Require A Name On Comments :: Vote Now
When I attended SOBCon08, I was somewhat surprised to hear how many of the attendees had a comment policy where they automatically rejected any comments that only contained keywords.
Since starting this blog, I’ve been pretty accepting of comments where the name is just a list of SEO keywords for the linked site as long as the comment is one of actual value. Over the last few months, some of the most active commentators have been people that I only know as keywords.
And that is the issue I am struggling with right now.
While I have learned to live with the SEO keywords in the name field, I have been thinking of experimenting with a policy where I will require each comment to include an actual name along with the keywords.
For instance…
Name: Making Money Online = rejected comment
Name: Derek - Making Money Online = approved comment
Why am I thinking about this comment policy?
The primary reason that I would want to implement a policy like this is to give the comments a more personable feel and help the community continue to grow. When responding to a comment, I would much rather be able to mention a person by name rather than their keywords.
In addition, most of the spam or borderline spam comments are made using only keywords as the name. Having a policy like this in place would make it even easier to weed out the spam comments, although that assumes that people are aware of the comment policy.
What do you guys think about this?
In the end, I agree that the truly important aspect of the comments is that the commentator shares something of value whether they use a name or not. Therefore I want to get your feedback on my idea of requiring a name to be included with each comment.
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Well I think this is certainly an interesting policy to look into. It cuts down on spammy types who come to ones blog only using it for link farm type sites. Good lord knows I get plenty of them as it is with my blogs. Thank goodness for aksimet.
Joe Cheray’s last blog post..How to Market Yourself for Free via The Net
With the launch of my new blog I have started commenting with my name and the blogs name for branding. I think having your name as well is just common courtesy as it allows you to reply to us personally.
Tom - StandOutBlogger.com’s last blog post..1 Month Blog Flipping Challenge
While there can definitely be SEO benefits to commenting on other sites, I don’t think that SEO should be the reason for commenting. Comments should be about building community and therefore use a name.
Nick’s last blog post..DTMF Tone Workaround
I think actual name is good because many people(not all) who don’t use actual name spamming.
Cesar’s last blog post..Change your Windows Vista or XP Welcome(Login) screen
If some one is interested in giving their opinion they shouldn’t shy away from sharing their names.
Eva White’s last blog post..Simple Ways To A Thinner, More Beautiful You
It wouldn’t bother me, because I use my real name anyways. I think there is a Wordpress plug-in, I forget what it’s called, that allows someone to enter both a real name and a keyword. The keyword gets linked to the provided URL rather than the name.
Michael Kwan’s last blog post..Do Freelancers Still Need a Fax Machine?
That plugin sounds cool, I’ll see if I can find it but feel free to shoot me the name of it if you remember it.
Check out this plugin. Should be what you look for.
http://www.scratch99.com/wordpress-plugin-keywordluv/
I don’t see the point in commenting on a bunch of blogs using keywords just for the sake of that one link. I mean, if you take a few extra seconds and write an interesting comment, you’ll have people take a look at your site as well as an inbound link.
Berg’s last blog post..Dutch Chicks Fighting
I would think it could contribute to the anti-spam movement, since spammers can and do show up in the strangest places.
Besides, what’s the harm and or difficulty in making a lilttle extra effort?
Strong One’s last blog post..Just One More
Said by the person with no name.
I think its a great idea to require a name. Brings a sense of “knowing” the person but putting a name to them.
Plus, its your blog, do what you want with it!
I totally meant to say BY not BUT. LOL my bad, derek!
You’re right that it is technically my blog but I really view it as more than that - as I like to think that all of you have some ownership as well since without you none of this would be possible.
I am glad that you think this way, as I FOR ONE BELIEVE THAT THE EXCHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN TAKING PLACE HERE HAVE BEGUN TO BUILD A COMMUNITY OF SORTS. I am however making my views on the subject separately.
I too remember seeing the plugin mentioned by Michael in action on another blog. It works great. You must seriously consider it. Will try to locate it for you.
A name with keyword sounds fair enough. Tell you the truth, though, you’re way too easy on commenters than most other blogs. If you clamp down on it, your comment volume may go down, but the quality of comments goes up. If you’re willing to accept this tradeoff, then fine.
Ling’s last blog post..TripAdvisor Top 10 Free Attractions
I don’t know as it should be a requirement but it sure is nice to know who is dropping by. I like to check out the blogs of other people and get to know everyone by name. Thats just my $0.02.
Mark’s last blog post..Now I’m justa flower child
It is a very good idea I think. I mean, to leave the option to use blogs as an advertising option, but still, we are human being who are really reading all the stuff (at least I like to).
The solution obviously then is the plug-in that both Michael and Nicole Price mention. I do not use my name for a very valid reason but shall send it to you be separate email to your contact address if it gives you a name to address someone by.
The KeywordLuv plugin does what Michael and I mentioned. Hope you find it useful.
Thank you Nicole Price. I too was looking for it.
In the beginning I was quite uncomfortable with using my real name and used my site name, which by the way is by no means a keyword. I don’t like it when people mark their comments with keywords and would probably not allow it on my blog. It looks spammy.
It is a good policy and an interesting one. By this policy we can came to know who is dropping the comment. Although it can be a bit frustrating for the one who is posting the comment.
I like to read here. Very interesting. I have add this blog to my favorits.
elli’s last blog post..Impressum
This has been discussed here before i think? However this new idea of yours sounds very good, to require a name along with the keyword. It will make for less faceless interaction. I think i have introduced myself Derek?
This is something we discussed a while ago Derek.
I have (and still do) use keyword based names on some blogs that I visit. However, where the blog owners prefer real name, then I am more than happy to respect that.
They key for me is that in either instance, I try to ensure that I comment intelligently and add value. I never spam, regardless of what I am callign myself.
A very long winded way to say that I will go with whatever Derek decides!
I think this is a great suggestion - so I implemented it at the top. One of the great things about blogging is community - and not just links, or link juice or SEO. We must enjoy socializing as much we do optimization.
I like that policy. I prefer to see a real name (or some kind of pseudo name you always use). Real names are best. Site names are okay as well. Key words only I just don’t like very much.
Kelvin Kao’s last blog post..Rhinocerhorse: The Story of The Last Unicorn
I agree with you here Derek. You are allowing people to comment using keywords as long as they have a name as well as keywords. This will make it more natural when responding to another person’s comment. Instead of saying, “Yeah I agree with Furniture Store” you can use their name.
I have used keywords as my name in the past but only where I am allowed to.
The comments being left by people should still be relevant and bring something to the blog. If not then they are pointless.
John
John Walters’s last blog post..Search Engine optimisation - The step by step guide
I comment because I genuinely want to comment. But they way I think about it is that if I do comment I might as well use my url + related keyword. I don’t really mind if you change your policy. I personally don’t mind which name people use when commenting on my blog either.
PS: There is a plugin that adds another field to your comments for real name and the end result is exactly what you are trying to achieve.
Ilia - Exposed seo’s last blog post..23 creative ads for your inspiration.
There you are Derek, three separate commentators recommending additional plug in to achieve what you desire, which will also help people like me.
I think it is much decent if nicks are given rather than seo names. At least we give due respect to the blogger.
hey man i got the perfect solution for you - DL the keyword luv plugin. If u havent heard of that already, it lets people use their name as well as a keyword of their choice. all they have to do is ‘jake@dell computers’ or watever and its money in the bank for the both of you
just google ‘keywordluv plugin’
I saw a lot of people have mentioned KeywordLuv. It would be perfect in this kind of situation! I’ve seen it on a few other blogs and I frequent and it works really well.
I know you only know me as “Airsoft Guns”, but behind that shallow keyphrase is a man, a man who cares, about stuff.
I think it is okay to use keywords, so long as your comments make sense and there is actually the need for the keywords to appear. Otherwise, it will just look like the comment is spammy.
Ernesto’s last blog post..Motorola RAZR V3 Cell Phone: Slim and Sleek
Is there irony in the fact that a a plugin designed to deal with keyword names can’t even spell “love” properly!
When did the Queen’s English go to pot?
I feel like you should allow people to post whatever keywords they want, as long as they are contributing something of value to your blog.
There are 2 ways you can look at this.
1. Spammers that come on and leave stupid comments that provide no relevance or value to your blog. You’ll lose readership when people look at comments because they’ll think your blog is spam.
2. If you encourage insightful comments from spammers, or fans of your blog, you’ll simply get better content. You’ll get more readership, and even more links.
As i look through the comments of this blog, I see some generic ones … (I’m not going to call anyone out)
I really do think these should be deleted. If you delete them, you’ll encourage better comments.
Is the comment I just left a good one?
I think it is … It’s not great, but I think it’s good enough to accept, and allow me to get some link juice, even though it’s very little.
I’m very passionate about dofollow, and I think it should exist, as long as blog owners encourage INSIGHTFUL comments and delete GENERIC ones for the better of Internet.
By generic, I presume you mean the “great article” type of one liners?
Go on, name and shame
Currently, the plug-in KeywordLuv is the popular solution to this.
With the way things are going, it is apparent that getting back links is the primary motivating factor on why people place comments on blogs.
Spam comments are easy to spot. By merely looking at what these commenters have to say, one can tell if the placed comments are spam or not.
Just my two cents.
I think this is a good thing — and a lot of other blogs should follow suit — it allows some link love yet allows for community within the blogosphere.
It is definitely better to get comments from people, not just keywords or businesses. Thanks for starting this.
So many people overreact when it comes to commenting on blogs these days. I don’t so why it’s so “taboo” to leave a keyword in the name field on blogs. In the search engine world, getting links can be a daunting task and having the ability to create backlinks from blog comments with a desired keyword is a great benefit and motivates people to comment.
I agree with Johnnie — the blogosphere is a community, and typically, in a community people will seek other people’s help and support, just in the blogosphere the help asked is in the form of links.
I see it more conversational if you see names and not seo names commenting on blogs because it looks very informal and easy to relate with.
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