After adding my blurb about wanting them, i've gotten a lot more, but they just feel kinda iffy. Blogger thinks they are spam, my tech-savvy guys think they are, and i really don't know. So i delete them.
And i feel guilty!
If i caught you, i apologize. Here's what i'm not looking for, followed by what i'd like to see.
First, what i've felt compelled to delete:
- by Anonymous: Ok i really really do understand keeping your privacy (see sidebar), but, if we want to interact online, we can't do that completely. i've made an email address available if you want to contact me privately - see right sidebar. Hopefully the format to be person-readable but (theoretically) not machine readable. i can't promise to never send you unsolicited email, but i don't expect to keep your info. (Google takes care of that.) Use a pseudonym if you wish to preserve your privacy. But if you want me to approve your anonymous comment, you will really have to make it an unquestionably good one. (More on that follows)
- vague compliments: i do appreciate compliments, but make them purposeful. Most of these i've rejected have lelt me feeling like thanking the commenter for their thoughts. All the same, i don't want the comments on my page. iIdeally the comments here would be as useful as my other content. i'd email you with something that i owuld consider a personal response. Anyway, at least don't go immediately from vague compliment to recommending your
- unrelated website: Tagging your website is not an automatic no-no, but after a vague compliment, by an anonymous person, that's a red flag. i can imagine a real person doing that, but i'm not going to let it past. If your website adds to the topic i've brought up, i am more than happy to help you share it; if you have it as a kind of sig tag (part of your signature), that probably works too. But what i've been seeing looks like tacking the compliment on just to get the website out there.
Commonalities
All of the rejected comments have all three traits, so i've probably not lost anything we need here. But it doesn't feel right. i ask for comments, then don't accept any. One or maybe two of these things i might accept if the other factors look good.
So what do i want to see?
- Maybe share your experience, or
- advice, or
- tell me something specific that's new to you that relates to what i wrote.
- Don't be vague.
- Disagree if you must; i sure don't have a corner on truth, and i only see one aspect of anything.
- Do be specific & respectful, though, okay?
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I've had several suspicious comments, and I've removed most of them. Some may not have been Spam, but most of them were. I've now taken to reviewing comments before allowing them to be posted (moderate comments). I've noticed this especially over the last 5-6 weeks or so.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!