What Is Spam? How Do You Handle It?

Welcome to What’s On Your Mind – a place to share your thoughts and see what others think about issues near and dear to a blogger’s heart!

This Week’s Topic: Spam

This week, I’d like to hear your thoughts on Spam. This topic has been on my mind a lot as of late for several reasons.

First, I’ve increasingly noticed a change in the types of comments I am defining as spam on my blog – which has led me to wonder what you classify as spam on your blog.

Second, on several forums, I’ve seen discussions where bloggers who have shared information about their blogs or have extended invitations to visit have been accused of spamming – which raises the questions, what is spam and can normal activities be construed as spam under certain circumstances?

Finally, I wonder what measures other bloggers take to effectively reduce spam on their blogs.

The official questions are below but, as always, you are welcome to discuss anything that is relevant to the topic at hand. The information you share this week will benefit us all, so as always, we eagerly await your response!

Questions

1. What do you define as Spam when it comes to your blog?

2. What steps do you take to prevent and eliminate Spam on your blog?

Past Topics

I’m excited to share that the comments are still rolling in on these hot topics – so if you haven’t already done so, be sure to make your opinions count!

Blog Hops
Your Biggest Blogging Challenges 
What You’d Most Like To Learn, Blogging-Wise
How To Handle Blog Comments

Have a fabulous weekend, and be sure to enter The Gift Basket Design Book Giveaway before it closes on  April 16th!

Shared With:

Aloha Friday
Amy’s Finer Things
Thursday Two Questions
Lower Your Alexa Weekly Hop
The Weekend Creation Blog Hop

37 Responses to “What Is Spam? How Do You Handle It?”

Read below or add a comment...

  1. Nikki says:

    I consider spam to be a.) comments that don't make any sense and have random links within and b.) comments that don't pertain to anything on my blog lol…
    I use wordpress so I have it set up to where I have to approve first time commenters. It really helps keep the spam off my blog 🙂

  2. Marlene says:

    I get a few comments from fellow bloggers who just want comments in return (and seem to know I always oblige…lol)…..and they're not in the least bit interested in my content….but I let 'em stay because they aren't hurting anything.

    The ones I immediately trash (though they very rarely make it past my spam catcher even though I REFUSE to use comment moderation on current day posts or that awful Word Verification thing) are the ones Nikki above mentioned in (a) those that don't make any sense and have random links within them. (i.e., escort services, porn links, penis enhancements, etc.)

  3. SquirrelQueen says:

    I rarely see the spam comments anymore but when I first started there were many. The ones I call spam sound more like an ad than a comment. If you follow the link back to their blog it is nothing but ads, no blog content at all.

    I got rid of word verification but I still moderate any comments on posts that are over one day old.

  4. Nisey says:

    I, too hate spam and watch out for them on my blog. I had to adjust the settings.

    I am now following you from Follow Friday Over 40. Would love for you to follow back. http://www.soulfulsandstone.com

  5. Melissa + Tiffany @ Home Grown Families says:

    UGH!!! I am getting weird comments from Insurance ppl or something. I don't approve those comments. 🙂 They always say something stupid then have _____ Insurance (w/ a hyperlink) after it.
    Personally, I think the e-mails we get sharing the 'good news' that we can 'now' post about their upcoming movie or book or something with these 'links your readers will enjoy!' stuff is spam. Sorry, not working for free for your mega-trillion dollar Hollywood Co. 🙂 Sorry- pet peeve.
    There are a TON of 'rules' for Mom bloggers that aren't written down anywhere. When Melissa first brought me on a year ago she would tell me every other day 'oh, you can't do that.' I wasn't spamming- I just didn't know. I wasn't privy to the 'common knowledge' of blogging. So, I don't consider most of them spammers- unless it's something REALLY common sense- like meaningful comments!! (Another pet peeve.) :)))
    Tiffany

  6. Self Sagacity says:

    I get anonymous, they are 99% spam comments testing to see if you have the approval on. Recently I put the anonymous= spam= delete in my comment section, and wow, what a difference. now I get 2-5 a week, while before it was atleast 5 a day!
    Thanks for linking and playing this week. 🙂

  7. Cuzinlogic says:

    I don't get much spam. Akismet is great about catching spam, especially the ones with links to porn, pharmacy info, escort services….

    I consider spam to be:

    Random comments that don't have anything to do with the post or blog.

    Links to sites that don't have anything to do with my blog or post.

    Random comments with a link to a event or giveaway.

    I also dislike when I enter a giveaway and receive emails about other events and giveaways, without my permission.

  8. Tat says:

    I define spam as comments coming from bots, not humans, and I used to have CAPCHA to prevent it, until someone alerted me that this also limits access to my blog for vision and hearing impaired readers. Now I've installed another pluggin on my WordPress blog which is somehow meant to identify who is human and who is not without the end user having to do anything. It is working pretty good, but I still have to check the spam folder, because occasionally some good comments end up there.

    I also have a blogger blog and I have the CAPCHA on, but I am thinking of turning that off, too. Just haven't gotten around to it yet.

  9. Terry says:

    Wow… great minds think alike.

    Because I have a health blog, I get tons of spam. Plastic surgeons, sure fire cures, I even get hookers wanting on my blog.

    I moderate my comments. I was going to only let google members on because of the amount of spam I get. But.. a lot of my comments are from people who are sick and searching the web. They need help and I am here to help them…. So I let everyone comment and just delete, delete, delete any comment that I think is spam.

  10. The Social Frog says:

    Spam to me is anything gibberish, about porn sites and many other crappy things. It never gets on my blog though, WordPress has really good tools but it can get annoying anyways.

  11. Atlanta says:

    Hello! I am a new follower from Finding New Friends blog hop! Looking forward to checking in with your blog often! I hope you will follow my new blog!

    My blog:

    Facebook:
    http://www.facebook.com/AtlantaMilitaryMomBlog

  12. I am Harriet says:

    Delete, delete, delete. Usually, the spam is being left by a computer from far away.

  13. Giggle, Laugh, Cry says:

    Hi, I stopped by from the Follow Friday. New follower. Please visit my blog too if you like: gigglelaughcry.blogspot.com

  14. Deni says:

    I can honestly say that I haven't really had any spam on my blog. I have the settings as such that bots can't leave comments and if someone leaves something I don't like, I just don't post it…I have to moderate comments

  15. Rebecca says:

    I have my settings on my blog set up to notify me of spam so I can delete. Those would be the random comments that aren't even relevant. Now as far as other bloggers including their site address when making relevant comments, I don't consider that spam.

    BTW, Thanks for checking out The Copper Brick Road! I'm following you back!

  16. Bruna says:

    Spam = comments that make no sense and have random links. They are annoying and I despise seeing them:)

    Visiting via Follow Friday!
    Added myself to your Google Friend Connect:)

  17. Cara says:

    Good morning!

    I'm a new follower from Boost My Blog Friday at Design it Chic!

    To answer you questions, I rarely get actual spam though I do get A LOT of weird tracking hits on my site counter. I have it set to approve comments and usually approve all comments unless it's obvious that the comment is not from a trustworthy source.

    I have been guilty of commenting just to comment but it's mostly because I have nothing to say. I mean, I try to compliment what I think is compliment worthy but I'm just naturally more of a blog stalker. I ALWAYS read the posts; it's just a matter of coming up with something eloquent to say about it. Ha!

    I really just ignore spam. I don't have to deal with that much so it's not really a big deal for me.

    Thanks for asking!

    Cara

    http://miscellaneousme.wordpress.com

  18. JamericanSpice says:

    Spam it things from anonymous (usually) that has nothing to do with my blog, i.e. leaving a link to viagra.

    I get all comments so I can delete them when necessary.

    And for older posts over 30 days old. I have to approve comments before they show up.

    And I also stopped all anonymous comments and so far that has helped tremendously.

    Aloha!

  19. Xmas Dolly says:

    Hi Java sent me over, and I'm your latest follower. Nice to meet you. Spam to me is unwanted advertisement I did not sign up for. It is also from people I don't know nor want too! I would like to know every one I mark Spam I thought our email company is supposed to grab so I won't get it anymore. Does your company do that mine doesn't. Have a great weekend.

  20. simplycathi says:

    All new commenters on our blog are moderated. If we designate one as spam they're unable to leave anymore comments.
    Happy Aloha Friday!!

  21. Lui says:

    Hi Paper Princess!

    I use comments moderation so I avoid spam mails. Blogger notifies you of spam comments so that helps too.

    But the 'spam' that other bloggers refer to are 'stalkers' who visit yet do not read your post (sometimes they ask questions whose answers are in the post!) and add links and request you to follow. You can either ignore or simply delete if it gets too bothersome.

  22. Stacy Uncorked says:

    Luckily I use Askimet with my WordPress self-hosted blog – as of right now it's already filtered out 26,307 spam comments. I have 80 to sift through to make sure none are 'legitimate' ones, but I can usually scroll through fairly quickly since they're usually nonsense or weird. 🙂

    I haven't been spammed by other bloggers, though – or at least I don't count some of the comments as 'spam' when they stop by to follow me from a hop and you can tell they didn't read the post itself. No biggie! 🙂

    Aloha: Getting Smart

  23. Shannons Funpage says:

    New follower- I love the topic. Found you through blog hop!

  24. April Decheine says:

    Been blogging since 2005 mostly on blogger, never had a problem.. Just so they don't bug me with stupid stuff that makes zero sense I don't care 🙂 My newest blogs are more social so it is a learning curve for me, I just added GFC when I was asked how many "followers do I have" when I was filling out apps for certain things LOL, I was like, Uuugh.. 🙂

    So here I am from I think Over Forty Friday, I get lost while blog hopping!! I DO look forward to checking out your blog.
    Please visit my Lifestyle show 🙂
    Aprils Lifestyle Show

  25. Rajee says:

    I came to know you from blog hop. Please follow my blog, and let me know to return the favor

    please follow my facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Moms-Focus-on-Cyber-World/143647461954

  26. shah wharton says:

    Great topic – read most of the comments above too and it seems we have a running consensus regarding spam. I don't get too much really. I've the spam filter on my blogger blog and it works fine. The odd one slips through – usually anonymous commenters with religious affiliations. This one says stuff like – hallelujah, or praise the lord or such like. I don't appreciate any anon commenters. If your can't stand by a name who care about your comments?
    The worst spam i got was one linked to my email address and blog – advertising a pyramid scheme to my subscribers and blogging readers!! I was livid. I changed the email address sign in details and they disappeared thankfully. I don't how they did that!!?

    Thanks for linking this up at Weekend Creation Blog Hop – Shah .X

  27. Hands to Work, Hearts to God says:

    Spam is when it's not a comment about the post but an ad. I got spam only once before and I deleted it right away. I've not been bothered with it again even if I don't have word verification. Patsy from
    HeARTworks

  28. Serendipity Stamping says:

    I don't really get any of this kind of thing on my blog. Hope I am not doing any to people myself. I take the blog as a specific blog with comments on their creations and their daily lives as it is my understanding a "blog" is actually a type of communication to those that are interested.

  29. Melissa says:

    I have been so fortunate so far with only one spam comment. I have never used word verify (it drives me crazy). I do have it set to moderation after 1 day.
    Spam ~ well those would be those who post meaningless comments. I really dislike when someone will just post their blog name and link and say nothing on my post. That irritates me to and I delete those. While I don't mind people putting a link to their blog in their comments, they should at least comment on my post right?

  30. spearmint baby says:

    ok, here are my thoughts…
    this morning i had 3 pen. enlargement messages on my blog- this is SPAM ! (i had turned off the word verification on thursday because of my blog hop)…
    any blogger who posts on my blog that they want me to visit their blog is NOT spam to me. i welcome any bloggers who would go to the effort that they want me to visit. i take this as a compliment and i know that they are working hard to grow their audience.

    just my 2 cents. have a wonderful weekend and thanks for joining my Alexa blog hop. i am going to be doing this every thursday because it REALLY works to lower your rank. xo, shari

  31. mmbear says:

    I follow thru GFC but need followers on Facebook and Twitter also. I am going to try and do reviews (no contests, yet, too nervous) but found out they look at Facebook and Twitter numbers along with your GFC numbers. I had only been concentrating on GFC so I am really behind. I would appreciate any help or suggestions and if could follow however you feel you can I would be very grateful. If you need me to follow another way besides GFC let me know and I will return the favor. Thanks and have a great day!

    Mary@http://mmbearcupoftea.blogspot.com

  32. ~Lisa says:

    Love your blog name! I'm visiting from Follow on Friday. I try to focus on Joy as well. The best way to clear out spam is just sorting through it even though it takes time. Often, there's something important mixed in between. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend! Come visit and say hi.
    http://www.joyfuljones.com

  33. K says:

    I got my first spam comment the other day, and I was actually a little excited. What was tragic is they totally played to my ego, too, saying their cousin had reccomended my site and she loved it. It was actually a very lovely comment…until the pharmacy link at the end. 😉

    Personally, that's what I consider spam. When I first started blogging it kinda irked me that people would say things like "New follower, come do this on my site!" but then I realized that's just how things work, we all network together. I understand that sometimes, when hopping, it's a drain to come up with something personal for every new blog you join, so you keep it simple. Now, every blog I follow goes into my reader, and I DO read their posts, so I'm an actual participant, but I'm guessing this isn't always the case.

    If bloggers post a casual "Now following, please follow back." thing on a post about blog hopping, fine. To post that on another post, eh, not as fine.

    I had three ladies do that on a post about a fellow blogger being sick and needing prayers…no comment other than "Follow me."

    I deleted them.

    To me, it's kinda like meeting someone for the first time. You start out with "Hi.", not passing out your business cards.

    And I'm rambling now. 🙂

    BTW, new follower. 😀
    ~K
    bigklittlea.blogspot.com

  34. Dominique @Dominique's Desk says:

    I have a self hosted wordpress and I use ajax forced preview plugin together with askimet and it reduced spam big time.. what I would consider spam is too much ads about things I am not interested in.. or really unrelated stuff to what I am posting.
    Normally I'll just delete anything that is irrelevant.

  35. Becca @Becca's Perspective says:

    Returning the blog love. Thanks for stopping by and linking up in the Magnificent Monday Blog Hop! If you’d like to be featured as a guest host, please fill out our form next week! We’d love to feature your blog!

    Please make sure to stop by again for TGIF this week (the linky opens at 7pm Eastern on Thursday night)

    Thanks,
    Becca
    Becca's Perspective

  36. Jezzy says:

    I am only a month into my blog and have been promoting it everywhere I can. I get about 50-60 visitors a day right now. I get a ton of spam. The comments have nothing to do with content of the post or even the blog as a whole. I have my comments set to require moderation before posting unless I have approved them in the past.

    I have no problem letting other bloggers promote themselves in my comment section as long as they have a blog and that blog is where there link goes. Another thing I do is remove the hyperlink from generic comments and approve them without it.

    It's really irritating and I am hoping as I go along that the spam will get less or I will find a better filter for it. I love getting comments and hate to see that I have comments and get all excited just to find that's its only junk and not relevant at all… truly disheartening.

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