 |
| Doesn't take much "fame" to attract spam... |
Not being a drama queen, I know that the topic at hand falls between the categories of blessing and curse. You go out and do your best to gain readership and your blog begins to be frequented by actual human beings (i.e., not just automated bots like vampirestat or adsensewatchdog) — yay! Then some of those human beings are actually sufficiently touched by your content to provide actual feedback in the form of a comment or an email — double yay!
But then you notice that some comments are just plain odd. Like this one:
"Nicely presented information in this post, I prefer to read this kind of stuff."
Err...? Are you saying that you prefer it over something else that I've written? Also, as it's a sewing tutorial, it's really not so much about the reading. And quite frankly, the last time I was told that I had presented information "nicely", it was probably a PowerPoint about highway traffic regulations.
Intrepid little techie that I am, I did a Google search on the above string and came up with 154,000 results. There was no discrimination whatsoever — that exact phrase was left behind on every type of site you can imagine. And of course, it's the opportunity to leave a link that attracts this type of spam. (For the record, I don't mind fellow bloggers and crafters leaving behind their personal links, but I will remove anything commercial in nature that does not relate to my blog at all.)
Let's put it this way... if you want to promote your business, you better write the most eloquent tribute to my post or blog before doing so. And I don't mean something like this:
"This is such an excellent idea! i really like the thought of getting compartments in your purse and was considering shopping for one thing just like the bag only for the organization facet thus thanks for this alternative! "Nicely given data during this post, I opt to browse this sort of stuff." The handbag organizer appearance nice, one thing I undoubtedly would like for my mess of a bag! assume i am attending to go get myself one currently thus give thanks you!"
This one got 30 results on Google. The person who left this comment has, in fact, left several identical wordy comments on many sites, dropping various links as she does so.
Just goes to show that no matter what your door, the spam will come knocking.
But on the topic of comments, I will close with a question for anyone reading this post: when you leave a comment, do you care if it is acknowledged by the blogger? I must admit to being a bit perturbed when I leave a comment — that isn't just a "thank you, that was great" — and it isn't answered in some way... does it matter to you?
I know exactly how you feel Rochelle! The amount of SPAM comments like that, that I need to delete from my blog is ridiculous! BUT in answer to your question.....I really like it when a blogger takes the time to acknowledge my comment....it makes me feel special....LOLL BUT on the same hand, I don't think any less of them if they don't.... so I don't expect' acknowledgment BUT enjoy it when received! .....Being a blogger myself I know that sometimes I miss replying to a comment, even though I read every one of them....BUT sometimes I get so busy and 'intend' to reply BUT I end up forgetting.......Oh I am not a robot....what can I say! LOLL
ReplyDeleteAre you testing me?? Yes, it feels good when our comments are acknowledged in some way. I sometimes see questions posed in the comments section of blogs and the blogger hasn't responded and I wonder about it. In my case, I am still feeling guilty about the one and only comment that I received on my travel blog (it was truly just a "Thanks for posting" comment) that I did not acknowledge. I would like to think that all bloggers appreciate any form of supportive feedback. (I certainly do!)
DeleteSo thanks for taking a moment to comment, Christine!
I hate visiting a blog, and browsing through the comments....and questions are asked and even though the blogger may have answered the person via email....I feel ripped off that the answer wasn't posted for all to see, and believe it or not, that has sometimes prevented me from leaving a comment on a blog....usually if it was a question...because I truly believe if one reader had that question, another may also have it, but felt dumb asking it if it was already asked....sometimes if I notice how long ago something was asked, I will sometimes leave a comment along the lines of "Yes, I agree with xxxx, how long is your strap or what width is the bottom of the bag" and I'm still awaiting responses in any way, shape or form lol
ReplyDeleteMy sentiments (almost) exactly! If a blogger chooses to respond privately to commenters, s/he should make a point of at least answering questions publicly, for the benefit of all readers. Seeing a query just hanging out there unanswered doesn't encourage me to comment on a blog post and leaves me wondering about the blogger.
Delete