12/07: Blog Spam Update

Just a quick update on the recent blog comment and trackback spam posts. 

Since installing captcha on both Wordpress and Nucleus blogs, comment spam has been virtually eliminated - for now. Akismet is no longer having to deal with several hundred spam comments a week and I'm no longer having to manually delete them from either of my blogs. I know captchas are unpopular with many readers, but, if a blog owners wants commenting to remain they really are a necessary evil.

Trackback spam continues to arrive and get blocked and I dare say it will probably continue to rise!

Interestingly, since posting about this, I came across a very enlightening piece entitled Interview With A Link Spammer which gives you some idea of what you are up against with serious blog spammers, and just what their motivation is.

You may also like to read up on a new "service" called BuyBlogComments which on the face of it is just another service to help people spam blogs with dubious comments aimed solely at increasing Google Page rank. (potential buyers of such a service will doubtless be unaware of the developments at Google to tighten up on the effect paid / sponsored links have on page rank). Both Darren Rowse at ProBlogger and Josh Catone at Read/Write Web have already expressed their reservations. I won't add my opinions on the  service, there are plenty enough of them already so you can draw your own conclusions.

I think Google need to look seriously at abandoning the whole page rank system, perhaps removing it from the public eye altogether. Many bloggers are unhappy with the rel=nofollow attribute which is really a bodge job introduced by Google to try and combat a problem of their own making. We shall watch developments with interest.

 TCH

Remember - For Email Spam Report Them Via SpamCop.net