Sometime this week, we should hit the half-million mark in spam comments left here on Phoenix Real Estate Guy.
Yeah 500,000 spam comments in just under six years.
Ridiculous, isn’t it?
Granted most of these get caught in the spam filter (I use Akismet. At various times I’ve tried adding in WP-SpamFree and/or Bad Behavior with mixed results). But no filter is perfect, and the spammer assaults are relentless, so it is inevitable that some slip through.
Some, like this, are obvious:
merry christmas analysis no matter how well conceived is a peripheral representation on its reality
Aside from making no sense what-so-ever, when it’s left by someone with a username of “Wholesale wheelbarrows of cash,” it obviously belongs in no place other than the spam bucket.
Lately though, I’ve been seeing a larger than usual rash of two different types of “spam” comments: 1) paid blog comments; and 2) keyword stuffed user names. These have both always been a nagging issue, and the frequency that they are left seems to wax and wane. At this moment in time, they are coming in like a tsunami.
Keyword Stuffed Names in Blog Comments
In the real estate vertical, there are some “experts” out there that actually teach people to leave comments on other blogs and to “keyword stuff” the name field. This is sold as a “linking strategy”. Most blogs (this one included) have their comment forms set up so whatever URL you leave in the comment form is linked to whatever name you put in the comment form. So you get comments left by people whose names look something like:
Buy Homes in Las Vegas (don’t bother clicking)
which is linked to their web site.
A *lot* of these comments (but not all of them) add no value at all to the discussion. They are usually quite short, along the lines of “Great post! I like this blog.” Sometimes, if the “expert” teaching this “strategy” is “good” and the poor person that believes this is a viable linking strategy is paying attention, the comments will include at least some reference to something in the article. Still, they are usually of very little substance simply because Mr. Expert is telling people to leave as many comments as they can on any and every blog they come across. Folks that buy into this BS simply don’t have time to leave comments that apply to the posting.
The Paid Blog Comment
And then there are companies out there that will deploy this “comment linking strategy” for you. At a cost of course.
A couple of years ago when I wrote, Why Paid Blog Comments are a Waste of Your Money (and my time), it was pretty easy to spot paid blog comments. They were horribly written and had nothing to do with the article.
Unfortunately, the people who offer these paid commenting services seem to be getting better. The English and grammar is reasonably good and sometimes they’re smart enough to at least scan the article and throw something into their comment that relates to it. You can still usually peg the paid comment though by the IP address of the commenter ”“ no one with a blog in the U.S. is going to be leaving a comment while they are vacationing in India, Russia, Malaysia or eastern Europe.
That is, if you have the time and patience to lookup the IP address of suspect paid comments. I don’t.
The problem with both of these “strategies” is, to be blunt, they suck. They annoy the authors of blogs they are left on, they annoy the readers, and they can lead you to being labeled as a spammer ”“ quite possibly getting your name/email blacklisted in a comment spam database. All of this is bad. Way more bad then the miniscule good you might get from a back link.
What to Do?
There are some tactics that can be deployed in the spammy / keyword stuffing / paid blog comment war.
The only complete solution is to disable comments altogether. I don’t like this idea because for me, one of the things I like most about the blog platform is the interaction that can come out of the discussion in the comments. It is tempting sometimes though to pull the trigger and just kill all comments.
I could turn on comment moderation ”“ forcing me to approve a comment before it is published. But that’s a PITA and more importantly, tends to disrupt the flow of the conversation in the comments.
I considered removing my “dofollow” plugin (as well as Comment Luv). Dofollow changes the default WordPress setup so that links left in the comment form are followed by search engines. Most experts agree that having blog comment URLs “dofollowed” makes your blog more attractive to spammers. CommentLuv is the little gizmo that puts a link to your latest blog post at the end of your comments here. But I don’t want to disable these, because I like to offer a little reward to folks who choose to take the time to comment here. Besides, I’ve tested this blog with and without dofollow and CommentLuv and don’t really see any significant changes in the spam levels.
So today I thought to myself, “self why not just ask people to use their real names?” Most people are well behaved enough to do what they are asked. And if they don’t want to leave their real name when they comment (or at least not leave keywords), then in all honesty why should I care if they go comment somewhere else?
So now I’m asking. I modified my comment form to look like this:
Will anyone notice, or pay attention?
I have no idea. Only time will tell.
I want people to comment. I like it when people comment. Comments can add a lot to a discussion. We can all learn from what other people say in blog comments. And THAT ”“ learning and sharing and contributing ”“ is why you should be commenting. Don’t do it to create back links. You WILL get people visiting your blog if you leave good quality comments. I know for a *fact* a lot of visitors here click on comment names. And you know what? If you leave quality, pertinent comments, people will find your blog, read your blog and you know what happens then?
They may link to you at some point.
A real honest-to-goodness one way non-reciprocal in context link. That’s the good kind. The kind search engines care about . The kind of link you want.
Commenting on blogs is also a viable way to get traffic to your blog. It’s a great way for readers here to get to know you. And don’t you really want them to know WHO YOU ARE? You know, like YOUR NAME.
Really, who the heck wants to be known as “Buy Homes in Las Vegas”?
The Phoenix Real Estate Guy was started by Jay Thompson, and I have a little blogging problem... he liked to say...
I’ve had an ocean of spam comments recently, but oddly enough they’ve been on a site I don’t write on much. My main site has been fairly spam-free so far this month.
I’ve struggled like you on this one, Jay. I leave my site as DOFOLLOW for comments, but I’ve considered changing. My solution has been to use commentluv, akismet, and accept that the occasional spam comment might get through.
The level of spam really seems to ebb and flow Jonathan. I have no idea why. I suppose it’s just something we have to deal with…
It’s crazy – why can’t they put that time to better or good use?!
Jay, 500,000 spam comments is a reflection of your popularity, both real people and spammers love you. I particularly liked your Bart Simpson graphic, cute!
Thanks Howard! And thanks for all your contributions here over the years.
This site has the Bart Simpson graphic generator, and a few others: http://www.addletters.com/
That’s ummmm…a milestone (of sorts 😉 ) If it takes that much spam to connect with all of the folks you have over the last few years = worth it. Way to go, Jay.
Doh!
You are a good man, my brotha!
To even be concerned about all this with the slant that you are shows that you care.
My site is young and attracts ONLY spam comments, about 20 per day. Not many but I can multiply that by 50 and get a feel for what you are dealing with.
Maybe you move to a model where you have to login, be a verified member of this site, and be logged in to comment. But then you have to add technology and I assume this would entail costs, etc.
Comment spam is just to ridiculous and it must be very irritating in large quantities.
Rob –
WordPress has built in support for requiring registration prior to commenting. It’s relatively effective at reducing spam comments. But you lose a LOT of commenters because many people won’t hassle with registering.
And on the subject of spam filtering, I always have to pull your comments out of the spam filter. I have no idea why it traps you, but if you comment on WordPress blogs and don’t see your comment appear, that’s probably why. Many bloggers don’t take the time to go through comments flagged as spam.
Personally I have no issues logging into blogs. Quote a few of them I frequent require it and I just do it.
Somewhat concerning about all my comments here going into SPAM. Not sure why or how to fix it.
I don’t seem to have the issue elsewhere. I’ll look into it some.
Thanks!
Rob – I just figured out why your comments were being flagged as spam, I had “4u” set as a flagged “word” and it’s part of your email address. Why I had that set that way, I have no idea… it was a default entry. I just removed it, so you should be good!
Thanks!
Glad I didn’t use that URL as my main one, being how “4U” is in default spam filters.
Ouch.
Jay, you’re one of the best examples of someone who provides truly useful content while conducting smart technical strategies. That so much effort is given to gaming systems is, I believe, having a real deleterious effect on the internet. Those who actually make something ”” produce real value, are being increasingly obfuscated by the always specious yet too often successful charlatan-advisors.
Jay, I agree with what Matthew said……..I think? Congrats on attracting half a million spam comments, your site is humming!
Jay, I agree with what Matthew said……..I think? Congrats on attracting half a million spam comments, even though that’s a lot of junk it does prove you are running a highly visible site.
Jay, I don’t currently and probably never will have an interest in buying a home in Phoenix. I read your blog and occasionally comment for two reasons.
1. I enjoy your blunt way of presenting your point of view. No fluff.
2. I enjoy reading the comments left by others in the business and the occasional buyer/seller that will post a comment.
500,000 spam comments is a ton and probably very annoying for you, but it’s also a sign of success.
Hi Jay ~ I read this post in my RSS reader and really had nothing to add to the conversation, but had to stop by anyway to check out your new fields. Call me curious. That’s just me…
500,000 spam comments. That really is a lot and definitely a sign that you are one popular guy!
My urologist says that’s not a bad spam count.
I try to use my real name but the URL name can be so tempting Jay! Question for you, so what are you using now for your comments? What plugin did you decide to use?
What you’re seeing now Alex is the native WorPress commenting — no plugins. With some styling applied by the theme, and of course my own hack to the comment form.
Jay, thanks for weeding through all the spam. It is nice to be able to read through the conversation/comments section without being flooded with get-rich-quick schemes or offers for some sort of silly product we’d never buy. We are in real estate (in this economy) so obviously we aren’t in it for the quick buck! Seriously, I appreciate what you are doing and the tremendous effort you put in to make this blog work so well. Respect!
Is my name too long? I just wanted to see what happened here, if I did that whole keyword stuffing name thingy. I feel almost silly that it had never occurred to me before. Oh, the things the gullible can be made to do for a quick buck for the instant success on Google magicians. I wouldn’t be less kind in absolving the gullible of responsibility than you, Jay. Some semblance of commons sense ought to still find its way into the craniums of those charged with negotiating some pretty darn important (and expensive) transactions. The ease with which a lot of people in this industry seem to jump onto an infomercial pitch puzzles me, and makes me wonder about the kind of diligence they employ in their chosen field.
That is a milestone! And out of respect, I left off my typical ‘Name’ that usually includes my city of residence. I find that it is helpful when I am commenting on more regional blogs where the readers might be more inclined to visit my blog if they knew my city of residence and thought that the information that I present might be more relevant to them if they are close (or in the same city).
But I understand your frustration and half a million spam comments would probably make me a little jaded, even towards a keyword in the name field too.
I really enjoyed the blog and will revisit. I am in AL, but am a huuuuge Steve Nash/Phoenix Suns fan (maybe the only one here in the state) so I will be back just because I long for the days to visit your great city for some good basketball! 🙂
Keep up the good work!
How many of those spams are automated? I had a similar problem on a smaller scale, until I started applying captcha type plugins. The one I used actually challenges the commenter with a randomly assigned math problem. Hey, they can’t spell right? Maybe they can’t add either? So far I’ve been right. Luckily most of my trolling was done by bots so they were pretty easy to screw.
Plus, limiting the comment makers to only the non-mathematically challenged makes for better reading too.
Bill, I use a similar plugin. I think it is Peter’s Math Anti-Spam Image which definitely helps but I still feel like it’s a never ending battle to fight off spam. What bugs me and makes me check the spam filter every so often is that I see on a regular basis quality comments showing up in my Spam filter so I regularly try to check the comments to see if there are any valid comments in there. I would love to know if anyone has any ideas on how to get good quality comments to not be marked as spam. :/
Alex:
I just ran across a Facebook Login script on the Facebook Dev site. It lets you use your Facebook ID to comment. Better than registering on a blog. I tend to avoid registering, but don’t mind using my FB id, assuming the site isn’t harvesting it. OOOHHH, a paranoid shiver just shot up my spine. Would studying the script before using. Think it doesn’t release data, just authenticate. Of course FB probably logs everything. Second shiver.
Thanks Bill, I am really considering that. Been thinking about it for a while and it sure seems like Facebook isn’t going anywhere.
Do any other users see any downside to using the Facebook plugin to allow users to comment on your blog?
Hi,
I tripped across this blog for the first time today – can’t remember how. not important, but for your feedback, was so totally impressed with the layout I had to explore it more!!!
This is a great example of a professional look, feel and performance on a blog. But I digress…
I wanted to answer the question of FB comments – I’ve considered it and see the major flaw is that you’ll exclude a wide range of people who don’t have FB accounts (it’s true! there are some folks who either never had one – gasp – or had one and shut it down).
Forcing someone to log into someone else’s system to comment on your blog is a distraction and nuisance for the visitor.
I too have shivers run up my spine about the probable tracking of my activity – I know it happens but I really don’t like being reminded so obviously that Big Brother (be it FB or Ggl) is watching…
Alex:
Forgot to mention, mine isn’t a graphic. There are bots out there that can read graphics. Mine is Block-Spam-By-Math and it modifies the login and post buttons to add a random equation to solve, not limited by graphics. Killed all my bot troubles. Better make this my last comment otherwise I may have the privilege of becoming spam comment 500,001.
I’m holding back on the Luv to not burn bridges.
Wow!! You will not believe this Jay. I just heard about this tactic today (I’m a novice blogger). So I googled “do follow real estate blogs” and found a list of blogs. Yours was the second one on a list of 50+. I am sooo glad your latest blog post here, addressed the cons of posting comments just for SEO purposes.
Thanks Jay!
I might be a bit harsh with my comment editing, but anything where the name is a keyword or the post doesn’t really resemble english grammer I automatically delete.
I like the point you made about using comments to possibly get links in the future, and I see it as a way to build a relationship with another blogger without having to send them an email and make it so personal.
I may be in the 1% that would be commenting when I’m in Malaysia though since blogging is so addictive 😉
Jay, you inspired me to do the same thing in my area blog wise, although I will never have mine as good as yours not enough time, unless I hire someone to do it.. Either way I notice the same thing with my blog having to go though and delete so many spammers and mine is new and pretty much unknown.
Our blog does not really generate many comments, but we do get hundreds of spam comments (fortunately caught by Akismet. I thought maybe I had the comment section set up incorrectly that this was happening – but seeing that you are in the same situation (only much larger) leads me think think there are just too many people in the world providing little, if any value (did that sound harsh – sorry).
We also have many forms on our website that do not require any human authentication. Get lots of bogus sign-in here as well. This might be worthy of reconsideration.
Being a novice in web design overcoming these types of things can be quite tedious and time consuming.
Jay, I agree with those above that a half million spam messages is a sign of your success. Unfortunately it is a part of blogging, you just get it 100x more than the rest of us. I’m glad you’re not throwing out the baby with the bathwater and turning off your comments. I find the comments to be part and parcel of the blog experience.
this kinda of thing is ridiculous. i too have a website that suffer from these hardships. i wish you the best of luck and hope than good content will win in the end
I also deal with a great deal of spam comments on my blog, but am reluctant to make everything nofollow. I tried it and doesn’t really seem to dissuade the spammers, and I would rather build a network of real estate agents that all help each other out as long as the conversation is good.
500,000 is a LOT of spam comments, though! WOW. I don’t get that much, I can’t even imagine dealing with that many garbage comments.
Jay, I first read this post about 4 days ago, and I’ve been thinking about it since. I’m a regular visitor to your blog, mainly because I am often able to walk away with some tangible piece of new knowledge whether it is from your post or the comments that follow. I am one of those “keyword stuffers” that you have described above, and I genuinely feel your frustration like you are sitting in the chair right next to me. I also get ruffled by spam on my blog, but more so, I get ruffled by those who don’t exert the effort to read the ENTIRE blog post before they make some general, non-tangible comment. That is frustrating to me. And while I am a keyword stuffer, it remains a priority to me to read every single word of each blog post that I choose to comment on. You and I have even had some two-way dialogue about the home search feature on your website. Lastly, many of us do visit for the link love, and by using a name different than my “real name”, I am able to keep the content rankings for my website relevant to the topic people are searching for, rather than if someone is searching for “Brian Carion” only to find a website about Minnesota real estate. Know what I mean here? To me, this was one of your greatest posts yet… Thank you!
Brian (doesn’t that sound more personal than “Houses for Sale MN”?) –
I agree that the nonsensical, apparently random and comments left where it’s obvious the commenter hasn’t even read the post are frustrating.
I thought for a LONG time before I decided to ask people to use a name and not keywords when they comment.
But it already has seemed to make a difference. And I’m not going to get all hard-ass on people and tag comments as spam just because they leave keywords instead of a name. Yet. Unless I have to. I didn’t with yours…
An honest question for you, if you don’t mind….
If I started no-following comment links and removed CommentLuv (the plugin that posts a commenters latest post — as in Terry’s above your comment) would you still read and comment here?
I *think* most people would. And to be honest, I’m not sure if I’d care if those here only for the link love would wind up leaving. But I’d love to hear from actual readers and commenters how they feel about that.
Thanks for reading (and commenting). I’m glad you get something from this place!
Jay, thank you for the sincere reply. I didn’t know how my comment was going to strike you (especially since my comment was accidentally duplicated do to a “transfer error” of some kind)…I do appreciate the sincere response. Would I still comment and read your blog if you switched over to no-follow? An honest response, to an honest question… I think I would feel less compelled to read/comment on average, but I would still visit your site to scan for relevant and tangible learnings that simply aren’t available many other places…and where posts wouldn’t be written with as much personal conviction as in your posts. (I honestly don’t know how you find the time and energy to craft such volume of savvy blog posts that seem to resonate with so many of us real estate professionals. Many times when I’m reading your blog, I feel like the words on the page are being pulled right from my own mouth). I think many frequenters of your blog also feel this. So, for this very reason, I would still visit your blog…and likely read much of what you publish…but I would likely reserve my commentary for those blogs that really resonate with my personal experiences or emotions. This is just my two cents, of course. And, using “Brian” certainly sounds and FEELS more personal…no question about it! I cannot argue this point… =)
Jay,
Just came acros this over at Yoast:
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/comment-email-verify/
Wonder if the spammers will/would take the time to get around a email verification..
Where on earth did you get the time to moderate half a million comments? Sure, say 99% of them were filtered out by spam filters, etc…, but that would leave 5,000 rogue comments. Do you ban the IP of spammers? If the majority of comments were coming from paid services, then that might work very well.
It’s unfortunate that this is what the internet has come to. However, the good thing is that we can count on the continual evolution of the search engines (well, at least Google), and the real, quality websites will continue to thrive, while the spammers will get more and more desperate. Just by looking at the amount of human response you get on your website, it’s only a matter of time before Google can track and measure this(if they can’t already), and you’re going to buoy to higher and higher.
Either way, it’s apparent that you have put in the effort on your site, and delivered what people look for, and this is what the search engines are really striving for. I strive to produce the same results as you. Best of luck in the future, and please post the results of what you find from your experiment. It sound’s fascinating.
Actually, before I go, I’m curious about something (if you have the time to answer). I’m a new realtor, and I’m not sure how much time to invest into producing content for my website. Can I expect it to drive a lot of business my way? Is it a major business producer for you?
Thanks!
I don’t moderate most of them Glen. I just delete them. Sadly, that means some caught in spam filters that are good get deleted, and equally sadly, it means there are some spammy comments posted here.
As an aside, since asking for a real name and putting that into the comment form, it does seem to have helped cut down on the spammy comments.
Once google changes their programming again, which would be soon, spamming comments on do follow blogs will be less profitable. I’ve heard google will start to rank based on google local reviews and things like twitter followers. What I don’t particularly like is when certain high ranking websites, like JC penny recently, hijack other sites and embed links back to increase their profile.
I get enough spam comments and registrations to be mildly annoying. At least 30% of those have gmail emails and websites ending in .ru. I modified my askimet and the .ru sites dropped way off but unfortunately I have noticed them increasing as of late. Maybe another tweak is needed.
Hello Jay,
I find it amusing that the only comments I get, for now, are spam. Seems the spammers have no problem finding my blog. I just started my blog (blog site?) in March so I’ve got a ways to go.
Thank you for the info I dont know what is going on but out of no where I started getting mass spam, in a matter of a few hours I got over 100 spam comments on my little blog I installed Askimet Im hoping it helps.
Nice post and nice information too. I read your post. It’s really nice and I like your post. It’s very simple to understand……..Thank you for sharing………..
I agree am really begining to get annoyed with spam lately,especially through email.Its quite insane as to what some people will get up to.
Phoenix Real Estate Guy.I hope that it will reach the mark of 500,000 spam comments in just under six years.
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John.
This also works well if you require your visitors to enter an email address. Although spammers and spam robots can input randomly generated and fake email addresses, you can enter all or part of an email address into a the blacklist and, if the spammer attempts to comment. Thanks.
I am sick of spam myself but I feel if a commenter has read my post and provided relevant content I approve the post. I don’t really care if they use anchor text in the name field as long as they’ve added something of value.