Stopping spam in wordpress blogs – it really builds character. 
Step by step, here is what you can do to help eliminate spam from your blog.
- #1.) Make sure you have activated Akismet. It comes with your wordpress installation.
- #2.) Install and Activate ReCaptcha.net . It makes users fill in two words prior to submitting comments.
- #3.) Install and Activate Douglas Karr’s Enhanced WordPress Contact Form with Spam Protection. It forces users to fill out a challenge question whenever using the contact form.
- #4.) Install and Activate Simple Spam Filter. It will automatically reject comments that have 5+links, nothing but links, etc.
- #5.) Create a Fake Comment Form. Only spambots see this.
- #6.) Install Bad Behavior. Thanks to Jake McKee below who alerted me to this! Bad Behavior blocks actual vandalism to your site as well as blocks many e-mail address harvesters.
- #7.) Use TimeStamps to Reduce Spam. This prevents rapid-fire posting. However, if the person mistypes the Captcha, she or he will have to wait the prescribed time. I changed mine to slightly less and edited the error message:
- Error: you must wait at least 15 seconds before posting a comment or correcting a CAPTCHA error. Our apologies for the delay, this is how we help verify you are a real live wonderful human bean.
That’s a good list with which to start…I’ll post more later!
It’s later! Check out this great posting, 46 tips for reducing WordPress Spam.
Now, what if you’re not a techie and want to use all of the above? There are several great wordpress plugin how-to resources, including:
The main key here is you need to first save plugins on your local computer, and then upload them to the
- /wp-content/plugins
of your server’s wordpress installation. This requires using an FTP program to transmit your files…but not to fear! There’s lots of free ones you can use like:
- FireFox FTP (if you’re using FireFox)
- FileZilla
- WarFTP
- How to use FTP Tutorial
Spam can be quite a problem on WordPress blogs….but as you can see, there are always ways to combat it.
Enjoy,
Barbara
Don’t forget the WP plugin “Bad Behavior” – it’s done marvels on slowing my hundreds of bot spam per day to just a couple.
Thanks! I just added it now and included it in my list with credit to you.
Barbara