Blog Q&A

Blogging. I've been here at Blogger since July of 2006. This was my first post.

The template I used was a lot different then, but as Blogger updates, it's "retroactive" so you can't see how bare bones my early blog page was.

I've got some questions at the end of this post, and would appreciate your feedback. I hope you'll take a moment to comment.

A while back, there were issues leaving comments on this blog, so I changed the comment system to the pop up instead of embedded. Perhaps coincidentally, I noticed a upsurge in spam comments. Now, Blogger has a very good (as far as this blog is concerned) spam filter, and in all these months, only one spam post has made it through the filter. However, I get notified about every comment posted here, and that includes the spam. Then, I feel some obligation to verify that they didn't show up on the page, which does take time.

A possible solution might be to put back the spam word verification system, but that adds one more step for my legitimate readers, and I really prefer to make things as simple as possible. I allow anonymous comments, simply because there are those who prefer not to give any personal information.

What I don't understand is why these kinds of spammers exist if Blogger has such effective spam filters. Since they're never showing up on the blog, what's the benefit to the spammer? Many of these posts aren't even trying to sell something, and they don't have links to click that might send you to some evil website. Anyone know how these things work?

Another question that runs through my mind all the time is responding to comments. I think it's only "polite" to acknowledge that someone has taken the time to say something. Yet I've seen numerous blogs where the blogger never responds. I don't like generalizations, but it seems the bigger the name, the fewer the responses.

To me, blogging is a place where people can have discussions if they want. If you leave a comment on a blog that includes a question, do you go back to see if anyone has responded? Does it bother you if they don't?

And, finally … blog comments as personal promotion. I've seen blogs where a person leaving a comment uses it to tout his/her own work, and the comment often is only very loosely related to the topic at hand. These are the folks who can't leave a comment without mentioning their own book titles. Now, I don't mind people leaving live links in their comments (I do it when I comment, although there are some blog platforms that immediately kick those into spam or moderation). But I'm simply offering a way for people to find me, since not all blogs give live links to the person leaving the comment. To me, there's a difference between a link, which someone has to click to follow, and a personal promo, which is front and center.

So, some specific questions for you.

First: I've put the comments back to embedded. Can you leave a comment? (And if you can't, you can let me know by emailing me at terry (at) terryodell (dot) com )

Second: What are your feelings about having to type those word verifications? Blogger has relatively "easy" ones to read, unlike some sites, but it's still another layer between the reader and the blog.

Third: Speaking of readers – I'm trying to increase my followers, after sitting and watching things come to a halt at 349 followers. I'm looking for 500 by the end of the year. When I hit that number, I'll hold a celebratory giveaway. And I'd like to see 250 "likes". You can find both options on the right-hand sidebar. Please tell your friends. I'd love to welcome them to Terry's Place.

And, as is always the case, now that I've begged for followers, the Follower Gadget isn't displaying properly. At least for me. Hope it's a temporary glitch.

Thanks for your help.

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