Stop Blog Spam with Akismet!
Over the last few days I’ve realized that the popularity of a blog is directly proportional to the amount of comment spam one gets.
This blog is living proof of that idea as every day I spend too much time sorting through comments, most of which are spam. As a first line of defense I’ve enabled comment moderation. This works because only approved comments appear on the site and only after a user has been approved once can he/she be allowed to post again without being moderated. However, the time it takes to sort through all the comments isn’t a laughing matter. I’m sure bigger, more popular sites have an even greater problem.
If we all could be like John C. Dvorack who “gets NO spam!”
But wait, there seems to be a ray of hope for us normal people. Today while browsing through articles on my RSS Reader I came across a post by WordPress Developer Matt Mullenweg. He’s just released a plug-in called Akismet (short for Automattic Kismet). Akismet is a new web service that aims to stop comment and trackback spam on blogs.
Akismet is FREE to all WordPress.com users. All you need to do is download the file, upload the plugin into your Word Press plugins directory (wp-content > plugins) and then enter the API key that comes with your WordPress.com account (find it in the Dashboard > Profile section).
GET IT WORKING
If you are a regular WordPress user (not to be confused with the web-based WordPress.com) you can still use Akismet by signing up for a WordPress.com account and then use the API that comes with this account. This is not an illegal workaround, they allow you to do it. However as simple as activating this plug-in is you may have to wait a while before you get that Golden Ticket, an invite to create your own WordPress.com account. I have one to give away to the first one who emails me.
IS IT EFFECTIVE?
According to figures presented on Boakes.org (who participated in the trial period) 74% of comments received during the trial period were spam. I’d have to agree as most of the comments I get are spam links to online gambling sites and other sleazy stuff. Some look good enough to look like real spam too. It is very frustrating and I am glad that there is a Free service like this.
HOW IT WORKS
The more you use the service, the more effective it becomes. Basically they compile a database of comment and trackback spam based on some characteristics, if the one posted on your site meets these characteristics it is automatically blocked. Don’t worry though, just in case you get a bit paranoid that you are missing something, items are stored in the database for 15 days for you to manually look throug. On the other side of that, if some spam gets through and you mark it as spam, then akismet learns from that and in the future you and other users are immunized from a similar attack if you can call it that.
A more detailed explanation can be found on this site.
MY REVIEW
Unfortunately I can’t vouch for the product just yet as I’ve just got the plug-in up and running. I however trust in Matt as he has developed other wonderful products before, WordPress and Pingomatic. Besides with all the spam I get its worth a try. I am confident that this will be a success in the meantime I’ll just have to wait and see. I’ll post my findings on this blog in after trying it out for a month.
