I'll start by saying that this blog has never been a hotbed for comments. Sure, there have been some great comments by loyal readers and many good discussions have arisen. I also enjoy the occasional anonymous tipsters who drop by with a little inside info on the industry--very illuminating. And some of the best discussions have occurred over e-mail and Facebook with people I met through this blog that I now consider personal friends (Katharine, Mark, and Krisan, I'm talking about you!). So comment moderation really hasn't been much of an issue.
Right off the bat, I did set up a captcha so that only real people--and not spambots--would be commenting. That has helped tremendously. But what I didn't count on were the so-called SEO bloggers who are real people that go around comment-spamming relevant blogs. For a long time, I just went in and deleted these types of comments.
But back in November, an industrious spammer in Mumbai took a fancy to Publishing Careers and was daily posting the same spam on different entries. One day he or she was posting them faster than I could delete them, and we were doing battle in real-time. I decided to turn on comment moderation, which means that I get to reject comments before they are posted. Immediately, my spammer went away. I might never find and delete all of that spam, but at least I've stemmed the tide.
With this new "power" comes responsibility, of course. Do I go ahead and allow comments that are critical of me? And what do I do in cases where I really can't tell whether the commenter is sincere or just a very sly spammer? I promise to post all but the most obscene criticism, and to do my best to separate the spammers from the true commenters. And I promise not to let comments sit too long in moderation limbo.
Thanks for reading. Sorry I have been a lax poster as of late.
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3 comments:
Hi! I found your blog by accident. I was looking for a way to get paid to read books, and from link to link I ended up here. So sorry to hear about your spam slam. I've run into a few blogger friends who have been having the same trouble.
Maybe you can help me. I have been a SAHM for about eleven years. I have four kiddos, the youngest just about ready for school. I love to read. I read many books and occasionally write. I enjoy reading more, it's my escape from reality. But right now, the reality is that I need to help make money. How do I find publishers that need people to read through manuscripts and give reviews on them?
I sure could use some advice.
I haven't forgotten you--I just haven't found the info yet. I promise to try and dig up something. I don't know anything about this off the top of my head.
Winter Warm-up
Looking for a way to kick those winter blues? Then head over to the Indiana Humanities Council on Friday, February 5, for a First Friday event where we’ll show you how to warm up. Hint: It involves curling up with a good book, a glass of wine and a piece of chocolate (or two).
Where: Meredith Nicholson House, 1500 N. Delaware St.
When: Friday, February 5, 5-7 p.m.
What: The launch party for the Indiana Humanities Council’s re-named (free) lending library service: Novel Conversations. Plus, chocolate from The Best Chocolate in Town, as well as complimentary wine from Mass Ave Wine Shoppe and non-alcoholic beverages.
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