UPDATE: the new GASP Anti-Spam WordPress plugin has been released and is available in the WordPress Plugin Repository.
THIS is the ALTERNATIVE TO AKISMET that provides the SOLUTION to being Flagged as a Spammer! Spread it throughout the blogosphere and your comments will work again.
Akismet is a Black Box
Most bloggers do not realize that there is a setting in Akismet that automatically deletes comments before you ever seen them.
If you do not want Akismet to delete comments you never see, use these instructions to check your Akismet configuration:
Locate Akismet Configuration
HOW TO CONFIGURE AKISMET
- Log into your blog
- In the left sidebar click on the arrow to the right of Plugins
- Click on Akismet configuration (shown in the close-up image to the right –>)
- Look for the checkbox that says “Automatically discard spam comments on posts older than a month.”
If you have that box checked and someone who has inaccurately been flagged as a spammer by Akismet leaves a comment, their comment will be immediately deleted. Read comments from Alex from Automattic.
You will never see it and they will be taken to a blank white page. Read what Alex (from Automattic who appears to the be public spokesperson for Akismet) wrote about commentators seeing a white page after commenting.
The full screen capture below shows where the Akismet Configuration can be found in the left sidebar and where the check box is located in the main section of your blog dashboard. See the next image for a closeup of that checkbox.
How to Configure Akismet
If you do NOT want Akismet to delete comments before you see them UNCHECK THE BOX shown in the close-up below!
Close-up of where the Akismet Configuration Check Box is Located
There are similar but even less obvious settings in WordPress hosted WordPress.com blogs. To change them use this process:
- Log into your blog
- Find Setttings in the left sidebar column
- Click on Discussion Settings
- Find Comment Moderation and check the box in front of Don’t discard spam on old posts that looks like this:
How many of you would have any idea that checking that box would immediately delete valid comments you have never seen? That IS what it will do. Here is a screen capture of that page. I will get red arrows added to point to the appropriate settings when I can.
If you DO NOT want valid comments to be deleted before you see them CHECK the Don't discard spam on old posts box
While you are editing your configuration we recommend these other settings:
- Turn on threaded comments at least three and ideally either four or five levels deep.
- Enable Before a Comment Appears: Comment author must have a previously approved comment.
- Do require commentators to use a name and email address.
- Do NOT require commentators to be registered and log in - doing so greatly decreases your comments. Busy people do not have time to log into every site they visit every time.
Special thanks to Ron Cripps of AffiliateXFiles for adding the red arrows to the images used in this post. If you want to know the REAL truth about Affiliate Marketing read his blog. Ron is one of the three Ethical Affiliate Marketing Experts I recommend.
MORE ABOUT AKISMET on GROWMAP:
- Akismet is Deleting Comments Bloggers Never See
- Find Out if Akismet Has You Flagged as a Spammer
- Business Friendly Akismet Free DoFollow Blog List
BLOGGERS POSTING THEY’VE BEEN FLAGGED BY AKISMET:
- Blog Template Designer ~ BlogsWithWings ~ My Comments are Not Showing Up Because Akismet is Blocking Me
- DragonBlogger ~ Get Off Akismet Spam List
- Zemalf ~ How to Stop Your Blog Comments From Being Blocked by Akismet
- AndyBeard ~ Akismet False Positives and SpamKarma Configuration (Published May 31, 2007 – this problem has been around a LONG time!)
{ 45 comments… read them below or add one }
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The tips are great and I cannot thank you enough for them. I hate when my comments are deleted automatically. This system is not trustworthy. I like to go through the comments and decide on my own whether they are worth saving or deleting.
I think Akismet is only for blogging plate form not for website but I am running website. I think this plug-in is for blogging environment.
I’ve turned Akismet off. Trying to see how it goes with just GASP turned on. So far so good. Akismet is overhyped.
Danny would love you to read ..Black & Decker NPP2018 18-Volt Cordless Electric Pole Chain Saw
Twitter: GrowMap
October 9, 2011 at 1:01 am
Twitter: @GrowMap
Hi Danny,
Akismet benefits from being part of what I call “The Borg” – the tools favored by the wealthy elite promoted by what they control online – like Google, Yahoo, AOL, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.
Most people ASSUME that whatever they hear about most is best when the truth is whatever they hear about most gets free publicity from the major sites and major media.
growmap would love you to read ..Blog Outreach Services
It happened a lot of time with me that I commented but the page appeared blank. I never know why it is happening but today secret has opened to me.
Smith would love you to read ..Steam showers | steam saunas | steam cabins | steam shower
Akimets actually spammed all the comments on my website which is a bit strange. After reading your article I just disabled it which I think it is better.Thanks alot
Twitter: n/a
July 14, 2011 at 4:34 am
Twitter: @n/a
Do you recommend i disabled my akismet?im not happy with it right now..
Great advice on Akisment…thanks for the post
Twitter: stutterwear
July 8, 2011 at 12:59 am
Twitter: @stutterwear
this is a MUST.. i am sharing this post to my friends!!great job on GASP
Buffalo Tees would love you to read ..Buffalo Cool Place T-Shirt
I have seen full screenshot where the configuration can be found in Akismet left sidebar, where the housing is in the main section of your blog dashboard.
Gail,
I have not used Akismet before. But, having comments deleted after a month is dissapointing for any audience.
This is something I can suggest for those blogs that have these kinds of issues, at least I can tell them what to do
Twitter: matthewacoleman
July 15, 2011 at 2:22 am
Twitter: @matthewacoleman
yes, it’s been dead for quiet a while now..im disappointed with it but.Im glad GASP is here to protect me from Spammers
wny glass block windows would love you to read ..Glass Block Window Showers
I dont know why all my posts gets blocked, I contacted akismet already to ask what happend?? I have never commented with my domain on any blog, maybe some competitor did it for me?
Mike would love you to read ..Fenster Preise
Twitter: tonygreene113
October 17, 2010 at 10:45 am
Twitter: @tonygreene113
Hey Gail, thanks for the informative post on the quirkiness of Akismet. I’ve always wondered about the dreaded “white page”. Now that I know, I’ve simply removed Akismet altogether and guess what.
The tons of spam have stopped heading my way. Adding your GASP, has been a breath of fresh air.
All the best!
tonyknuckles would love you to read ..Still belong to the 1 in 7 impoverished in obama’s America
If I use the wrong domain on a blog that’s using akismet, the commend gets deleted immediately, not after a month.
Twitter: GrowMap
September 28, 2010 at 9:57 pm
Twitter: @GrowMap
Hi Mark,
If you are flagged as a spammer and the blogger has the option explained in this post checked your comments are immediately deleted IF the post where you leave them was published more than 30 days prior to you leaving your comment.
That check box does NOT mean your comment gets deleted after 30 days (although that IS how many of us read it) – it means that your comments will be immediately deleted if the post is 30 days old or older and go to spam if the post is less than 30 days old.
growmap would love you to read ..Probably The Best Blogging Course
I see now. Thanks for explaining it.
Basically if a post is more than 30 days old we shouldn’t even bother commenting when using a domain that has been flagged.
Btw, I read of some blackhatter commenting to his own blogs using his competitor’s domains and then hitting the spam button on the comments.
They are using this same technique in other ways (duplicate content can also be a weapon to shoot down competition) but I don’t want to divulge all these bad things, true thing though… anything that’s used to fight something can be used against us by the same forces that we are trying to fight.
Anyway, thanks for allowing me to post backlinks on your blog
Twitter: GrowMap
September 29, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Twitter: @GrowMap
Hi Mark,
Yes, that would be true. Some have been successful at getting unflagged for a while but the way Akismet chooses to set up their algorithm it will only be a matter of time before you get flagged again.
There is no limit to what selfish people will do so I am not surprised that they would use such an easy way to hurt others. There is no doubt in my mind that Akismet is intentionally set up to hinder the usefulness of backlinks created by commenting. That is why we removed it.
We are testing an awesome custom anti-spam solution. Please leave a comment there (dofollow, commentluv & keywordluv enabled so well worth it!) so we can roll it out as soon as possible to as many other blogs.
I cannot believe some could be so callous, but wait, yes, I can. It is just wrong, and I am sad to hear that. There is enough readers for us all.
Twitter: plantspages
September 14, 2010 at 11:50 pm
Twitter: @plantspages
I was getting 80-100 spam comments daily in one of my blogs. I then installed Akismet like plugin ‘Defensio’ . It is working fine with me.
Twitter: GrowMap
September 9, 2010 at 9:56 pm
Twitter: @GrowMap
Hello,
One of the major issues with Akismet is there is no consensus among bloggers on what is spam and what isn’t.
.-= growmap´s featured blog ..How CommentLuv Grows Businesses and Blogs =-.
I’m using Akismet since a few months, i didn’t know we can do that, but i think they should change the blank page because people can think that it is a technical problem from the blog and not a “spam detection”.
Twitter: GrowMap
September 9, 2010 at 9:54 pm
Twitter: @GrowMap
Hello,
From the comments their rep left in this blog it appears that the blank page is their intention and they’re not concerned with what real people who see it think.
.-= growmap´s featured blog ..Support Small Businesses =-.
Twitter: udegbunamchuks
July 29, 2010 at 12:38 pm
Twitter: @udegbunamchuks
I wonder when they are going to get rid of that white page. It would be so much better if they displayed some notice alerting the commenter that his/her comment was tagged as spam and that they should contact the blog admin to rescue their comments.
.-= Udegbunam Chukwudi@Blog Setup Service´s featured blog ..How To Organize Your WordPress Posts In Categories =-.
Twitter: GrowMap
August 11, 2010 at 9:59 pm
Twitter: @GrowMap
Hi Chuks,
Alex from Automattic clearly indicated that the white page is intentional so they are probably not going to get rid of it. It is intended to derail bot activity but what it does to real people is inappropriate.
.-= Gail @ Support Small Businesses´s featured blog ..How CommentLuv Grows Businesses and Blogs =-.
They should really make that option more clear as it does sound like a beneficial setting if you don’t know exactly what it is doing. And especially thanks for the post because I didn’t think I had that box checked yet when I just looked now it was!
.-= Chris@Sports Cars for Sale´s featured blog ..2007 Porsche 911 GT3 RS for Sale =-.
Twitter: GrowMap
August 11, 2010 at 10:03 pm
Twitter: @GrowMap
Welcome Chris,
Several experience bloggers misread what that option does and I could swear I turned it off in one blog and when I checked it again it was back on! So if you use Akismet, do recheck regularly and especially any time you update that plugin or WordPress.
Do check out the post I’ll feature in CommentLuv on Local Search Directory Listings – they would be a perfect way to get more free visibility for your business from major sites like Google, Yahoo, Bing, SuperPages and dozens more.
.-= Gail @ NO Akismet´s featured blog ..Local Search Directory Listings =-.
Thanks for the post Gail. Akismet is disabled for a long while for me since i was getting pissed off when it just deleted most of the comments, it’s nice to know that i have an option if i ever decide that i don’t have the time to moderate comments myself & When i’m in need of a computer’s assisstance
Twitter: GrowMap
August 11, 2010 at 10:06 pm
Twitter: @GrowMap
Hi John,
I have disabled Akismet is all my blogs and just realized that this setting was checked in other blogs I co-manage when my latest comment was deleted! Even if you are an Admin in a blog Akismet will delete your own comments if you’re not logged in.
There is no way I’m going to use Akismet any more but I have to find a way to deal with the spam.
.-= Gail´s featured blog ..Proper Ways Your Business Can Use Social Media Channels =-.
Twitter: robsellen
July 16, 2010 at 12:51 pm
Twitter: @robsellen
Hi Gail, seems mine was already set up this way, didn’t need to uncheck that box.
Glad about that, seems maybe it’s only checked on blogs created before a certain time.
.-= rob sellen´s featured blog ..Commented here Thanks- added another benefit =-.
thanks for the info and explanation provided
Twitter: roezer
July 16, 2010 at 12:38 am
Twitter: @roezer
I am currently not using Akismet what I am using is the lines below in my ht.access file because most spam comes from nowhere one example today someone arrived directly on my contact page but I do not have one so he got a 404.
But why would anyone land directly on a blogs contact page unless they wanted to send spam to the Administrator it would also help reduce email spam if you renamed your contact page to something else like get in touch or something like that readers will still understand but bots will not so easily.
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_METHOD} POST
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} .wp-comments-post\.php*
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !.*mydomain.com* [OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} ^$
RewriteRule (.*) http://%{REMOTE_ADDR}/$ [R=301,L]
.-= Roezer´s featured blog ..When to use your Twitter Profile in Blog Comments =-.
Twitter: JayceOoi
July 15, 2010 at 2:08 am
Twitter: @JayceOoi
Too much SPAM comments lately. I will keep the auto delete on.
.-= Jayce´s featured blog ..Top 10 Sprint HTC EVO 4G Tweaks and Hacks =-.
Twitter: GrowMap
July 15, 2010 at 8:15 pm
Twitter: @GrowMap
Hi Jayce,
If we expect others to publish our comments and links we have to be willing to publish theirs. That is why I believe there will soon be totally separate communities with very little overlap.
Those who are generous and selfless will interact with others like themselves and avoid sites that want links TO themselves but not FROM themselves.
There will ALWAYS be spam and the more successful you get the worse it gets. ALL sites get spammed – not just dofollow sites.
You actually want someone else to automatically delete comments even if they are from your regular readers and commentators? That IS what that function does and I for one will not treat my readers that way.
Remember that Akismet could very well flag YOU as a spammer and start deleting your comments too.
.-= growmap´s featured blog ..Find Out If Akismet Has YOU Flagged as a Spammer =-.
Twitter: Ileane
July 14, 2010 at 8:17 am
Twitter: @Ileane
Hi Gail, thanks for sharing these instructions. I have a wordpress.com blog so I need to check to see if there are options in the Akismet settings there as well. I’ll stop back and let you know if they are the same or in what way they might be different.
.-= Ileane´s featured blog ..Introducing WordPress 30 via WordPresstv =-.
Twitter: GrowMap
July 14, 2010 at 11:54 am
Twitter: @GrowMap
Hi Ileane,
I had intended to add the instructions and screen capture for WordPress hosted blogs too. I updated the post to include how to stop those blogs from deleting comments too.
As soon as I can get the image edited I will have where to click on that screen capture highlighted too.
.-= growmap´s featured blog ..Find Out If Akismet Has YOU Flagged as a Spammer =-.
Great tutorial!
Gail, you are really helping a lot of us in understanding the whole situation. You are helping us realise that Akismet is not such a thing called ‘set it and forget it’, and there are many problems with it.
So thanks a lot for raising your voice regarding Akismet, and thanks for giving us all these tips.
Kindest,
Nabeel
Twitter: GrowMap
July 14, 2010 at 11:41 am
Twitter: @GrowMap
Hi Nabeel,
Three out of four experienced bloggers misread that setting and did not intend to delete comments they had not reviewed. That is why I wrote this post. Now whenever we are out commenting and see a white screen we can send the blogger this post so they will know why comments are going missing.
.-= growmap´s featured blog ..How to Build a Successful Blog Based Business =-.
Twitter: allaboutmexican
July 5, 2011 at 5:16 am
Twitter: @allaboutmexican
i agree..it’s not that the comments are not accepted…great explanation of this problem
Mexican Drinks would love you to read ..A Simple Quesadilla Recipe
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