How to know if it’s really spam
-
Quick question: On dashboard where it breaks down my comments, pages, posts, etc, there is the spam area. I have 3 messages there…how am I supposed to know if they’re really spam or not. When I click on it, the names all have what appears to be valid email addresses. Is it safe to accept and approve the messages?
I am curious too because there is the other section that Akismet totals spam messages that were blocked. How are the two different?Thanks!
The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)
-
There is far more spam on the internet than there is “ham” legitimate communication. In fact 83% of all comment received are spam. The worst of all spam is so prevalent that it is caught up and removed – we don’t see it. Type “Akismet” into the forum searchbox and see what Staff have to say to all the new bloggers who fret about this. Then look here at the top right hand corner and witness the Zeitgeist http://akismet.com/
Anyone can get numerous valid email addresses and that’s what spammers and scammers do. I delete permanently any comment containing anything whatsoever to do with drugs, casinos, payday loans, etc. Then I check out the source site of the other comments I receive. If I have any difficulty deciding (I rarely ever do) I use Google search and find the bad neighborhood checker online and run the URLs through it.
-
But what on earth do these spammers want?
I don’t mean the ones who are pushing products or services — that’s understandable if offensive — but the ones who send bland compliments that are so general you know they haven’t even read the post they’re claiming to comment on. Or the ones who just send gibberish.
Grant you, I’m new to blogging, but I’m not exactly fretting about spammers — I just can’t see what they’re doing it for!
-
Most spam is automatically generated and much of it simply circulates round and round and round. The way to discern spam is to quell any feelings of being desperate to post a comment and check it out. It’s quite normal when you get only 1 comment for every 800 – 1000 hits.
-
-
Forum search results for “Akismet”
https://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/akismet-issues?replies=10 -
@ubriaca
I would think that the ‘bland comment’ (or gibberish) sort of spam is sent so that you will approve the commenter. Then further comments could be displayed automatically (depending on your settings).
I might also think that some are linked to malware (especially gibberish). Which makes no sense to me, but then why am I sitting here answering questions as a volunteer for free? -
Oh, thank you, 1tess. That sounds like a plausible reason why they’d send those pointless compliments — to try to get “free access” to a blog for subsequent comments, which might be blatantly commercial or self-serving. Fiendish! Thanks for the insight into the spammer’s mind (if they can be said to have one).
-
I can remember the first spams I got in email. They sounded sort of poetic, like those magnet words you can arrange on your fridge.
Never clicked them, but as timethief said ‘1 comment for 1000’ hits’—apparently even one hit in a million (or several hundred thousand) is worth it for them…
lol cheez
- The topic ‘How to know if it’s really spam’ is closed to new replies.
WordPress.com Forums 