A Little Help From My Friends…
Dear friends and fellow bloggers,
You know me, right? I’m a prolific commenter, most of the time. I usually have an opinion, and I love hanging around blogs. We’re all friends here in the blogosphere.
Ham turned to Spam!
However. At this time, I’ve been relegated to Spam. Yup, everything I might try to say to you on your lovely WordPress blogs currently most likely ends up in your Spam folder. Why?
WordPress uses something called Akismet to protect our blogs from Spam. Occasionally, Akismet tightens its criteria or logarithms or whatever it is they use, and legitimate, innocent bloggers such as myself end up on a blacklist. Completely randomly. Completely without reason. For I’m not Spam, right? Not fair, uh-huh, but that’s what happens.
How did I find out about this? Well, let’s say I spent time yesterday leaving comments on people’s blogs, as is my wont, and they didn’t appear. The blog would say, “posting comment” and then… nothing. No “your comment is awaiting moderation”, just nothing. This got me thinking and Googling, and hey presto, there it was, the hypothesis. Am I on a blacklist of some kind? Does WordPress think I’m Spam?? I Facebooked with one of the bloggers and she duly found me in her Spam folder (and restored my comment: thanks!). Hypothesis confirmed; panic stations!
I’ve contacted WordPress, and they’ve been very helpful but there’s not much they can do. I’ve contacted Akismet but their contact form is like a big, black hole and I don’t even know if my message got through.
No Way Out?
Meanwhile I’ve been advised conflicting things. Some say, hold off on the commenting altogether for a while. Others say, comment and ask the blog owners to retrieve your message from Spam and approve it. Apparently, that action sends a message of a ‘false positive’ to Akismet which will eventually (in a few days? weeks? months?) prompt Akismet to take me off the blacklist. (Have I mentioned that I hate being on any kind of blacklist? I’m deeply distraught!).
I’m not alone in this. Check out this post, for example (or try Googling the phenomenon, but this link is faster, LOL):
http://dukeo.com/how-to-get-off-akismets-blacklist/
Instructive, huh? So where do I go from here?
Hope Against Hope
Well. I’ll comment a little less, perhaps, but I will remain your active friend!
Perhaps you could check your Spam folder every once in a while to see if I’m languishing in there. Perhaps, if you find me, you might mark my comments as THIS IS NOT SPAM and approve them to restore them to your blog. I would really, really love that.
Hopefully, one day I’ll become a happy, one-click-and-my-comment-shows blogger again. In the interim… don’t forget to check your Spam folder every once in a while, just in case. Thank you all for your support!
🙂
Nicky Wells: Love & Thrills 
PS!! I am, of course, checking my own Spam now. And guess what ~ I found some friends in there. I’m definitely not alone in this, which makes me feel a little better (only a little though). Your comments have all been restored! And now… I shall send myself to Spam on my own blog, and then restore myself. Go figure. 🙂
Oh dear. Of course I’ll mark any of your comments as not spam and approve them. The link you provided to the dukeo blog was great. I wasn’t even aware that Akismet had a blacklist.
Thanks so much, Mel! You’re a star. And ‘oh dear’ about sums it up. XX
Wow, I did not know this I like to check out a blog on few of their posts and bio and usually leave a message. I will have to remember to keep it short and sweet. Hope it gets better for you and I look forward to following you. Allie
Hi Allie ~ I don’t know whether it’s length of comment or any links or anything like that that puts one ‘at risk’. No idea. I’m innocent, LOL! But hey, this whole situation means that we got to meet each other ~ thanks for the blog follow and LIKE and the comment, it’s great to meet you! I’m following back and shall attempt to leave you a comment imminently. You know where to find it, LOL. Rock on!
I got your reply and preceded to spam folder and confirm you NOT SPAM. Hope this is the beginning to the solution of the problem. Have a fab day ! Allie.
Thank you SO much, Allie. I don’t know how many of these instances it will take… *sigh* But thanks, everyone of you who marks me as NOT SPAM will help. Meanwhile, I look forward to following your blog and chatting with you. Have a fab day, too! X
Your welcome
Yep, I found you there this morning, and of course approved your comment!
I check my WordPress spam folder most days, but only two comments in there have ever been from someone who is *not* spam! 😉 And one of them was you. 😉
Hope you get this fixed soon, NIcky!
Oh Jo, I’m not holding my breath. Did you check out the dukeo link? There are bloggers there who’ve been in blacklist hell for months! But thank you. I guess–hope–now that you’ve approved me, I might be allowed to post to your blog again but time will tell. Keep checking that Spam folder. You’re a rock star!!! X
Nicky
You’ve never shown up as SPAM in my email. I use GMail.com for the vast majority of my important internet interaction. I use AOL.com for personal emails and specific reasons. And I use YaHoo for most everything else.
I believe my interacting with you on a regular basis makes you a known entity [hate using this term here — but it fits] when I received something from you.
You’ll get my Music Monday in a bit. Had been out and about yesterday with errands after being on holiday for a few days as you know last week,
LOL, thanks for the vote of confidence, Robin!! I look forward to your MM comment. No need to apologize for any delay, we all have lives apart from blogging! 🙂 XX
Comment was fine on my blog Nicky. Sorry this is happening to you! Sending you big kisses and virtual chocolate xxxx
Thanks for the chocolate, yum! This only started happening after I’d commented on your blog yesterday (NOT implying there’s a connection, just pinning down the time) so I might still end up in your Spam next time. Keep checking, and thank you, Toni. *Great* thing to happen with a cover reveal coming up next week… NOT! Just thinking of all the comments I’ll want to leave on Monday has me tear at my hair in despair, if that situation hasn’t resolved itself. So I can only repeat myself… Check that Spam folder, LOL. Thanks!!!
Crazy! Spam drives us all crazy from time to time, but nobody in their right mind would call you spam, Nicky. As yet your comments have always appeared in my inbox, and long may it continue x
I hope so, but I’m not holding your breath. This only started yesterday afternoon. Please keep an eye on your spam for me. (God, how weird does THAT sound?) xx
HAHA, so distressed by this, can’t even write. Of course I’m holding MY breath, not yours.
Cover reveal next week, Nicky? I’d be happy to host you on your big day. Let me know. Hope you get this sorted soon.
Ooh yes, cover reveal on Monday! If you’re interested, I’ll email you all the stuff by Friday. ROCK ON. And still not holding my breath although as this issue is far more widespread than I thought, perhaps somebody will bother to sort it out, for everyone. Haha, wishful thinking!
Count me in, lovely lady! I’ll get the post scheduled over the weekend and ready for the big day. 🙂
*happy dance*
Oh dear ;-(. But I think you are not alone, Nicky. I’ve been emailing with Shaz from Jera’s Jamboree yesterday and she has exactly the same problem. Naughty WP!! Hopefully they’ll get it sorted quickly!! xx
Hi, Heidi! Thanks so much for your comment. Nothing to do with WP ~ it’s down to Akismet, I gather. And… I hate to tell you this, but I just got you out of my Spam folder. Seems we’re ALL affected. Boooo! XX Big hugs to you, and we’ll see each other through this. BTW ~ you still on for MONDAY?? XXX
Thank you for the alert. I’ve checked out my Spam Folder and yes, there are some missing friends and blogs tucked away. So will check my spam folder from now on,
Hiya, thanks so much for your comment (it came straight through ~ you’re in the clear, LOL) and I’m glad I could be of help. 🙂 Have a fab day! x
Sometimes this Spam screening can be too much of a good thing. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll check my spam filter more often.
Hiya Anneli, thanks so much for visiting and for your support. Happy De-Spamming!! XX 🙂
Yes, on for Monday :-). You should be ok on my blog now (I hope). I’ve approved your comment. I found several comments in my spam that were not spam :-(. BTW – we’ve got the third consecutive day of sunshine – yippie!!!
Yay! Yay for you finding non-spam and restoring it *GOAL* and yay for sunshine and yay for Monday! x
Nicky all week I’ve not been getting any messages from those I follow or who follow me….and I find I have either unfollowed them or vice verse! How I do not know. On Facebook I have losts lots of likes from people who are good friends or regulars and they have lost my likes also – without me or them doing anything. I am busy adding back people to my friends and follows and hoping they do the same for me if they have noticed. No idea what the hell is going on….do we blame the Chinese, the Russians or the Americans? or is it that Gremlin again?
Gremlins, definitely. They’re out and about in force. XXX Good luck ~ and I’ll be checking friends and followers as well. 🙂
What a pest! Glad to be of help yesterday. And I will check my spam from now on too! 😉
Thanks! You helped a lot although it appears I have a way to go. Glad to have supportive friends such as you! Rock on!!
Well, I’m glad I use Blogger in this instance, Nicky. 🙂
LOL, good for you, Brandee! I’m sure every platform has its issues. And this one is Akismet more than WordPress. It’s one of them things. And you wouldn’t believe the hoops I have to go through to leave comments on Blogger blogs, LOL!!! Loveya, Brandee, and hope you have a great day. 🙂
Aw, Nicky. The can’t keep a good rock chick down, hon. Hope you get sorted soon, especially as what you have to say is always interesting. 🙂 xx
Loveya, Sheryl ~ thanks so much for the vote of confidence and for your support! Not sure I’m always interesting, but I can certainly always ramble, LOL. BTW ~ I just found you in my Spam. What a nightmare! At least I gotcha, LOL. ROCK ON! XX
Hi Nicky!
So sorry to hear this! I am a new blogger and at first I was always checking the spam folder but we hardly recieved comments so I stopped! Since we started doing giveaways on the blog we get quite a bit so I guess I better go back to checking! Thanks for the heads up! Feel free to comment on anything in mine to I can help in your quest with Akismet if you feel it may help!
Thanks again!
Dayna
Hi Dayna, thank you for visiting and for your comment, I glad my feature helped you with your own blog. Speaking of ~ what a fabulous site! I’ve been visiting and had a look around, and it looks great! I can’t find a follow button but I am following you on Twitter now ~ very nice to meet you. 🙂 Come back soon, and I’ll see you on your blog too. X