Seems something new started up last week and as a result the amount of spam comments and trackback spam that folks are receiving is sky-rocketing. In fact we had to sticky a generic post over at the WordPress.org support forums to help minimize the number of forum posts all on the same topic. (And why the heck don’t people search forums first before posting?!? That drives me absolutely nuts!).
In short, if you’re running a WordPress blog try these ideas:
- Install and activate either Akismet or Spam Karma 2. I won’t say which is better as I’ve tried both and found they both have their strengths and they both have their weaknesses. But as far as I can tell, they’re equally effective.
- Some folks advocate running both. Some folks say that’s not a great idea. I’ve never tried to run both and so far haven’t seen the need.
- There is a plugin that “integrates” Akismet with SK2. If you’re running both, this approach seems more rational to me.
- Once you have your Akismet or SK2 installed and activated, get the Bad Behavior plugin as well. This one approaches the battle from a slightly different angle and can squash quite a bit of the crap before Akismet or SK2 even have to look at it.
Akismet and reading impaired
Many folks really struggle with Akismet and activating it. When you look at it in your plugins list, you’ll see a description, directions and a link. Read them! For reference:
(click for full size)
In short, you need to follow that link. It gives you a link to wordpress.COM. Not .org, but .com which is where the free WP hosting service is. Yes, you are signing up for an account and (optionally) getting a free blog. No, you need not ever use it or pay attention to it. You just want the API key and to move on with your life.
[edit: I see a new option at the wp.com registration site now. You don't have to get a free blog. Just click "Just an username, please." at the very bottom.]
You wouldn’t believe how much this confuses folks.
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May 20th, 2006 
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Hm, that explains the sudden interest in Bad Behavior, I guess.
As for the forums, the search is completely stupid. The search box on the forum, by default, searches the codex. This turns out to be less than helpful, especially when it’s Yeehaw! search.
Hi Michael – Love your plugin.
In general, I’d have to agree with you about WP’s site search. Typing a search from the support forums, get the (wrong) results, uncheck Codex, check Support and Search again is less than user oriented or “poetry”.
Someone else below asked this already about antispam scripts.
I am getting nailed with Spam on my website mails and in our blog website – now its offline too
much spam. Is there anyway to stop this? If not, there really isn’t any point in leaving it up
and active. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for help, Keep up the good work. Greetings from Poland
Hi Pozycjonowanie — did you try any of the plugins I mentioned in this very article?
[...] A week or so back, I realized that the WP-Cache plugin was acting funny at this site. In hindsite, it probably started when I had (once again) switched back to using Spam Karma 2 as part of my anti-spam protection. [...]
[...] years ago when blog spam (I’d imagine trackback spam in particular) was getting worse and the options we have now weren’t around or as [...]
Thanks for your article.