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Ha! I had to start this post with a laugh because its been roughly one month since this blogs initial launch and the comment spam is already rolling in. What kills me though, is that many of the spam comments we receive are from Internet marketing companies from around the net. I’m always left wondering how successful these companies are, because it must do something for them to be able to keep doing it.

In any regards, i labeled this post “Super Blog Blast 3000″ because there are many software programs available that will scour the net to make comments on thousands of blogs. I’ve never truly understood this, as the real blogging community frowns upon illegitimate users that are simply trying to get a free link from their site. In addition, most blogging platforms put a “no-follow” attribute automatically on the link from your comment, making it a non worthwhile linking tactic in Google’s eyes. Plus, even if they don’t use a no-follow, influential bloggers whom know the industry they serve, also know when they get automated comment spam. Therefore, the links you will likely get wont be any good.

Nevertheless, automated comment spam and trackbacks are continuing to be a growing problem and are not showing any signs of slowing down. However, there are a few options to check and limit blog spam:

1. Follow the link- there is obviously going to be comments and trackbacks that shout ‘I’M SPAM.” However some “black hats” can be sneaky. If you’re not entirely sure if the comment is legit, first start by following the link back to the poster in question. Are they a SEO company? Are they selling products that are questionable? If so, the best course of action is just to delete or mark it as spam. Even though it may be legitamate, its better to be selective to who you link to than approve a link to a bad neighborhood.

2. Add a captcha- A captcha is a box that a human user needs to enter in numbers or letters (sometimes a combination of both) before they can click submit. Chances are you have seen this on another blog or website. If you are haven’t see one, just check out our get started page and scroll down to the bottom to see the box. Although it may not look the pretties, it does save a lot of labor in moderating comment spam. Most blog platforms will have plugins that you can install that will to do this for you or your blog platform may already have it.

3. Review your comment rules- most blogging platforms have options on how to deal with comments. For instance, WordPress allows you to set how many links to look for in a post. I usually set this to 1, because most users don’t put links in their signature. (Especially legitimate SEO’s)

Blogging is a great tool and its unfortunate that a small bunch of abusers continue to look for ways to break the barrier. However, if you are a blogger, employing these simple tactics will help ensure that your community remains spam free. Lastly, if you are still in search for a quality link, check out our business blogging directory…and if you think you are worthy enough, submit your link for review.