

No one is going to buy this. I don’t care if they’re “limiting this launch to the first 300 people” and the slots will most likely “fill up in 30 minutes.” I can’t even tell you how many ebooks I’ve seen where they “sold out” the first day, only to [big surprise] find an extra 1000 copies in the supply room the next day.

And that even happens when they’re selling ebooks, which don’t take up all that much space in the supply room!

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If business meetings took place on blogs…

Part 1:

Part 2:

Hahahaha!

Thank you College Humor!

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There are a number of ways to block spam. If you have a blog, you’ve probably tried a few. If you’ve ever commented on a blog, you’ve probably seen a few in use.

I’ve been using Akismet since I started blogging, and I’ve been happy with it. But there are other ways. Captcha images, math plugins, questions, and more.

For now it’s “Is fire hot or cold?” and “What is the sum of 7 and 4?” but who knows what the future holds. Someone out there is probably working on an anti-spam plugin that requires you to solve physics and/or calculus equations!

Before you can comment, we have to make sure you are qualified as a rocket scientist. Just answer this simple question and your comment will be approved:

What is the cosine of an ultraviolet wave traveling at a velocity of 27 kilojoules with a frequency of 3, as it extends perpendicular to the angle of inference, in an isotonic solution?

While the grad students go try to figure that out, let’s look at what the people with street smarts are doing: WP-SpamFree

It’s simple. Few spam bots can process JavaScript, and few can process cookies. Ever fewer can process both. However, 99% of your visitors will have no problems with either JavaScript or cookies.

So they made a plugin that uses JavaScript and cookies to block the bots while avoiding the need for captchas and math questions. It’s not rocket science - it’s better than rocket science. I prefer to use the term practical.

I’ve been using it for a week or so and it has blocked 100% of comment spam, giving Akismet a well-deserved vacation! The only thing that has made it past WP-SpamFree was trackback spam, but Akismet caught that with no problem.

WP-SpamFree gets Sucker’s Seal of Approval!

Photo credit: IRRI Images

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I’m a little late to the BuyBlogComments debate, but there’s no way I could resist chiming in on such a topic…

If you haven’t heard, BuyBlogComments is a new service letting you pay people to go comment on blogs and leave your URL, supposedly increasing your SERPs. They claim it’s not spam, even though it sounds quite a bit like spam.

Blog comments help your site rank better in the SERPs. We hired a few people who go through a list of blogs in a database we set up and pick out blogs that are in your niche. They then read through blog posts and leave a comment that has to do with the blog post they read, that way it won’t get deleted. Your backlink will then be on a targeted blog, giving you more weight in the search engines.

OK, so we all know what good comments are and how to spot comment spam, and we have a good idea of what this service does. Or do we? Until we actually see case studies, we’ll never know if their comments are any good.

And that’s a big deal considering the price. It costs $20 to get 100 comments. If you are a high roller and order 1000 comments, you’ll pay $199. Yep, you save an entire $1 by buying in bulk!

While we might not like the service, being the savvy bloggers we are, we know what linkbait is - I’ll be the first to admit that this service is working as a nice piece of linkbait for this Jon Waraas character!

I don’t really need to go into the debate of whether or not this is a good idea, because Darren at ProBlogger.net already gave a good opinion on it. He has a good debate going there, so check it out.

But what I will go into is what can happen if this service doesn’t fulfill its promise 100%…

And I’ll do it by telling you a little story about what happened today…

Around noon, I noticed a weird comment that slipped past Akismet. It was a well-written comment, but it was about golf, and I don’t write about golf on here. So that gave it away that this was a spammer…

Hello Everyone,

I am a golfer myself and I like to play whenever I get a chance.
A short while ago, a very good friend of mine told me about a great golfing equipment and accessories website that has discounted prices on all their products, same day shipping in most cases and there is no state sales tax, they are paying that.
So if any golfer here is ready to save some money on quality products at highly discounted prices, you might want to check out their site at; http://hoffmangolf.com

(Click here to see the screenshot.)

This idiot pissed me off enough to go to the site, ready to complain. But when I clicked his link, that URL redirected me to GolfOutletsUSA.com, a real golf store. I was a bit puzzled… then I saw a link to their affiliate program!

I think we have an unscrupulous affiliate here that is partaking in blatant blog comment spam, trying to get traffic through his link to the golf store, so he can earn a commission. I doubt the merchant approves of this tactic. (I’ll be contacting them just to check, though.)

Now how does this relate to BuyBlogComments?

Well, let’s just consider that the commentators working for BuyBlogComments are human. And humans make mistakes sometimes.

If one of those commentators leaves a lame comment, or leaves the wrong comment by accident, your site could be in trouble!

Think about it - bloggers are going to be extra vigilant about their comments now because of this service, and if they think you are spamming them, they might just let everyone else on the internet know about it. It could be considered as publicity, but it could result in people hating you…

Your choice

[This post originally appeared at InternetMarketingSucks.com]

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For anyone new to Wordpress that isn’t using the Akismet plugin, I have some advice for you: Start using it!

When I first started with Wordpress, I didn’t know what Akismet was. I only knew that you needed an API key, and since I didn’t have one, I just ignored it. Boy was that a bad decision.

I heard about the wonders of Akismet when I was searching for ways to stop all this blog comment spam, so I bit the bullet and started using it. It was extremely easy to get started, and your blog probably has Akismet bundled with it to begin with.

First, get an API key. To do that, just head on over to www.wordpress.com and sign-up for an account. If you only want the API key, you can choose “just a username, please.” Then they will email you your account information, including the API key. (The key is near the bottom of the email.)

Then just go to the “Plugins” tab in your blog and activate Akismet. Enter your API key where necessary.

Like magic, your comment spam will disappear!

Well, it won’t really disappear, but Akismet will hide it so you never have to deal with it. It will save lots of time and will save you from the let down when you get excited about comments which just turn out to be spam

Since 95% of all blog comments are spam, I recommend installing Akismet right now!

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