Moderate Wordpress Comments Like A Pro….

When your blog begins to gain popularity, responding to comments can be a bear. Before we get into this discussion however, I want to provide a few tips for those road weary spam fighting comment responders..

Let the cream rise to the top
Spam comments are a nightmare. There are a few ways to fight them, and once implemented well, you will find yourself not even worrying about the spam. The first and most important is Akismet. Akismet is a fantastic spam fighting plugin by the makers of Wordpress themselves. Sign up for a Wordpress.com account, get an API key and you will sleep much easier in the war on spam.

Controversial Human Filters
I used to use a spam filter called Peter’s Custom Anti-Spam Image Plugin with good results. The reason I mention controversy is because many webmasters (including me from experience) will tell you that the barrier for your users will greatly decrease your comments. The dialog on your blog will become your lifeline so you don’t want to do anything to decrease that volume if you can avoid it. I have ceased using this plugin and honestly the difference in spam I fight is negligible at best.

Getting Your Two Cents In
This last plugin I am going to mention is worth it’s weight in gold to me. I know that’s not much gold given no weight, but you get the analogy. Absolute Comments Manager is the best comment moderation plugin I have found. This plugin allows you to respond to a comment directly in the comment moderation queue. I cannot tell you how valuable that is when you get a bunch of comments but only stop to respond to them in bulk. It’s fantastic. Look at the image included above for a screenshot for it in use on my blog.

Any good webmaster will tell you that to grow your blog you have to get out and comment on other websites. Just don’t forget to add your voice to the dialog on your posts after you write them. Someone who leaves a comment will find much more value if you respond to their remarks.

On a final related note, another great plugin to add to your comments arsenal is Subscribe To Comments. This allows your user to get an email notification when you or anyone else comments on the post they have chosen to follow. This will really help get your community involved and grow your blog.

Happy blogging!

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