Today I woke up, logged into my blog and was relieved to see that no SPAM comments were waiting for me to approve. Yes, there was one in my trashcan (Gotta love those German Viagra comments). But, it wasn’t visible to me (unless I looked in the trash).
Now, I was a bit surprised that my new FREE plugin (Akismet) virtually eliminates SPAM and keeps my comments clean. But, not waking up to SPAM and instead having good old fashioned HAM comments waiting for me, made me wonder, “Have I ever inadvertently left SPAM comments for others?”
As much as I hate to admit it, the answer is “yes.” When I first learned that blog commenting could help market my blogs, I left a slew of “Hey nice blog – visit xyz site for more information about your topic.” Then, I wondered why after hundreds of similar posts, none of them were getting approved.
Now I realize that posts like “Nice post – keep up the good work and visit my blog” are considered SPAM and will most likely get deleted or at the very least annoy the heck out of the owner. On the other hand, comments that actually contribute to the conversation and help out typically stick. For instance, let’s say that you own a site that is promoting phlebotemy certification programs. Well, you wouldn’t leave comments like great site or phlebotemy certification works all over relevant sites with your link back to it. Instead, you would leave meaningful comments that discuss phlebotemy, what certification entails, how to become a phlebotemist, etc. In eseence, you would write comments that can actually help someone and teach them something.
The key to not leaving SPAM is to put some thought into your comments. Leave valuable posts and never blatantly promote your own site. Instead the only link to your own site should be a hyperlink to your name and that’s it. If the reader wants to find out more, they will find you – trust me.
Now that I implement this non-SPAM method when I leave blog comments, I am seeing an increase in targeted traffic. I also feel better that I’m not working plugins like Askimet too hard. Instead, I am leaving the owner with some tasty “food for thought” that they can use and enjoy.
Now I wonder, “What kind of blog contributor are you?”
