General Discussions

**ForrestCroce** · 08-16-2007, 02:58 AM

I don't really like the idea of "censorship," especially if part of the draw of a blog - which is going to pull people into my main site - is to be conversational. Stifling peoples' ability to share conflicting perspectives doesn't seem like it'll help any of my goals.

At first this might seem like comment spam, but I'm not sure whether that's the case. The URL behind the comment doesn't resolve. It was left by a wmt member who never seemed to get the site up; googling the domain makes me think the person didn't leave the comment to drum up traffic to a site that doesn't work?

Unless it's domain speculation...?

Fatal error: Out of memory (allocated 2359296) (tried to allocate ...

Fatal error: Out of memory (allocated 2359296) (tried to allocate 393216 bytes) in C:\xampp\htdocs\wordpress\wp-includes\query.php on line 842.
youbatube.com/wordpress/ - 1k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this
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... argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in C:\xampp\htdocs\webgallery\viewgallery.php on line 13 's Youbatube Web Gallery ...
www.youbatube.com/webgallery/viewgallery.php?user_id=10 - 8k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

Somehow, and I've never understood this, but my photos have the power to make a small number of people very angry. This isn't the first time I've got a note like this, usually through email, but I could probably count them all on my fingers.

Anyway, I've never run a blog before and just recently got talked into it ... so I'm hoping some people with some more experience, wisdom, and understanding of "blogosphere" etiquette can give me some advice? I approved the comment; is this a mistake? Can I remove the link in the comment on a wordpress blog? Should I? Here's the comment:

Matt Says:
August 15th, 2007 at 11:37 am
as if this is “fine photography”
get some good photos

How would you deal with this on your site? Sarcastic reply? Generic "thank you for your opinion?" response? Ignore it? Spam it?

I don't have a problem with criticism, but this is in response to an article about pre-Photoshop technique on shooting night photos, with a few examples at the end. The comment just doesn't add anything of value ... but on the other hand, I don't want to discourage legitimate comments.

**D-not** · 08-16-2007, 03:16 AM

Delete, those are in fact fine photo's. If you want to look at your site as 'controversial' then you should proceed in that direction intelligently, stupid comments without any backup, proof, or offering anything besides the persons rash criticism isn't any different from flaming, therefore it has no place there.

**chrishirst** · 08-16-2007, 05:27 AM

I guess he doesn't realise that Google own YouTube and will protect their property from would be imitators / rip off merchants somewhat fiercely

IMO.
Just a link drop blog spammer with a site that doesn't work. Bin it! Ban him!

**Learning Newbie** · 08-16-2007, 02:06 PM

A flaming troll. I would delete the comment, except you say you've already published it, so click the link that lets you edit the comment and remove his URL, so you don't give him a link, but if you yank the comment now people will notice. In the future, though, don't publish useless garbage like that.

I'm about to find out whether I have the power to red rep a spammer.

**Learning Newbie** · 01:06 PM

You think that's bad? Look at this comment someone just left on my blog:

Quote:

Coleoreks | scousyarouh@vinbazar.com | celebs.html | IP: 83.249.150.54
to good night
you have an indeed class resource of www.great-library.com let us help each other spam if that knocked in icq write on mail
key mesage for you
*** shot link for you (was a link)
http://

I think I'm going to approve it, tell the guy where he can go, and de-link but leave the URL up. I know people have different opinions of whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I think embarrassing spammers is fun, if not instructive for other people sitting on the edge.

**highanddry** · 04:15 PM

I actually think you should leave it be. If its a spam, delete, but its not like other visitors wont form their own opinions or will simply agree with the guy because he said it.

To tell you the truth, I don't know whats controversial about your photos, they seem to conform to photography standard/postcard format, but even controversy in your comments is good for your site. If you look at youtube, a lot of negative comments spark more traffic and positive commenting from others.

I guess if there were several comments like this, you might want to keep them out, so it doesn't seem like a "trend", but one or two wont hurt in my opinion.

Also this made me laugh for some reason

Quote:

Somehow, and I've never understood this, but my photos have the power to make a small number of people very angry

**Learning Newbie** · 08-17-2007, 04:40 PM

Yeah, actually, I guess I read too quick and missed that. Could you expand a little on what you mean about making people angry?

**ForrestCroce** · 08-17-2007, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-not

Delete, those are in fact fine photo's.

Oh, I know. I have a pretty big ego about that, and some idiot spamming for a web site that's not reachable can't put a dent in that. And I don't mind people not liking my photos, even saying so publically ... I'm just not familiar enough with the blogging community rules to know what should be done in a situation like this. The main reason to delete is it doesn't add any value to anybody, and is trollish.

Quote:

Originally Posted by highanddry

I actually think you should leave it be. If its a spam, delete, but its not like other visitors wont form their own opinions or will simply agree with the guy because he said it.

Sort of seems like spam, but it's hard to say ... this doesn't look like the work o fa spam bot, obviously some emotionally disturbed human looked and left a somewhat relevant comment ... and I mean that in the most minuscule sense possible, ie the guy saw that there were photos present. So I wound up leaving it in place and replying.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Learning Newbie

You think that's bad? Look at this comment someone just left on my blog:

Funny ... I got almost the same comment today, peddling the same fetish porn. That, I marked as spam immediately. This one is more puzzling, though.

Oh well ... there doesn't seem to be a strong consensus. Since the post was a technical article and the the photos were merely illustrations, I'm still tempted to remove the comment, but like it was pointed out, since I've already published it, I'll just leave it in place, with my reply, and let other people make up their own minds.

**ADAM Web Design** · 02:07 AM

I don't believe in censorship, either. In fact, I often encourage disagreement and controversy. However, comments like the one you posted are just idiotic and add nothing.

Having said that, I'd include it AND I'd keep the site (unless it's something spammy)...the reason I say that is because a lot of people who make comments like those are Tuesday morning quarterbacks (I miss TMQ!) or people looking to draw others to their sites through inflammatory rhetoric without any real social commentary (also known as the Matt Cutts Detractor Effect.)

Oh...and when your photos suck, I'll tell you. Or John will. Or Steven will. Until one of us says so, your photos are fine.

**ForrestCroce** · 08-18-2007, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ADAM Web Design

Oh...and when your photos suck, I'll tell you. Or John will. Or Steven will. Until one of us says so, your photos are fine.

Wait ... you're not saying you would tell me the truth without sugar coating it, are you?

Every now and then someone gets really upset over my photos ... it's almost always another photographer, as in this case. A couple years ago, I posted some new photos on the local Craigslist, with a title something like "Photos of our fair city" and have been getting occasional hate mail ever since, from this guy who calls himself "Smeggaville" and writes these semi-coherent rants about the different photog associations he belongs to. I'd blacklist emails from the guy, but honestly they're kind of entertaining.

This is the newest comment, and the reason why I'm not bothered that someone doesn't like my work:

Melanie Prough Says:
August 18th, 2007 at 3:49 am e Psssst
Remove your first post, or give it some content. Its a dead givaway for “new” Blogs.
I like your Blog, very nice. Great photos…WOW even!
Check out this tool…. Check your pages
http:// www. submitexpress .com/analyzer/
Later—
Melanie Prough

That's not blog spam.

**ADAM Web Design** · 04:27 PM

When have I ever told anyone the truth without sugar-coating it? I'm usually so diplomatic and politically correct!

Melanie's actually got a bit of a point in that the first post is a bit of a giveaway for "new" blogs...but then again, so are archives less than 2 months old and 1-3 posts in each category. There's really not much you can do about it, other than what you already will do, and in your case the blog indicates a growth stage in your site. So I'd leave it the way it is.

**mago** · 08-18-2007, 04:37 PM

I would delete them.

**chrishirst** · 08-18-2007, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForrestCroce

This is the newest comment, and the reason why I'm not bothered that someone doesn't like my work:
.... links etc left out of quote

That's not blog spam.

I'm sure some of these people can't be as dumb as they act.

just another "SEO" blog that hasn't been crawled yet, out dropping links wherever they can and showing you a "tool" (using the word loosely) that will tell you how your page are not optimised and you will then call them for a quote.

But would you hire them after reading this quote from their site

Quote:

Content is KING, but only if it is relevant and the text ratio is over 30%. Include keywords in your text, but naturally not stuffing. User generated content is high maintenance, but it rates! Google is ranking sites with videos very favorably right now. Make a Google sitemap you need to have it

That was just from one page I clicked at random. I didn't bother after that little gem.

and how dumb is that?
only if your content is relevant???

ermm Hello
Surely your content must be relevant to your content.

**ADAM Web Design** · 08-18-2007, 06:23 PM

The content...is relevant...to the content?

Okay, Harvard boy, just slow down there and let the rest of us catch up.

**vangogh** · 08-18-2007, 08:11 PM

Chris that's way too advance for me. How exactly can you tell if your content is relevant to itself. I'm lost. I need more edumacation.

Forrest I'd leave both comments. To me the comment spam I get is when it's obviously only being done for marketing. The comments that make it clear the person didn't read the post or the ones I can tell were submitted by some automated software.

Inevitably it's a judgment call.

I've had posts where someone commented they disagreed with me completely and basically thought my post worthless. I replied with an apology if I hadn't made my point clear enough and then restated my point in a new way.

**ADAM Web Design** · 08-18-2007, 11:00 PM

Ghetto clothes, Steven! And all the Britney porn you can stand!

That's all I have to say about blog spam.

**seolman** · 08-18-2007, 11:53 PM

How about setting up a simple test Forrest: anyone can criticize provided it is constructive. For example: even if gentle mannered Adam in his subtle way said "that sucks", he would tell you why and allow you to write a rebuttal or agreement with his comment.

IMO if someone makes a vague comment about something not being up to their standards (or just write sarcastic remarks), delete their butts right off the site.

Any one of us could have eaten Alpha Bits and crapped out a better comment. Zap 'em

**vangogh** · 08-19-2007, 01:31 AM

mmm...alpha bits

**ForrestCroce** · 08-19-2007, 03:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrishirst

just another "SEO" blog that hasn't been crawled yet, out dropping links wherever they can and showing you a "tool" (using the word loosely) that will tell you how your page are not optimised and you will then call them for a quote.

The tool she pointed to doesn't seem very helpful to me ... but the lady herself could give most of us a run for our money. I found her site almost by accident, read a few posts, left a comment in one asking for some clarification, and the next day there was a new post with a long and intelligent answer to my question.

This is from another of her posts that got my attention:

Quote:

For example, in our clicks breakdown you can see that statistically the value of traffic it is better to be the 8th result than the 7th result. As a matter of fact coming in at .36% ... I suspect the 7th result is so bad because of sheer page position. In my testing, using normal scrolling to view the results... The 7th result NEVER lands in the focal line. Because, lets face it, users do not view the footer area.
I complied my results today from these 3 wonderful studies.

I didn't look around the site with the tool very much, but I've bookmarked the lady's blog, left a few comments, and only then did she visit and leave one ... and put spaces in the url to the "tool" to keep it from becoming a link. Definitely not spam; it's proof of what most of the brighter people have been saying. Put together good content, even if it's sparse at first, network, engage other people in discussion, and you'll draw a crowd.