How to Become a Spam-Blocking Superhero!
It’s a crazy world out there, and everyone wants somebody powerful, somebody super that they can count on to Block Spam Wherever It Occurs!
Pssst! That’s your cue!
Because blocking spam on your business blog is a task you can be pretty darn incredible at. Which means you’ll be invited to all the right parties and maybe even get to meet Paris Hilton.
Or possibly you could just sit back and be justifiably proud of your incredibly clean, un-spammy business blog.
Here’s how to get started.
1. Make Akismet your trusty sidekick
Akismet is an incredibly reliable anti-spam superhero sidekick and it comes bundled with WordPress by default.
In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to your Plugins page and find the Akismet plugin. Click “Activate” and you will see a message appear at the top of the page. The message says “Enter your WordPress.com API key” and if you click on that link, you’ll be taken to the Akismet Configuration page where you can enter your API key.
If you don’t already have a key, simply register for a free account at Akismet.com and get one!
2. Require a CAPTCHA
A CAPTCHA is a program that can generate and grade tests that humans can pass but current computer programs cannot. The term CAPTCHA (for Completely Automated Public Turing Test To Tell Computers and Humans Apart) was coined in 2000 by Luis von Ahn, Manuel Blum, Nicholas Hopper and John Langford of Carnegie Mellon University.
CAPTCHAs are handy for more than just blocking spambots, they are also a good way to protect website registrations and conduct online polls.
You can build your own CAPTCHA service or simply use the free services from Google. And as always, there are WordPress plugins you can install and add to your business site.
Incidentally, every time you enter a CAPTCHA, you’re helping digitise books. The way this works, is that there are two words in the image, one which the software knows, and one it doesn’t. You are helping teach the software a new word that it needs to translate more information from print to digital. Cool, huh?
Can you feel the anti-spam power building up yet? Are you feeling the urge to dive into a nearby phone booth so you can change into your spandex tights? (Where have all the phone booths gone?)
3. Make ‘em do math
Math comment spam protection is as easy as 1+1, really. Just download the Math Comment Spam Protection plugin at the original site or via your WordPress Plugins page and… (I love this part) Activate! This little plugin shows a simple math equation and website visitors must correctly solve it in order to post their comment (or submit their form, etc.) If you want more information about the WordPress plugin before installing it, you can read more in the WP Plugin Directory.
4. Require registration for commenting.
This is a more extreme measure, but there are some cases that call for it. To implement registration on your WordPress site, from your dashboard go to Settings > Discussion and check the box that says “Users must be registered and logged in to comment.” Save your changes and you’ve make one more big step toward stopping spam in it’s tracks.
So, there are four helpful tools and tricks to help you become a spam-blocking superhero! Now you owe it to the world to get yourself a really awesome new superhero outfit.
