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Yep, that’s it, I have had it. From now on, the prescribed punishment for those not adhering to the Comment Policy will be 24 hours in the specially made blogger stocks, where all other bloggers can throw rotten tomatoes and other forms of vile decomposing matter at them. I reckon that there may even be some adventurous among them who will dodge the missiles in their attempt to write some little messages on the foreheads of those miscreants who insist on flouting the rules.
All in all, I must say that the comments on this blog are of a high quality, and that’s because the comment policy exists and I am pretty diligent in making sure that people on the whole stick to the rules. However, it seems that more and more people are ignoring the section that states I require a name and not a keyword. Now don’t give me that crap that you’re sorry and how you didn’t know because you haven’t read the comment policy, because it says as clear as day above the comment form that;
Please leave a comment but remember SPAM will not be tolerated I reserve the right to modify or delete any comments. Please use a Name and not a keyword, if you need to use a keyword follow the KeywordLuv instructions at the bottom of the comment box.
The reason for this is simple, I want to have some sort of idea of who I am talking to. “Making Money By The Bucket Load” or some other BS keyword does not help m to know who really left the comment.
If you have to leave a keyword do it in the following fashion. John@Better Homes which would input John from Better Homes Says. In this way I get to see who left the comment and you get to leave a keyword. If you do not follow this rule I will have no choice but to throw the first tomato, and I am a bloody good shot.
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Way to reiterate things, Sire, but now I have to pick on you because you, uhhh, have two grammatical errors in your second paragraph. And, since these aren’t typos, you’re still way behind me in finding such things on my blog. :twisted_wp:
Mitch´s Last blog post..The Keys
Obviously they were intentional Mitch, placed there specifically for you, because I know how much you love catching me out, grammatically and otherwise.
Then I feel honored for your making me feel smart and stuff.
Mitch´s Last blog post..Infolinks
Oh, it’s not just that, I just like giving you something to do. :smile2_ee:
T-E-S-T-I-N-G
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The Smiling Yan
Blogging Tips´s Last blog post..Where Are You? and So They Ask
A-H-A……I’m the exception. My spammy comment above went through….. ;)
You know I don’t and never spam anyone E-V-E-R. Matter of fact, I’ve deleted lots of comments on my blog recently, more so in the beginning of the month when everyone is eyeing for the Top Commentator list.
Blog commenting has taken a whole new level. It’s no longer about connecting with fellow bloggers or voicing one’s opinion on the topic of discussion.
IT IS NOW about who gets the more site-wide links from TC. It’s a pity that many do not realize the fact that Google is not putting much weight on site-wide links (e.g. blogroll, top commentator list) anymore.
Good luck, S-P-A-M-M-E-R-S
Yan
I’ll let that one ride Yan, otherwise your second comment would make no sense and everyone would think you were starting to lose it.
The highest quality of comments here, Sire! If I criticise you it will be from the highest peak. Anyway what you Aussies call mountains we in NZ call hills.
Cheers
peter
True, but at least our mountains know how not to blow their tops. Thanks for coming by Peter.
[...] Punishing Those Who Do Not Adhere To The Comment Policy (wassupblog.com) [...]
I was thinking of changing my handle to: “Make A Million Dollars Online Today.” I feel for you especially since you have CommentLuv and KeywordLuv. What else do commenters want?
I did it a bunch of times when I first started commenting out of ignorance, but I picked it up after a few weeks. In the end, the name helps in terms of getting to know the blogger anyway. That’s the only person who is going to click thru in most cases.
Gennaro´s Last blog post..8 Best Chocolate Shops In NYC
I tell you Gennaro, it certainly has me scratching my head on quite a few occasions. I figure they can’t be that dumb. I’ve let a few slip in the past, but I’m going to be a lot tougher from now on.
It’s a good idea to go all the way through with your policy. I mean there’s no point in having one if you’re not going to execute it (so that everyone does what they want). Good for you for sticking with it although I predict that you will waste some time on it.
Thanks Tom. It’s not like I get that many spammy comments that it’s going to take too much of my time, and I’m not too worried that I will upset anyone, as those sort of people rarely come back anyway.
Hi Sire
I tried the keyword love thing about 2 posts ago, with a keyword after my name, but it just seemed to go funny, maybe I did something wrong, so will be easier just to leave a name. Sometimes simplicity is the easiest thing. How is the issue with finding the problematic links going? Did you finally get it resolved so there are no spikes. I’ve had an issue since upgrading to 2.7 in that the plugins have an error message when you try to active them, but when you click back in the browser, they seem OK. I guess i shouldn’t have been adventurous by doing a manual upgrade.
Hi Kahled, I’m not sure why it didn’t work, perhaps next time it will. As to that issue, we still have not been able to resolve it. Hopefully soon.
I personally don’t mind people leaving comments using keywords.
But I would appreciate it if they would leave a name at the end of the comment, just so I know who I’m talking to.
Dintz´s Last blog post..FEMA Prison Camps and the 1970 Stabilization Act
Hi Dintz, welcome to WassupBlog. I’ve actually installed a plugin, keywordluv, that enables people to do just that but I am quite happy if they sign their name at the end, as long as I know who I am talking to. Naturally, if I get the impression that the comment was just for the sake of been able to leave their keyword and I feel it doesn’t add anything to the conversation or blog topic there is every chance that it will disappear.
That’s always been my point, Dintz. I’d like to have some kind of name, even a nickname, so that when I respond, I don’t feel stupid replying to “hot wet toast”, or something like that.
“hot wet toast” now there is a niche site with no competition.
Ned Carey´s Last blog post..Great Marketing With a Sense of Humor!
I personally feel that adding keywords is like trying to exploit rather than add something to the post the blogger made. I mean, having a comment with a keyword to say “nice post” is just a waste of time and i generally mark them as spam so they won’t bother me again. Most of them look legit, meaning that someone actually wrote them rather than a bot, but still they are words scattered around the subject just to inject their stupid keyword. This kind of behavior is to me like saying “i don’t give a s**t about your content i just want to advertise my self”. well f**k you! anyways sorry i guess i needed to vent of a little bit. as you did, i have let a couple go through just because they looked legit but nothing more. it’s better having no comment rather than stupid advertisements…
stratosg´s Last blog post..Hosting variables 101
>I personally feel that adding keywords is like trying to exploit
I understand that many blog host feel this way and I respect it, but I STRONGLY disagree with it. What is the point of “Do Follow” if it only helps the recipient rank highly for their own name? Does it make sense to say, I will give you a do follow link but I don’t want it to have any value?
I understand the desire to know who you are replying to if you are a blog host, but the is easily addressed by having the commenter sign his or her name in the post. I always signed my name to a post if I used keywords.
I seems to me the the real issue is, how valid is the comment. If it is a great comment I don’t care the the commenter wants to maximize his or her link as a side benefit. If it is clear that the poster only wants to get a link, keyword or not it is still spam.
Ned Carey´s Last blog post..2009 Baltimore City Tax Sale Announced
Hey Ned, long time no see. I am quite happy that they leave a keyword as long as they also leave a name, either at the end of the post or via the keywordluv plugin. Having said that, if they wish their comment to remain on the blog, it has to pass my quality control. After long consideration I’ve decided that yours has made the grade.
well in my humble opinion Google PR hunting through commenting, besides worthless, it’s not right. i mean a commenter should write a comment because he feels he needs to thank the blogger or add something to the content posted. if the sole purpose is to promote himself then it’s not right. the way i treat my comment everyday activity is that i comment either to say “hey this is great… thanks!” or to add something of value to the post. i never added a keyword. the only gain i might have is that another visitor might see my comment and be interested in my blog.
all this difference might be relied on the way i see blogging. it’s something i do for fun and have fun visiting blogs. i get informed, find out stuff and generally do it for my self. some “pro” bloggers try to promote rather than visit. that is the kind of ones i do not agree with. and in my blog i want visitors no promoters.
please Ned do not take this as an offense i am just telling you how i see things. thanks for leaving a nice comment and giving feed for a very constructive discussion…
stratosg´s Last blog post..Hosting variables 101
Ooops, I missed this earlier. Stratosg, I think we agree more than we disagree.
I think someone should leave a comment because they have something constructive to add, not simply to get a link. If the blog owner is generous enough to give a dofollow link back (thank you Sire), why shouldn’t that link be as valuable as possible?
I do think that anyone who uses keywords should sign there name to a post.
PS I put my money where my mouth is and my blog is do follow w/comment Luv
There is a side issue here, that the blog admin see more then readers…..”name skimmers”.
I wirte about this in my posts. They are the reason I killed the option to keyword the name field as long as you sign the post.
Say 5 people kw the field and leave the best comments you’ve ever had; great! But now, you have these skimmer morons who simply skim the name fields on the downward scroll only to see if others are leaving keywords do they feel they can too, without actually seeing anything else.
Bad.
Dennis Edell´s Last blog post..Blog Comment Tip: Add A CommentLuv Link With No Plugin (sneaky!)
The easy fix would be to leave the comment and edit their keywords. I have done that on more than one occasion.
Hey Stratos, I hope that made you feel better, I know that it certainly made my day. Reading that comment was almost as if I I was listening to your tirade while you were in the room. I was just about to offer you a beer or coffee or something. Don’t worry mate, there are thousands of bloggers who know exactly how wee feel.
i hope i wasn’t too loud :) actually without you knowing you found a trait of mine… i tend to be loud when i argue. i guess i get too passionate… and about that coffee… make it a hot one cause it’s pretty cold here today ;)
stratosg´s Last blog post..Hosting variables 101
No worries mate, there are occasions when I get a little hot under the collar as well. Must be something to do with that hot European blood coursing through our veins.
I usually accept all comments unless they are spammy as hell. They should be more clever and make up names with their keywords in them.
Like Mr. Viagrat or Mrs. Cheappi lls or Ms. Matu Rewoman ;)
Donace | The Nexus´s Last blog post..Link Power – How to get the best links
Damn Donace, don’t give them ideas. They may just take you up on it.
I swore I would never install that plugin for reason which are mine. However I’ve been considering it more and more lately…
The thing is, some might get offended by the title of the post I’d write to introduce it. ;)
Dennis Edell´s Last blog post..Blog Comment Tip: Add A CommentLuv Link With No Plugin (sneaky!)
Which plugin is that Dennis, the keywordluv one? Now you have to install it and write the post because I want to have a gander at that title.
Personally I delete all comments that have even a slightly processed meat smell. Maybe I’m punishing a legitimate (but poor at writing) person, but you can find “lol” and “nice post” anywhere. I also punish anyone with Busby SEO in their name, whether URL or keyword, some of them do leave semi-legit comments but their entire reason for posting is to up their own ranking so they gt to go to /dev/null.
Why does no one think of the blogger??
I suppose that the answer to your question is pure selfishness, which is something that is found even outside the blogging world. There are so many people who walk through their daily life without ever thinking how their actions may be affecting someone else. Too bad we can’t ‘akismet’ them.
Yeah, only if they’re daft enough to use their own IP address I guess. I suppose you could blacklist the word “busby” but then you wouldn’t be able to write a post about Matt Busby or the old British Telecom mascot (although the spelling is slightly different).
You got to admit ray that some of them are not the brightest sparks.
I am glad that you posted this because it gives me the opportunity to ask for clarification for those of us who believe it is unwise or worse to continue to use our “real” names online.
I have many posts in my blog filed under Privacy and Data Mining that explain why I use an alternate wherever I post publicly. Refer to the comments in the Free is not Free post for the most detail.
Since I started my new blog I have used Internet Strategist as my “name” except in one blog where the owner feels that is a keyword phrase and there I use GrowMap instead.
When I read a comment policy like yours I’m never certain what the best course of action is for me to take. If it is a blog I wish to interact with like this one and share with others I usually ask – so I’m asking.
Yes, Internet Strategist could be considered a keyword phrase although that isn’t how I intended it. Most reply to me as Internet or Strategist or IS and that works for me.
I suppose the blog that considers GrowMap more acceptable decided that sounded less like a keyword phrase that anyone would be searching on. Do you have a preference for how I interact here?
InternetStrategist´s Last blog post..Why You Should Enter These Contests and Giveaways – Send Us YOUR Contest NOW
You do raise a valid point, one which I also raised on another blog as ‘Sire’ is obviously not my real name. The solution is to do exactly what you have done, ask the blogger as to what they would prefer. In your situation IS is fine as I would find it a lot easier to respond to than the longer version.
Oh, before I forget, thanks for asking.
By the way, IS, though you’re worried about using real names on the internet, anyone with a little bit of savvy can find out your name. For instance, I probably know your name already, but I’m not going to post it out of respect for you. Thing is, to me at least, it’s not real names that get one in trouble as much as some of the other information they might give out. For me, my business site has my address because, well, it’s my main business site. For my other business site, I have my phone number, but anyone who looks it up is going to get a weird name, because I gave a false name to put in the phone book, which you can do legitimately as long as you use your real name for the bill.
Now, if someone wants to know what my middle name is,… good luck finding that one online! lol
While an intelligent human who had a reason could possibly figure out anyone’s name, the concern is the data mining computers that will be making lists. As luck would have it, you can check out the link to Dintz’ blog above to see what I mean. There is no reason to make it easier than necessary.
Yes, anyone can trace IP addresses and possibly get your name from your ISP – if you use your name on that account. Figuring out how to be completely invisible online – if that is even possible – is not something I’ve done.
I do recall someone once offering a PC that supposedly could not be tracked for a cool million dollars. Maybe it was; maybe it wasn’t. There are so many tracking mechanisms there is no telling where they all are. Have you seen the movie Enemy of the State?
InternetStrategist´s Last blog post..REVIEW: Mastering Google Analytics FREE eCourse
@ growmap,
>When I read a comment policy like yours I’m never certain what the best course of action is for me to take.
You could use real name – just not your name, as your online persona. Or a consistent nickname a la Sire.
>There is no reason to make it easier than necessary.
I can think of one; To build your brand. I DO NOT want to be anonymous on the net. I want people to know who I am. When you are in business you want to get your name out there. It builds credibility and trust.
Ned Carey´s Last blog post..Great Marketing With a Sense of Humor!
I DO use a consistent nickname and brand: Internet Strategist at GrowMap.com. That isn’t really anonymous – it just isn’t a name printed on a birth certificate. Anyone who runs across my comments anywhere – in blogs, at Twitter or FriendFeed or cliKball “knows” who I am.
(Check out the comment below this one from Brian and you’ll see what I mean.)
InternetStrategist´s Last blog post..Blog Traffic Up 54.87% in the Last 30 Days: Our Proven Traffic Improvement Strategy
Yes, I know I have seen your name several places now after first seeing it here. And yes you can build a brand that way.
I think for most people however, using a real name and a real picture will build credibility faster.
If it wasn’t for this conversation which brought your name to the forefront in my mind I wouldn’t have noticed you or given you any credibility as quickly.
Ned Carey´s Last blog post..Warren Buffett Says Now is the Time to Buy
Nice to see you here GrowMap. Imagine that!
The blogosphere may be huge but individual niches are not. I run into many of the same people – like you – wherever we travel online.
I picture you on an English field walking up and down the line of men giving this speech like Braveheart. Down with the Keyword abusers long live the Sire.
All joking aside good to see you taking a stance. I’ve not had much problem…yet.
The Blogger Source´s Last blog post..Twitpay Beta – Send Money Using Twitter
I don’t know, I sort of picture myself on a black stallion with a sword lopping off the heads of people that are annoying me.
Hey Sire,
I punish them by sending them to the Akismet spam filter. However I am lenient because newbies don’t necessarily know what is inappropriate. I cringe at some of my own early comments.
But if you want to be tough Brian Hawkins says he changes their link to this
http://lowlifespammer.com/
Hey Ned, I try to be gentle in my deliberations. Obviously I may make an error in judgment at times, but it’s all for a good cause.
I really don’t see a problem with using my real name. I go by Brandon or TAM, really for no particular reason, It just depends on what my fingers type when I set down to leave a comment on a blog.
You bring up some thoughtful points for me to consider for the future of my blog though.
Thanks Sire!
The Almost Millionaire´s Last blog post..How Low Can Stocks Go???
No worries Brandon, you just have to remember to include your name somewhere in the post so as to keep everybody happy.
So is my use of Kikolani ok? I consider it more of a nickname than a keyword, but I am happy to change it as I don’t want to find myself in blogger stocks with rotten tomato juice in my hair. :)
~ Kristi
Kikolani´s Last blog post..Fetching Friday – Design, Blogging Resources & More
Kristi, anything you do is OK with me
I second that Kristi
Hey Sire, did you see how I’m punishing comment spammers? I have to be careful here. I had a comment actually deleted as spam today for the first time in my life. I won’t mention any names ;)
I don’t see anything on links in the comment body of your comment policy but I replace the spammer’s URL with LowLifeSpammer.com I used the post about it as my URL above. It doesn’t really help much but it makes me feel better sometimes. I can only do every so often or it would look like I’m trying to inflate my comment numbers. I try to stick to old posts.
Brian D. Hawkins´s Last blog post..Will Amazon.com Punish You Because Of Your Customers?
Hey Brian, I believe Ned mentioned that in one of his comments. Pretty cool idea actually. As for links in the comment, I do allow them as long as they are relevant.
Some comments spam look like real ones nowadays. So you gotta be extra careful when picking them out. Be sure you don’t let the spam go live and don’t let the live one go to spam.
I agree with the notion of spamming. However, I think that we should be able to say what we want in our comments as long as we are respectful. I think we should be able to say what we want even if we disagree. I hope in that case comments are not deleted.
Well CC, I thank you for your comment but it seems to me that you did not read the entire post and if you did you decided to disregard it when you decided to use a keyword and not a name. It left me no option other than to remove the keyword.
I use Commentluv for my blog but Keywordluv? I am not sure if I would want that on my blog at the moment. Commentluv should be good enought. Besides, most of my commentators use real name rather than keywords. Any keyword comments and they will be going to trash.
Sarah´s Last blog post..Warning: Beware of These Typos in Your Work
CommentLuv seems to be far more important right now. Many commentators don’t know how to use KeywordLuv anyway – and some object to keywords.
I don’t really understand why though. If you’re willing to give another blogger a dofollow link why limit the benefit by not allowing them to choose their own anchor text? It doesn’t cost you anything.
SPAM is SPAM – with or without Keywords – and gets promptly deleted. Thank goodness for Akismet. I’d like to ship the SPAMMERS to Antarctica and leave them out there somewhere without an Internet connection.
Now there is something we can absolutely agree on. I may have mentioned this earlier in this thread. The issue for me is not keywords – is it a good comment? As you say spam is spam and keywords have little to do with it.
Hey Sarah, nice to have you on board. Personally I much prefer a name and I have added the keywordluv plugin so people can leave their name as well as a keyword. If they leave just a keyword and do not even leave a name at the end of the post, because they are not sure how keywordluv works, then 1 of two things will happen. I will either delete the comment or remove the keyword, depending on the comment itself and the mood I’m whilst reading the comment.