Do you moderate your blogs comments?

[Kevin]

In the last few days I've commented on a lot of blogs which moderate comments. So after you submit your comment it won't be displayed until the blog owner approves it.

By default I set most of my blogs to approve all comments except those which have a certain amount of links in them (which is usually spam but not always).

I understand why some blogs have to moderate because of spam but for me, moderation holds up the discussion and can reduce the number of comments on your blog because of it. I find it easy enough just to go back every other day and see if any spam has been left.

I'd personally only moderate comments if my blog was being attacked by a lot of trolls.

I'd like to hear everyones thoughts on this issue, particularly those who moderate comments.

Thanks,
Kevin

:)

[fatherblogger]

Hi Kevin,

When I started using WP, I do not moderate comments on my blog. But when it had tons of spam comments, I asked a friend to find me a good way to moderate them. Now, I am using AJAX Force Comment Preview.

If a commentator leaves a comment for the first time, my approval will be required. But for next time, he just need to preview it for 30 seconds, then submit it. I think this is the best way to avoid spam comments.

While I agree that moderating comments may annoy the commentators, I still believe we should moderate them.

Just recently, while I was browsing the blogs of tons of comments on a top blog, I found out that a certain commentator used a PORN site in his URL. I immediately informed the top blogger, and I am sure this is a good example why we should moderate comments.

Thanks for asking.

[Kevin]

oh yeah. I forgot to mention the approval of commenters who had commented before. I understand why people use that. If spam ever got out of control on one of my blogs I'd probably use that.

[fatherblogger]

If spam ever got out of control on one of my blogs I'd probably use that.I think you should consider this, Kevin. I do not want your blog to encounter the top blogger experienced as I mentioned.

[narendra.s.v]

well i do moderate comments even i have akismet installed! coz all the comments we get would be good i mean they can be anything just linking back to there blog, just saying nice post or something just to have there link and thats i think for others but for me i get really bad comments that came from somewhere that i don't know or even like to be there!

so better to moderate! does all the comments you get are spam free?

[sarahG]

I moderate comments on all my sites. 1st time commentator, comment is moderated, but after that, providing the same name and email address is used the comment will go straight through.

Most people who comment on my site regularly are already approved so it's only someone new or a one time commentator that may be held up. As my computer is on for around 14-16 hours daily I'll pick up any new comments and moderate them fairly quickly, it's only the ones left over night which may have to wait until I'm up in the morning.

Counter-productive? Yes and no. Whilst running Akismet and not the default comment script (which the bots will usually target) I still get maybe half a dozen comments during the week which are either time wasters or spam. I also don't like comments with a name as their business or spam text and tend to change it before moderating the comment (as per my point right above my comment form saying I'll do this).

Of course it's nice to have comments flowing but I don't run any site busy enough in comments for that to be too much of an issue.

I subscribe to a number of comment feeds on other people's sites and on a couple of these that don't use moderation, I get loads of spammy comments through to my feedreader because they've got past akismet. It'd be the same when you subscribe to comments on someone's post and get a number of spam comments emailed straight through, especially if that post is picked to be targeted.

I think for most people it's understood that as a new commentator on a site your comment will probably be moderated at first.

[navjotjsingh]

Even I moderate comments but only for first time. This strategy seems to work for every blog I have ever created. I can't rely on people so much that I will never need to moderate. Neither Akismet is foolproof and nor is any other spam blocking software. And more so because Spammers are not robots but humans nowdays. And now they have found even better methods of spamming. They read your post, try to make a related comment but still are spam because instincts will tell you that they are here to spam not to comment.

I can't let such comments on my blog and destroy its reputation. Though I have a comment policy in place but still not many people care to read it. Manual moderation is required for first time atleast.

[Rarst]

I am also moderating first comment. Best way to do it in my opinion. It does not hassle people much and leaves no chance for spam to pass.

[ghing]

I also moderate comments on my blogs... specially now that my site got lots of spam comments this past few days..

[ap4a]

I'm another who moderates first time users. After that they get automagically approved and I get an email of the comment, so can respond or post-moderate if I need to.

[wahmsuzanne]

I think mine is first post but for some weird reason some of my regular posters still need approval sometimes. I'm wondering if it's only on that one post ... and if they comment on another post they have to be approved again. I will look into this today. Askimet catches the spam with mulitply links ... and the other ones "nice blog" or whatever I guess I could just delete ... but like mentioned it would go out to my other commenters and that's not good either. *SmiLes* Suzanne

[sarahG]

I think mine is first post but for some weird reason some of my regular posters still need approval sometimes.

A change in name or email address will cause this to happen. WordPress will check for an already moderated comment with the same name and email, if it exists then the comment will be moderated automatically. I've had regular commentaters change their email or name in some way and they have to be moderated again.

[Kevin]

I might decide to moderate the first comment. I suffer from spam occasionally, mostly trackback spam, and perhaps this will help.

I am concerned that if I'm away for 3 or 4 days though comments will be held up (as you know BT has several authors other than myself).

[ap4a]

You could turn moderation off when you're away, and then manually moderate anything that shouldn't have got through when you're back.

[Kevin]

You could turn moderation off when you're away, and then manually moderate anything that shouldn't have got through when you're back.

haha. That was so obvious, why didn't I think of that!!

Yeah I might try that out. Best of both worlds.

[athlon24]

There's only one why I do not moderate my blog. It is because I am not always online. My time, won't give me the leisure to moderate it. Maybe if I can really get into full pledge blogging, I also want to moderate my blog.

[wahmsuzanne]

A change in name or email address will cause this to happen. WordPress will check for an already moderated comment with the same name and email, if it exists then the comment will be moderated automatically. I've had regular commentaters change their email or name in some way and they have to be moderated again.

Yes, I thought that might be the case but I've never paid that much attention. I do like the idea of allowing everything through that doesn't have a ton of links in it ... I'll have to think about that ... is it a WP function? *SmiLes* Suzanne

[navjotjsingh]

Yes, I thought that might be the case but I've never paid that much attention. I do like the idea of allowing everything through that doesn't have a ton of links in it ... I'll have to think about that ... is it a WP function? *SmiLes* Suzanne

You can limit the number of links in a comment before it is held for approval. It is a predefined setting which can be configured via Wordpress Admin Panel...check it in Settings>Discussions. There is a setting to configure the number of links in a comment before it is put up for moderation.

[sarahG]

I might decide to moderate the first comment. I suffer from spam occasionally, mostly trackback spam, and perhaps this will help.

I am concerned that if I'm away for 3 or 4 days though comments will be held up (as you know BT has several authors other than myself).

Or you could always ask one of your authors a favour to keep an eye on things ;)

[akira07]

no, i'm not moderate comment in my blog because well, i have no time to check it one by one

[EmmaB]

I moderate all my comments. In the past when I didnt, I have found that some people will leave great comments the first couple of times until they are automatically approved, then they start spamming like its the end of the world.

[akira07]

i'm agree to moderate comment in way to avoid spammer, but there is a compensation :
TIME
how if you must moderate a thousand of comment per day (if someday your blog is popular) ?

[athlon24]

@akira, Moderation of comments even though it takes time is not a waste at all. actually, if you have that much comment in a day, it is wiser to moderate it because most possibly, out of that 1000 comments that you have, you'll have 700 comments that are a spam. Because most of popular blogs are the ones who is getting more spams.

[akira07]

is this kind of post SPAM :

LOL

or

Nice Share

Ok, since moderation is usefull, i will consider to moderate all of comment in my blog, but if someday my blog become popular, it will be busy day :D. or i can trust people to moderate it one by one ? hehehe