I really tried to tolerate this as much as I could, but it's becoming a constant issue in my comments lately. I don't want to be rude or hurt anyones feelings, but people constantly posting links their blog in my comment section is getting frustrating.
I've never felt a need to make a rule about this, but it has been increasing lately. Honestly, I do not mind if you post a link to your blog once in my comment section. I don't think it's the best blog etiquette, but I know being new to blogging can be challenging and you are unaware of what is considered polite and what isn't. What I have an issue with is the people who either..
1. Comment daily and always add a link to their blog after their comment. If you've already posted your link once, please do not post it again.
2. Give me some disingenuous comment like "cool!" and then link to your blog. This goes along with number #1. Most people who do this are the people who are regularly "comment" and add a link to their blog every time. This is very transparent, I know you are only posting that to get away with posting a link to your blog. I can tell the difference between who is sincere and who is not.
3. People who just post a link to their blog and nothing else.
4. People who tell me in the comments "Follow me and I'll follow you back" with a link to their blog.
Starting today I will be deleting comments that exhibit any of what is listed above. As I said before, I honestly do not mind if you post a link to your blog once. I'm giving you a free pass here because I know not everyone is aware that isn't exactly polite. I'm really cracking down on the people who abuse the commenting system continually to advertise themselves.
**I of course don't mind if you send me links to your blog to receive awards or you want to share a link with me in order to show me something that relates to my post etc.**
All of this being said, if you would like to share your blog with me you can always email me, tweet it to me, or facebook message it to me. You can find access to all of those things on the social media buttons on the right sidebar of my page. I enjoy reading new blogs. I was a newbie once too, and I know people are eager to gain a following. I think there are far more appropriate ways to get a following. These are just a few things that helped me. I'm in no way an expert on blogging, but I've found these methods to be successful.
1. Follow blogs you enjoy. Leave sincere comments on peoples posts that you like, no links!Usually, people will return the favor.
2. Get a twitter account and start getting to know other bloggers.
3. Make sure you are blogging for the right reasons. Blogging is something that should be fun and enjoyable. It is very obvious when people blog just to get free samples or unnecessary attention.
4. Most of all be genuine. This goes along with #3. People can easily tell if you're not.
The main thing is be yourself! Be real! I hope my list of suggestions doesn't come as I think I'm a know it all. I wasn't writing that for that purpose. I've received questions in the past asking how to get a following, and I figured with the subject manner of this post I might as well throw those things out there.
That's my little rant for the day. Sorry, if I've offended anyone. Just remember starting today I will be removing comments that have links in them that have already posted links before.
Happy Wednesday!
hey! follow me and I'll follow back. hahaha JK! I'm so so glad you posted this because the comment spammers are getting OUT OF HAND. also, my word ver is emokined which i think is funny. um, ok yep thats it.
ReplyDeleteSteph, I don't think it's offensive for you to set guidelines and rules for your own blog. It's a great idea.
ReplyDeleteAnd having to deal with the spammers definitely takes away from bloggers the real reason we do blogging; to share our information and enjoy a hobby.
As a regular follower of your blog, continue with the awesome work you are doing!
Hear Hear!!! I feel the same way.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I was starting off (only 2 months ago today!), link spamming was really getting big and I didn't know any better at all. After it was brought to my attention, it stopped! Thanks to people like you making newbies aware, it helps us all. I mean, I'm still a "newbie" in the time sense of the word, but still. You get my drift.
My particular pet peeve is the "I'll only follow you if you follow me" crap. I'm not a blogger to boost my ego with followers- I blog to share my love of art and polish with the world. And as such, if you go around threatening other bloggers that you won't follow them if they don't follow you(obviously not you, but "you" in the general sense) do you think that such a blogger would WANT you to follow them? No. I'd rather have 5 genuine followers than 1000 of follower-hoarders. I blog for me and for the people that enjoy my work. I'd still do it if no one was listening/checking in.
I'm glad that you are so nice as to give people a free pass but I also hope that they appreciate how lucky they are to have it from you. I'm sorry you've been spammed so much lately and I hope it stops, for your sanity's sake!
<3<3<3<3<3
I didn't have many link problems, but I couldn't follow everyone back because things started to confuse me afte a while. So I made a blogpost just for this reason. "Everyone who wants me to check back their blog, should comment on this post." I said, and everything was smooth. Maybe you can do a special post for that reason =)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I absolutely hate the "Hey! Follow me and I'll follow you back!" thing. Only happened to me once, but I felt like I had to say: "Hey miss! Shouldn't you be following me first, since you have come here on your own in the first place?" This sounds conditional and so wrong!
I've been having this problem too lately, I have been ignoring it but I may start deleting these comments from now on and hope the persons notice and go away. We work hard to get followers and don't appreciate people advertising for free, and really..do people go to links of others who spam their links in comments? I know I dont, so I guess they aren't really successful in what they attempt to do.
ReplyDeleteI also moderate all my comments and notice that you do not, that might fix your problem right there, having to moderate every comment, you see what people write and then can decide from there. ;)
ReplyDeleteMaybe some bloggers think that if they add their link they'll have more readers !!!! Personally I don't think so, I'd like to read a blog only if I like its quality :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with you !!
although i dont have too many link issues in my comments [thank goodness] i think this post was needed for those who do link their blogs in their comments. but the whole "Follow me and I'll follow you back" is really unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteWow this is so the truth!
ReplyDeleteI don't get the point of comment with the purpose to link it to your own blog.. I'm a blogger since a few months, but even I see the linkspammers in my comments..
Good for you for putting your foot down! If somebody gets offended at this, it just means that they shouldn't be here to begin with and should go on their merry way. I agree with you 100% on this!
ReplyDeleteI think you are right writing this and you don't offend anyone :)
ReplyDeleteIt's quite sad reciving comments such as "cool" "nice" and then the link :( I'm a newbie since I've had my blog since May but I've some "spammers"... Not your level...
Good luck with this, and hope you don't "waste" much time deleting comments... it's unfair: bloggers should spend their time interacting and having fun, not deleting spam... :)
Alice
being somewhat of a new blogger, i didn't recognize it as spam until someone pointed it out to me.
ReplyDeletei don't have a problem with it so far, but i can see how it can be annoying and irritating.
I agree with you Steph. I've never posted links (except for in post for giveaway). I think it's kind of tacky. I have no problem getting to know new bloggers and helping by following their blog. I know I don't comment a lot because I want all my comments to be special and I have the feeling they all look the same after awhile.
ReplyDeleteThis is your blog and you make the rules. So don't apologize for that. You have every right.
This is totally fair! And you aren't being mean about it either.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree - I think it's really tacky to post links, but I don't really mind if it's just once. However, I hate when people make those mindless comments that are just fluff to go along with their link. Annoying. In my opinion, leaving genuine comments gets more followers than linkspamming anyway.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really good post, Steph!
ReplyDeleteYour rules are completely acceptable, and I think you've handled the spammers well.
I moderate all my comments before they get posted, but with larger amounts of comments like you get on your blog , it might be too difficult :S
Well said. And timely, too.
ReplyDeletePersonally I do not understand this at all. I am new to blogger and never once considered linking my blog in the comment of someone else's. You (or at least I am) on that post because you are interested in what they have to say and show, not to promote yourself or gain popularity. I would not want some one to follow me just because I left a link in their comments. I want people to follow me because they want to. I think your suggestions were very helpful. Have a great night.
ReplyDeleteFollow me and I'll follow back. ---kut´s kidding...
ReplyDeletei´m brazilian and also i have a blog about polish nails(vernizes/esmaltes)...I´m so crasy about it... so, if u want to see it..
http://tinaup.blogspot.com
follow me just if u like...
and..nice your giveaway!
I completely agree with everything you said. One of my pet peeves is when people respond with something like "awesome swatches" (with no punctuation or capitalization... clearly no thought put into the comment) followed by a link to their blog.
ReplyDeleteOne time a girl even commented on one of my posts, and she didn't even bother to make it look like she had read it. She just put something like "Hey, please check out my blog! I'm having a giveaway!" I thought it was really rude and deleted the post. It made me feel like my post was worthless, like it was just there so people could leave comments advertising their own blogs.
I would be perfectly fine with people taking time to email me with their links, giveaway info, etc. For example one time a girl emailed me and asked for me to tell people about her blog and in return she would post about mine. I was happy to do that since she emailed me first instead of just spamming my comments.
Zara said what I was thinking, "In my opinion, leaving genuine comments gets more followers than linkspamming anyway."
ReplyDeleteSay something interesting, or funny, or informative. People will click on your name to check out your blog. It's what I do anyway, and I'm sure there are plenty of other readers who do the same.
Just my thoughts - please, be aware I'm not trying to offend anyone, I'm talking in general -, but I just don't understand as well why giveaways (almost) always require to become a follower, it seems to me like you're "buying" readers.
ReplyDeleteObviously, we are all free to decide and bloggers are free to set rules as they want, but at this point I don't really believe that we (I mean, bloggers) aren't interested in "popularity" at all: usually, in order to partecipate to a giveaway, you have to be a follower, and then you gain extra entries if you spread the word in your blog, in Twitter, etc.
Again, we are all free and I'm ok with that (if I don't like these rules, I don't join it, it's simple!), but if you're really not interested in gaining readers and more readers without a reason (I mean, they follow you just because of the giveaway), why set rules? What's the advantage of "piling" readers (it doesn't matter how or why)? Does Blogspot make a chart and then give a prize at the end of the year?
I don't really get it, hope someone will explain that to me :>
Thanks for the discussion and sorry for my curiosity.
Thank goodness I don't have a blog! No, no, I'm just kidding. :P But if and when I do get a blog, I certainly will not be spamming! You are right in saying its not the nicest etiquette, the comments section is meant for people to make an honest opinion about whatever was discussed in the post, not to gain more followers.
ReplyDeleteExcellent rant
ReplyDeleteOk, guess I'll remain with my doubts :^/
ReplyDeleteyou are so cute.. hehe. your rant is so precise and clear. I think I made a rant too, but it was more flippant.. ahaha. I think I linked my blog around the first week I had my blog.. but not 2 every blogger... just to pple who thought would like my blog and who I liked... but i stopped.. i thought it was too weird. oppsie.. rookie mistake..! ehh but now and days it's gotten really crazy. this type of spamming is just gross and rude
ReplyDeleteYou know what? I think nail bloggers are the coolest? You know why? Almost every nail blog I left a comment on checked out my blog and many of them comment on my blog now. I didn't leave any links, I just left comments.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that with beauty blogs it's not the same. People don't come check out your blog if you leave a comment on theirs.
I do think some people don't know how to link to their own blogs through their profile, esp. if their blog isn't hosted on Blogger.
My blog isn't hosted on blogger but I have a note on my profile that will lead you to my blog:)