Don’t Be ‘That Guy’ when Commenting

June 25, 2010 - Last Modified: June 25, 2010 by evelester 1,566

As a blogger I understand the significance of comments, they mean a lot to us. Some bloggers more than others, the recent parody by Telling Dad was a huge hit because of the truth in it, just knowing people care enough to stop what they are doing and post a comment can mean so much. We all know comments are important, they provide support for the writer and can be a great place for lively debate where appropriate.

There is another side to comments too- they can also benefit to the commenter, a comment can bring readers to your blog, can help move you up the social ladder by having your ‘avatar’ and blog name seen in multiple places, a good comment on a popular blog can gain the attention of the writer, potentially resulting in a mention or another form of help from the esteemed blogger. The right comment can reap multiple rewards for you if you play your cards right, along with knowing you have made someone’s day brighter by leaving a comment!

So who is ‘that guy’ you ask? That guy is the one who posts a comment that is not contributing to the post, not helping support the writer, and certainly won’t result in any gained influence for the commenter. That guy leaves comments all over with no regard, resulting in posts like this that try, unsuccessfully, to help change the world… but ‘that guy’ is probably not reading this, he probably does not spend his time reading blogs that will help him become a better blogger, otherwise he would have learned a long time ago that spam does not equal love. So these posts are written for the bloggers, the ones who will read this and instantly recognize the behaviors below so we can all comment and share our worst commenter experience, laugh about it, hit empty spam, and continue to write and strive for those comments that mean something.

“That Guy” is the commenter that is…

Outright Spammy– Oh yeah, thank goodness for askimet, run a blog for more than a day or two and forget to activate it and you will be flooded with spam! Not even trying to act human, they just blast the internet with useless junk.

Irrelevant– this may be a genuine person, not trying to spam, but when they leave a random comment on a post that would be served up best in your email, twitter, or even facebook. It is rude, just like in real life and someone finishes a story and you jump in and talk about your car… rude!

Everywhere and Nowhere– some comments make you wonder if they are commenting for the sake of commenting, just to see how many they can leave in a day, and never reading a single word of the actual blog post- commenting with things like “Great Post!” or worse yet, the comments you get from blog hops or memes= “Popping in from xyz bloghop!” – Yeah, but what did you think of the post?

So Shameless– commenting to leave a link is another way ‘that guy’ pisses me off. “Check out my post SPAM”, if your post is that good then you should feature it somewhere on your blog, easy to find, then leave a relevant comment where people will want to visit your site and in turn find that well placed article. Or better yet, if the blogger uses CommentLuv then register, upgrade, and add that incredibly helpful post as one of your options on all blogs with the plugin- see, a NOT-spammy way to advertise.

Egotistical– when ‘that guy’ gets a comment on HIS blog, he returns the love, he visit’s the commenter’s blog and leaves a comment… nice thought right? All bloggers should strive to return love, but visiting a blog, picking a post and commenting with something like “Thanks for visiting my Blog” is just plain rude. If you do not have time to read the post and leave a good comment in return, don’t bother, it is much better than a comment just to let everyone know you got a visitor today.

Your Turn

I am sure you have more to add, I could go on and on if I really wanted to bore you! What are your least favorite kinds of comments? Have a funny comment to share? Whatever you do though- don’t be ‘that guy’. 🙂

This post is part of our amazing Blogging Contest, plz add a comment and tweet it to support the author.

About evelester

Follow @evelester

I am a web designer, a blogger, and a work from home mom. I run three blogs currently; Money Hungry Momma, Everyday Eve, and Letters to Breathe. I have been a blogger for as long as I can remember, have sold many of my older blogs to focus on new projects and family.

{ 279 Responses }

Mark says:

LOL!!! I used to be "that buy" when commenting on blogs. From the beginning we are all taught of the necessity of networking by commenting on other blogs. This, in itself can become monotonous and time consuming. However, after having enabled commentluv and keywordluv on my own blogs, I quickly found out how annoying comment spam can be. Whenever I comment on blogs now, I make sure and read the article so that my comment is at least relevant. Hopefully, it actually adds value to the page instead of just draining its link juice. Thanks for the confirmation evelester...:) Mark
Bican Valeriu says:

"One guy" ... Excuse my english !
Bican Valeriu says:

Yes, you are right. On guy commented on one of my blogs saying that one of his cousins stole his Ipad and he broke it and he felt to share this with someone even if my blog was about dogs. :)
Phillip Gibb says:

I want That Guy on my blog. Because That Guy is at least making an effort to say something. True, on blogs that get hundreds of comments you don't want too many spammy, irrelevant,etc comments. On a blog where people struggle to illicit any form of opinion in the comments I'll assume that the author is happy to get them without too much criticism.
Pulkit Gera says:

Great article ... but does a serious blogger with a popular website get the time to visit a commentator's blog, read an article or two and then leave a thoughtful reply? Maybe if they worked really long hours, or hired someone to do it.
jonny says:

I love when people actually take time to read the blog and not just post crap comments .
Joe says:

Congrats Eve on winning in the ComLuv contest! Joe :D
Trevor B. Reed says:

Great post! I also think of "that guy" as the guy who just seems angry. He comments everywhere and never has anything nice to say. Don't get me wrong, I love a good debate, but keep it civil and fair. I have read so many comments that attack the person, not the position it makes me sick. Have your opinion, express it, argue it with vigor, but don''t be a jerk about it.
Laura says:

Great article! I loved your humor :)
Shasta says:

Since reading this I can proudly say that I am no longer "that guy"! Thanks for the insightful article! It has been so helpful to me, and I'm sure the many blogs I comment on are thankful!
- evelester says:
  
  thanks Shasta! I am glad it helped!!
Paul Osborne says:

Unfortunately, all the time there is a place to leave a backlink, webmasters will be exploiting it. As the main SERPs improve their algorithms these spammy type of links will become totally totally worthless, and the spammers will give up and move on to the next thing. Until that time sadly its just something that we will have to accept.
- evelester says:
  
  so true Paul- just like anything, people will take advantage if they can- it is just up to us to moderate and keep things clean on our end to help those that are legit.
Janice says:

SO true! I love any comment that shows the person cares about you or what your wrote!
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks Janice, same here- as long as I feel the love it is all good!
DogsMom says:

I did get a comment today thanking me for something. I had no idea to what she was reffing. Went back to check her blog, saw no refference to it. Should I ask, tell her it was not me, or smile, nod, and let it go?
- evelester says:
  
  That is one of those personal preference things, if you feel icky, don't publish it- but if you think it helps you then do it- even if she was just saying that to come up with a comment lol
DogsMom says:

One thing that bothers me is when I do leave a nice, polite comment and the form tells me it is too short. Well, what if that is what I wanted to say? Do I need to blather on? And then when I try to fix it, I get the error message that "you've already said that." Well, you didn't like it the first way It ried to say it! I think that is rude. So if after trying honestly for 3 or 4 tries to get my comment accepted by the software (not even seen by blogger yet) I prefer to write something generic and shorter rather than expressing my true feelings at that moment.
- Gail says:
  
  Hi DogsMom, Do you know what software or plugin is doing that to you or remember what site(s) you've run into that on? I am doing research on the best comment and spam filtering solutions and want to know what each option tells commentators.
  - evelester says:
    
    very interesting post idea- I cant wait to see your results!!
- evelester says:
  
  great point- it is a good idea to check your blog settings to be sure your not blocking people from being able to (or wanting to) comment- thanks for the reminder!!
Gina says:

Well, I've gotta admit that I have a strain of "that girl", but this has been a very eye-opening post. I haven't left hordes of comments all over the place because quite frankly, that takes too much work, but it is enlightening to learn what to do and not do when paying a visit to others. I'm more used to forum marketing when you can answer questions directly in a thread. Blog commenting is a different mix for me. But good info to know. Thanks for sharing.
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks Gina, forum marketing is a great method too, and it is much more personal which is nice!
Ana says:

Hate "that guy"; love your TellingDad link - well said. Great post, Eve! Ana Hoffman
- evelester says:
  
  thanks! Telling Dad is sooo funny LOL
Peter Fuller MBA says:

Hello Eve, Great Post and I really mean that :) Okay, here is my personal story about spam. I created a site using WordPress MU around a niche topic. I posted up front and on the welcome message that if you create a blog on my site not related to the niche it will be deleted. So I take a 3 week holiday, come back, and there are literally over 2,000 off topic blogs on my site. Some of them nicely setup. If it wasn't for the fact they were spam sites I would have been impressed. I did not have the time to deleted them all so I shut down the site.
- evelester says:
  
  oh that sucks :-( How disappointing! Hopefully your next project will work out better for you!!
Keith says:

Sometimes we just need to be reminded just how much we all hate spam comments. After all, anyone who has ever spent an hour cleaning out an accumulation of crap from that guy doesn't need to be adding to anyone else's time wasting drains. If you go around clogging someone else's Akismet up, you shouldn't complain about that guy; because you are that guy. I hate the comments that suck up, like I don't already how good the site is. C'mon, contribute already!
- evelester says:
  
  lol, yeah, I just spent 20 minutes cleaning out spam- I can never just hit 'clear all' just in case a good one got through!! LOL
Beth says:

I always try to leave a comment especially if I enjoyed the article. I also become long winded sometimes too because I am so excited about what I just read. I do think that Networking is essential in this day in age especially if you are blogging for money. Comments are a great networking resource. Your blog was very informative and stays on topic. Thanks for sharing your creativity.
- evelester says:
  
  thanks Beth! I tend to get long winded too- especially if I have been awake for too long- lol and if the topic is one I know about- watch out! LOL
elie says:

Well, now I just want to tell you I think you wrote a great post, but I'm all self conscious ;) One thing to add - I find that 'that guy' happens on Twitter as well. Like when you tweet with a popular keyword - iPhone, job hunting, motherhood - and end up with followers who are hawking gadgets, job websites or kid products. And it's so obvious because their entire Twitter account is liiiinks! Anyway. Thanks!
- evelester says:
  
  yeah, I have been seeing a lot on twitter too- so sad to see it turned into spam. thanks!!
Susan (5 Minutes for Mom) says:

I try to never be "that guy"... lol But to be honest, I don't really get upset if people leave simple and short comments... I appreciate them coming at all... even if very, very quickly. Of course meaningful comments make my day!
- evelester says:
  
  same here- a short comment is welcome as long as it isn't spam- and you can usually tell by the URL if something is short because it is meant to be, or if it is spam lol
Sheri says:

I hate those spam comments that say "this is a great resource, thanks for posting" and it was a short post about my day. This is a great article Eve.
- evelester says:
  
  yeah, some posts that would fit on, but when you are talking about your day or in my recent case- a BAD day- them saying it was a good resource for a paper was just funny lol
Corrin says:

I have several very loyal readers that leave comments regularly, and I love them for it...except for the fact that they leave the longest. comments. ever. My email address (hell, my phone number) is on my contact page, I'd much prefer them to contact me directly.
- evelester says:
  
  lol, I avoid the phone like the plague - so go you for making it available, lol, I think I sound like a 12 year old!
Andrea H says:

I always try to leave a genuine comment but sometimes the only thing I can think of is "nice photos" or "cute kids" Great post Eve!
- evelester says:
  
  yeah, as long as your not a spammer short is ok!!!
Randy Gage says:

I have the same jackass that posts 5 to 6 spam link for his loan program a day. None of them make it through the filter, but he still does it every day. Sad. -RG
- evelester says:
  
  lol, I think he hangs out at my site too!
Jennifer Callison says:

Thanks for sharing and good luck ; )
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks Jennifer! I appreciate the support!! :-)
Jayme says:

I tend to not comment at all if all I can think of is 'nice post' or 'cute kid'... I read so much, I wish I was better at leaving good comments. I also hate when you have a reader who always leaves fabulous comments, and you go to their blog, and just really have nothing to say to the boring drivel they put out :X Was that mean?
- evelester says:
  
  LOL, not mean, some people just can't write, but they try and all that happens is a blog filled with boring posts and usually ends up with LOTS of clutter. I am not a great commenter, like you I just can't post 'nice post' on some posts- some posts call for it, but others not so much.
Robin says:

They never cease to amaze me. The ones I really can't stand are when they copy and paste a legitimate comment, and re-post it with their link. That is beyond obnoxious.
- evelester says:
  
  yeah, it would have only taken a few seconds longer to at least scan the post and come up with something. They had to scan the comments for a legit one to paste right? Silly spammers!
- Lisa says:
  
  Or take part of your post and make it the comment! That annoys me to no end too!
  - evelester says:
    
    oh yeah, that is just lazy!!!
hairstyles for girls says:

Great post! Now come visit my blog. hehehehe I'm kidding. I agree with you. Spam and people commenting just to leave a link are two of my hates. I don't mind short comments as long as they are relevent. But to me, it's pretty obvious if someone didn't even bother to read the post.
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks I will! LOL Yeah, as a blogger you can tell when a comment is legit or not (with many of them) Short or long, there are signs :-)
Allison says:

I hate when people do this! It happen so often that you kinda have to just laugh it off and go on!
- evelester says:
  
  yeah, I haven't ever actually gotten upset about it- although I know other bloggers that have gotten very upset- to me it is just silly, I don't see the value in it you know?
Stephanie - Chocolate and Toast says:

So. Painfully. True! Interesting to see how many people admitted in the comments to being (even occasionally) That Guy. I have to admit that to me the *spam* feels less personal than all the other stuff - some spambot out there writing "purple monkey dishwasher" doesn't feel as rude and user-like as the person who has an actual blog and is just trying to get their name/link on a post.
- evelester says:
  
  Very true Stephanie- it does hut a bit more when you can tell it is a real person that just does not care :-(
Henrietta says:

That guy sure does get annoying! I am also trying to encourage more comments but find it very hard to interact with my readerss with the way blogger's comment system is set up. I need to look into other comment forms that will allow me to reply to my readers easily!
- evelester says:
  
  blogger is annoying in general lol- but the intense debate seems ok- I have seen it on a few blogger blogs around
jennydecki says:

Love this! So right on!
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks Jenny- see- yours is one of the shorter ones but that does not make you 'that' guy, it fits the topic and is showing support! Thanks!!
Heather says:

I am trying to up my comments and wanted to thank you for the great advice.
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks Heather, hopefully this will help you not to try to get more comments on your blog by being 'that' guy! :-)
Loretta says:

I wrote about a similar thing and called out a fellow blogger recently for leaving icky comments on a blog he probably didn't realize belonged to someone in the marketing space as well since it was my craft blog. It's bad enough when random people leave junk on your blog, but when people you recognize or know start leaving junk too... that's just double icky! @Beeb I think we have a spammer in common with his purple monkey dishwasher weirdness! LMAO He has a brother named Jimbo39375y5h49 too :-p
- evelester says:
  
  lol Loretta, yeah, when I see a spammy comment from someone I know it is double embarrassing! The internet isn't as big as we think!
ConnieFoggles says:

Relevant and heartfelt comments are getting harder to come by. Part of it is the time constraints that bloggers have. Part of it is the paid commenters who are paid to leave links and don't even reply to a post. My issue is not replying to comments, which I need to get back into the habit of doing. That may help me get more relevant comments as there is a back and forth discussion going on. I'm going to make sure not to be "that guy" when I comment.
- evelester says:
  
  I am horrible at replying to comments, or going and leaving love on a commenters blog, I just haven't mastered time management with my new business and the baby!
Tricia says:

Wonderful POST! I love this SO True. I can tell you that I'm the Commenter. I love to comment on blogs in hopes that I too may receive a visit. If I took the time to stop by I'm not looking for my email to be flooded with Thank you comments DO a blogger a favor and stop on by to reciprocate comments Auugh but alas I sit and see None. Sigh. Thanks for the great read
- evelester says:
  
  I try to reciprocate but with work and the baby it is hard, I have been working on getting my time management down so I can set aside a bit of time every week to do it though. I never comment in hopes of getting a comment, just like I don't give to charities in hopes of getting on the news- I just know how hard it is to find time to do it lol
Beeb Ashcroft says:

"That guy" on my blog is John124363763. His name is always slightly different, but he floods my spam filter with ads for pharmaceuticals every day. The other popular one is the spammer who likes to write "Purple monkey dishwasher" multiple times. Why, I couldn't tell you. I always love hearing from readers, though! Short, long, stopping by from the bloghop, it's all good in my book! :D In fact, the reason the spam bugs me so much is because it takes me time to look at each comment and make sure it's really spam. I end up visiting a lot of spam sites because I don't want to accidentally delete a real comment. :O
- evelester says:
  
  LOL, so true- sometimes they are very good- but then you check the site and it is spam (porn/virus/etc) I got one today that I had to share: What a unique recipe. It sounds so homey and warm. I haven’t had sauerkraut in many years and may have to rectify that soon That was on a post about how to use a wordpress plugin... the same guy commented on 7 other posts with all the comments just as off topic... good comments, but had NOTHING to do with the posts!
Lorri Jeanne says:

I have been 'that guy' a time or two myself. I try to make a point of reading different blogs everyday, but run out of time and hurry to leave a small comment or no comment at all. It is nice to have someone actually read what you have written and leave you some love ;)
- Brittany says:
  
  I do that often too! I end up finding so many great blog posts and/or new blogs to read and never have enough time to comment with a decent comment. BUT I wanted them to at least know I stopped by. LOL
  - evelester says:
    
    I love any comments, even just a quick (((hugs))) on an emotional post, or a "yummy" on a food post, I love letting others I was there, but often don't get time to! :-(
- evelester says:
  
  yeah, it can get hard when you run out of time- I run into that a lot, I tend to at least leave something relevant, even if it isn't 'meaningful' just to be able to let them know I support the writing efforts they did.
Karen of 3G2S says:

Hmmm . . . "That Guy" seems familiar. I'm sure he's come to visit on my blog on more than one occasion. :P
- evelester says:
  
  lol, I think many of us have, it seems to be like pimples on a teenager! Just something we deal with as bloggers.
  - Karen of 3G2S says:
    
    Yes, I know "That Guy" must have clones. He seems to be everywhere at once sometimes. Does the government know about him? :P
Kasandria says:

I think we all can be "that guy" when we first start commenting on blogs, but I do agree with the SPAM. I hate it and it's annoying. Kas
- evelester says:
  
  yeah, leaving a cuddy comment as a new blogger is not nearly as bad as leaving a plain spam comment- there is a difference!
Greg - Telling Dad says:

I'm actually guilty of reading and enjoying a post without commenting because I'm not sure what more to say than a short post saying I liked it. I feel like they'll be insulted that I didn't leave a long comment. But then I need to remember that I love even the short ones...it means someone took the time to read, click, and type. :) As much as I admonished others in my parody, lol, I needed a dose of my own medicine...for I sometimes am...that guy!
- Amanda says:
  
  I too read without commenting because I don't feel like I have anything adequate to add. If I can't leave a good comment, I usually don't.
  - evelester says:
    
    Same here Amanda- I have been trying to add a quick 'call to action' at the end of all my posts- giving everyone something to say in the comments- but it is a habit I am horrible at!
- evelester says:
  
  lol, Greg, you are an amazing blogger and a great commenter. I think of you as that guy that took Home Economics in school just to get all the girls- then found out he was REALLY good at it! :-) Your parodies are the best!!
nicole says:

Great post. Sometimes I want to let spam comments in because they are so complimentary. You know, telling me how much the liked my post etc.
- evelester says:
  
  lol, I know!! I have had some that just melted my heart, but then I look at them in relation to the post and see how silly I would look if I let them through! But I wish they were real people telling me those things!
TheSuburbanMom says:

Yes, Yes, Yes! I HATE bloghop comments. I did a couple when I started out, leaving very thoughtful comments, only to recieve, "Stopping by from blah-blah-blah." So annoying!
- Hesham says:
  
  It would make too much difference if you use your name instead of your domain name! I was struggling to approve it, but .. here it goes... I just wanted to give you a nice and useful tip for the future! we are using CommentLuv plugin, you really don't need to use domain name as your name in the comment! Yeah?!
- evelester says:
  
  so true- I still get those types of comments when I do wordless weds too. :-( I always try and say something about the picture when I do it, not just say I am here for WW!
Stephanie Smith says:

I got a spam comment that at first sounded legit, but was telling me how disappointed he was in my post because I completely left his view out. The post was on blossom end rot in tomatoes, not exactly a controversial topic. I deleted it.
- evelester says:
  
  LOL, I wonder what his 'view' was on the tomatoes- maybe he wanted them blue lol Those are the most annoying, if they thought that hard to come up with a generic comment that sounded ok on many blogs, then a little effort would have gone a long way to say SOMETHING of value on your post!
Shasta says:

Wow! Great post, but I am sad to say at times I am "that guy" :(
- Frantic Holly says:
  
  As long as you admit that you are sometimes "that guy" Shasta I think it's okay.
  - Shasta says:
    
    Thanks Holly :)
- evelester says:
  
  Like Holly said, it's ok! - acknowledging the problem is the first step :-)
Tiffanie says:

I am happy that you have written a "guide" for those of us out there who are not really sure how the whole commenting on blogs go. I will keep your words in mind. I would hate to become that guy.
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks Tiffanie!! :-) I would never let you be that guy- especially when you take over the new blog I am working on LOL (will talk to you later with the details!)
Peter Paul says:

Hey I have read a similar/related article regarding comments. It's "You’re only as Good as Your Comments" by Gautam. and your both right. Although when I receive a comment from my visitor like "Great Post" or "Nice Article, bookmarked your site", I felt good but only a little. What I really want to receive a comment is from someone who REALLY and ACTUALLY read my post. and in one way or another agrees or disagrees to my post in a professional manner. Hey why did WordPress named it "Discussion" in your dashboard panel if you not going to add or discuss something in the comment section at the first place right?
- evelester says:
  
  Yeah, that was a great article- it's in the contest too so yall should check it out and show your support- https://famousbloggers.net/good-as-comments.html Actually being able to create a discussion in your comments is a skill that is hard to tone, you have to both have the right readers (that want to discuss the topic) AND you have to find a way to invite discussion in your post- by asking questions and inviting opinions and feedback. It is a skill I am always working on!
Mrs4444 says:

I agree wholeheartedly, but on a similar vein, what really irks me is people who LINK to posts, having not read a bit of the post, having a RELEVANT post to link, OR even leaving a comment. Grrrr
- evelester says:
  
  So true! If your link is THAT good you wouldn't need to spam it everywhere right?!? :-)
Rachel -- Following In My Shoes says:

This is why I rarely comment on other blogs . . . if I don't have a good, relevant, personal "something" to add, I don't want to waste the blogger's time with a "I agree" comment. I don't want to be "That guy/girl."
- evelester says:
  
  I see what you are saying, but as long as you read the post you should be ok commenting on any other blogs, even if it is hard to come up with something 'good' you can simply say thank you for the post and as long as it is not a post about a dying dog or something then a 'thank you is acceptable' I am talking more about people who leave these types of comments on posts that they clearly don't belong in- that were left with the only intention of getting a link- u know?
Tammy says:

See and now that I'm leaving a comment, I can think of nothing original to say that hasn't already been mentioned in other comments! But those "blog hop" comments annoy me to pieces, you're right, if you're going to leave a comment, at least leave a relevant one (...was this relevant?...LOL)
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks Tammy! Thinking of something original isn't always easy- I know! LOL And every comment does not need to be an awesome original thought, as long as it is relevant and not off topic you are good! Those blog-hop comments are the worst, it is the main reason I don't participate in many, half the people don't even read the blogs- just comment on them
Lynsey Jones says:

Wow, Eve, this is a REALLY great post! I hate "that guy" - and would rather not get the comment than to get one that is irrelevant. I get the "spammy" ones a lot too - its amazing the length people go to just to spam.
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks Lynsey- I worked hard on it- hard to believe how many comments I have gotten on it! Lots of interesting feeback!! I am the same way- it is so sad to finally get a comment only to see that is is spam!
Sara says:

I love comments in general even if the reader is just saying HI - it means they are there reading and I appreciate that! Just my opinion!
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks Sara, comments are wonderful, even the ones just saying hi, as long as it is appropriate to the post, for example, if the post is a emotional one about loosing a family member or something, then a good comment is NOT "Hi! Great blog!" , or "Stopping in from xyz bloghop- visit me too!" You know? There are posts where a simple Hi or thank you is appropriate, and then there are some that it is not. Common sense tells us what is appropriate, where a pure link spammer does not have that sense and will put anything - anywhere- no matter how insane :-)
- Dennis Edell says:
  
  How exactly does that prove they read anything?
  - evelester says:
    
    Good question- It doesn't- but it is a chance you take when commenting (or approving comments) they may not have actually read the post, but when it isn't obvious based on the post content (like a tutorial with a comment saying 'thanks') then it is the bloggers decision to decide if it is spam, like other comments mentioned some are hard to determine. There is not a way to prove that they read everything, and they don't have to read the whole post to give a decent comment, this post was not a 'how to tell if it is spam post' as I don't claim to be an expert or even close to one lol As long as you use some common sense when commenting you should be good.
    - Dennis Edell says:
      
      Exactly, which is why, overall, hi - nice post - thanks - etc, are just a bad idea if you're legit.
  - evelester says:
    
    P.S. commented on your organization post- can't wait to hear how it turns out and what methods you implement to achieve it- that is a struggle I deal with daily! (great read for anyone that works online!)
    - Dennis Edell says:
      
      Thanks a bunch, :) . If you wouldn't mind sharing it, if you haven't already, it would be greatly appreciated. ;)
Annie says:

OMG I know what you mean! That is why I don't do blog hops. I get tons of "I am from the silly sally blog hop! I am following, follow me back!" on a post where I poured my heart out about the pain in my life. GREAT. Thanks. you suck But this article HAD to be written. Read the article and write your thoughts. That is the whole point. Thank you for putting it so clearly!
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks Annie! I know I am not going to change the world, because like I said the 'spammers' don't actually read posts on how to improve methods, they just comment all over them, so this post was more for everyone else to laugh at and see the insanity that some of these spammers spread.
Creative Junkie says:

I know I already posted here, but I did want to say ... I don't think a comment has to be a "book" in order to be sincere (not that anyone said that, but I did reference a "drive by"comment and I didn't want it to be taken the wrong way.) Some of the nicest comments I've received on my blog are short and sweet, like "you are a riot, I love coming here to laugh" or something similar. I just don't want people to get the wrong idea, that a comment's length dictates its worth. It's not the length that counts - it's the content.
- evelester says:
  
  Great point! Some of my favorites have been short and sweet too!
Jason Jumat says:

I guess there's a lot of guys out there that are "That guys" that only comments for the reward of something else. Even thought that in itself wouldn't be a problem as long as the guy's comment add value to the conversion at whatever is being talked about. Otherwise it would totally be irritating at talking with spammers all of the time.
- evelester says:
  
  lol, very true Jason, if they would just try it wouldn't be as much of a problem. Just a little effort would help!
  - Shan says:
    
    I guess a nickel really CAN buy you something in this day and age. LMAO
Louise says:

This is so true. I hate when I get comments that say, "I found your post to be so informative, thanks for posting such great information, keep it up I'll be back for more" You hit a lot of points about commenting on other blogs right on the nose!
- evelester says:
  
  I know! I get those all day long!! It's like I WISH someone was actually saying that to me, but of course, they aren't! It's 'that' guy again!! lol
- Paula says:
  
  I get those comments all day long. Aggravating! Luckily Akismet catches them all.
trisha mom blog says:

My least favorite comments are ones that are kinda confusing in nature..it may be a legitimate form of information, but you can tell they only left it to spam you. Those always confuse me if i should delete them or not. LOL! trisha
- evelester says:
  
  Yeah, I hate those, like you have to research before you can approve or deny it! Then you have to decide even if it is spam is it soooo bad that I wasn't one less comment? Will I look like an idiot for letting this through? lol
Cass says:

My recent favorite "that guy" comment was from the person who told me how beautiful my baby was.....when I had CLEARLY indicated that it wasn't my baby. I tend to write longer articles and fully 3/4 of my comments are irrelevant to the posts they are made on. Those never see the light of day. I'd like to tell "that guy" to read, not skim for keywords and then think you know what I'm talking about.
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks Cass! Great seeing you here!! :-) I hate comment's like this - they tried- just not hard enough at all!!!
Paul Tech says:

Every blogger will have deleted spam comments before and I can tell you it is a time-wasting chore. So if we don't tolerate spammy comments, then we should not do it unto others. Having comments which can further the discussion is the best. And I do drop by to find out more about the person who share his perspectives in a positive manner.
- evelester says:
  
  exactly Paul, comment on others blogs as you would want on yours. I also try to visit the blog of someone who has commented, especially if the comment is a good one!
evelester says:

All the commenting here inspired me to finally write a post, took me forever to write but I had fun- now lets see what kinds of spam I get on it LOL
Jakes says:

I don't know whether I should make a comment for this very post at the lest that I have 'That Guy' in me. I often made short comments and there are times I had made such sort of comments in my own blog ( While replying to commenter, I often had the habit of using 'Thankx for dropping in',.. ). Anyhow, this post seems like a call to me, a call to throw out 'That Guy'.
- evelester says:
  
  :-) I hear you! It is hard to comment on some posts, sometimes the only thing you CAN say is "thanks!" I think it just comes down to effort, if you are reading the post, and writing something that fits- it could be a simple 'thanks' and you wouldn't be that guy- as long as the post was one that a simple 'thanks!' would work for- like tutorials and such. The 'that' guy that is unwanted does not read the post- and then leaves something like 'thanks' on a post that is talking about a loved one dying... no effort put in at all. And Thanks for Dropping by!! ;-)
Anjanette aka. MommaYoung says:

Thank you for writing this post. This has long been a pet peeve of mine. I always take the time to read a post and comment directly relating to that post. So it is always disappointing when I get a "spammy" comment.
- evelester says:
  
  Yeah, I get emails whenever I get a comment, and I see the email and feel so happy- then I open it and see junk and it's such a let down!!
Des says:

Hi Eve, judging by the number of comments you got, this has got to be the biggest pet hate for most bloggers. If I made a blog post about my dog dying someone would comment "awesome post dude!". But the ones that bug me most are the people who cut and paste someone elses comment from the same post and post it as their own! Not only spamming, it insults my intelligence.
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks Des! I had no idea it would be so well received, I knew what I was going to write as soon as I read about the contest- it just took me a while to write it and get the nerves to submit it- I was so worried it would go over like a lead balloon! LOL And I know those comments, hate getting them, I wrote a post on an old blog of mine years ago about my daughter who died of SIDS, and I remember being so upset when I get spam comments on that post, it was so depressing!
Julius Kuhn-Regnier says:

There are so many people commenting simply for the sake of getting a backlink, it's somewhat sad. There isn't even a point in commenting if you don't wish to add anything helpful to the conversation. Simply said: If you don't have anything to add, then simply don't. If you feel like you truly need to contribute your point of view to the discussion then be sure to do so.
- evelester says:
  
  Just like the old saying "If you can't say anything nice- don't say anything at all" Commenting to get a backlink isn't spam by itself, but if you are doing it to get a backlink AND you leave a crappy non-relevant comment then it is spammy.
Colleen says:

"That guy is the one who posts a comment that is not contributing to the post, not helping support the writer, and certainly won’t result in any gained influence for the commenter." I certainly don't want to be that guy (especially since I'm a woman!). Our niche is very competitive whereby a competitor will simply file a spam report with Google if a backlink check returns a list of spammy comment links. Plus, there is so much to learn from actually engaging the writer, the blog, and the owner. Relationships happen, things happen. :)
- evelester says:
  
  Good point, you always want to cover your bases for google, and linking to bad neighborhoods is a bad thing!
Kathy says:

Bad comments drive me nuts too, especially the link beggars. I absolutely cannot stand when people drop a comment like "Great post!" or something else meaningless like that. A lot of times I will flag those people as spam so that other bloggers do not have to deal with it. If a blogger is willing to give you a link back, especially from juicy plugins like Commentluv or Keywordluv, the least you can do for him or her is leave a decent, thoughtful on-topic comment. If you don't, you are a beggar and a thief.
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks Kathy, it seems like such a simple concept- to leave a decent comment, hopefully people will start reading more and learn how NOT to comment :-)
Faythe says:

Good points Eve! One Q about 'that guy' when he finds you & leaves you a comment does it mean you "hit the big" time in blogging? j/k of course. My 'guy' always leaves his spammy or link-full comments on older posts, does anyone else have that problem too? I always try to answer a comment when someone visits at least for the first time, but since I have anonymous option on there may be no way to find them, but I will try. I have found many 'friends' and helpful people out there just by leaving comments on blogs or replying to one left on mine. And I am one that still gets all excited when finding comments, esp if they are from a new person. Of course I would be totally heartbroken if it was really from that guy. I have gotten the award posts too. Some are from other bloggers who may be more like me, and read me occasionally and looking for more readers, hoping to get some from a link up, I have no problem with that, esp if they return the love. But if the whole comment is nothing but 'you have an award waiting over here come get it' I think I have already figured out, you know nothing about my blog or me & you may or may not see me over there to come get it. I do tend to be 'nice' and will look into it... I guess I am one who hopes for the best in others.. but not in a viagra or p*rn site... and I am also guilty (as most likely seen in this comment) a long winded commenter. I come to helpful sites like yours or like others that have posted here ( and run it) to learn and find ways to keep the enjoyment I get from blogging alive . If I was only blogging to get spam or p*rn hits I can get that in my snail mail or from the telemarketers and heavy breathers that find my phone number.
- evelester says:
  
  great comment! I don't know how I missed then when replying- so hopefully you are nothing like me and you are not watching this and seeing me reply to everyone's comment but yours- lol- yeah, I am nuts like that, so self conscious!! Anyway- I wish it meant you hit the big time- but since they start after one day then I doubt it! LOL BUT, when you get a stalker or a hate comment then you are famous! - kidding!! lol thanks for the comment!
  - Faythe says:
    
    Eve!! How could you overlook Moi???? LOL! life happens as so we are told... I am out pf town until next week, and since everyone here is napping after A hard day pf playing at one of Minneapolis' park waterparks, I am trying to catch up on a gazillion posts on my sons apple laptop, which is an new animla for me! so excuse any spelling mistakes! wishing you & family a wonderful july 4th!
Mike says:

I met all types of "that guy" on my blog with all kinds of comments. Some comments show commentators are grateful for the post and they just say thank you. To me, those comments are acceptable because my posts are mainly tutorials and most people when they read the blog posts, they haven't done that tutorial yet so I assume there're no feedback for commentators to say at that time. However, some comments make me really sad because they are extremely irrelevant to the blog post like "I want to know more about that Wordpress plug in" while I blog about Magento themes :( Although I know they are trying to do link building but if they show some respect and read the blog post, I will be more appreciate and click on their website.
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks Mike! There are some posts where a 'thanks!' is completely acceptable, so as long as it is something like that then there is no issues. There is nothing wrong with linkbuilding by commenting, but like you said- they should take the time to read the post. I will have to bookmark your site, you have some great articles there, I haven't had much Magento experience but it seems very nice!
  - Mike says:
    
    Thanks evelester! :) I think Magento is still quite new for people. Yet it's a growing trend now. With Magento, you can build your own online ebook store and you don't need to rely to 3rd party services. Or you can make some crafts on your own and sell it to people online. And trust me, it's a great feeling when you sell your own products and receive good feedback from consumers. Most people, they struggle finding the e-commerce solution that offers solid stability, extendability and flexibility. Magento has them all. That's why I want to teach store owners how they can leverage their store to a new level, how they can earn a piece in a pie which worths 235 billion dollars. And I also want to show designers how they can design a theme and plug-ins for Magento, too!
    - evelester says:
      
      that is awesome, I love learning new methods to offer e-commerce, so blogs like yours are a big help!!
Tammi Kibler says:

I am dealing with a new type of comment spammer this week. These comments are not only off topic but also plagiarized. A simple Google search reveals they are whole paragraphs lifted from other blogs. I am torn about marking them as spam because I wonder if the malicious commenter(s) are lying about having an affiliation to the sites or emails they claim as their own. So there's another "THAT GUY." I understand the idea of comments contributing to community on your blog. I also know when I first launched I was guilty of leaving comments on blogs that were construed as spam because I followed bad SEO advice. Here then are two thoughts: Many bloggers write to a niche. If you are not in that niche, your comment stands a good chance of being off topic. On a blog where I offer advice to beginning freelance writers, in a post about effective marketing tools for writers, general marketing advice from a drug company is not helpful and not necessary. I don't much care if I alienate that drug company either because they aren't buying what I am selling and vice versa. They can read and post in their own niche. Most blog readers do not comment. Problogger.net appears to have 141K readers, but even the most active post this week received fewer than 200 comments, less than one percent. There are a lot of good reasons to encourage your readers to comment, but you don't need to encourage serial commenters who wouldn't otherwise visit your blog. The suggestion that I always need to ask a question for commenters to answer implies that every post needs comments. Why? If you are only reading my blog so you can get a link back to your site, maybe you aren't my target reader. I am writing to the 99% who came to read me. I'm looking for ways to engage THEM and I do not believe I owe anyone outside my niche a platform. I want to trust that when a valued reader writes "great post" that is what she meant. I was that reader once. But the whole business has been sullied by the serial commenters. I mean honestly, I look at a comment like mine here and I have to ask myself, "Why not add the content to your own blog?" If I am so desperate for a backlink, why not make it an article and post it on EZA? Much better link juice from there in my experience.
- evelester says:
  
  Very good point! I know that behavior was done a lot when google started the 'paid post' issues with page rank, as well as with google adsense, other bloggers would report or 'over click' on ads or falsely report other bloggers so they would have less competition, I can see how some bad bloggers would do the same to other blogs... I am in the same boat, it is sad to have to look at comments like this because of a few bad apples. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Kimi says:

Hey evelester :) I guess you pointed it out, I actually just wrote a comment that some people tend to comment first and then read the post. What a pity is, they make it obvious lol.. Spammers are everywhere, even when my blog was a few days old! lol, but you are absolutely right, Akismet is helpful, very. Now, they found another way to spam, do not forget about the trackbacks thingy though, i have been attacked in the last few days!
- evelester says:
  
  Same here Kimi, I have gotten a ton of trackback spam, the blogs linking to it are not 'real blogs' some are not anything at all - like no advertising, adsense, etc.. just random letters and links... have no idea what those are!
Agent Deepak says:

Spammers are real bad. Even with Anti-Spam Plug-ins Enabled some stupid comments still pass through. I simple delete those comments. I do not know when these people will learn. If they are investing time on commenting then why not leave a nice comment which do not look spammy.
- evelester says:
  
  Exacty, it takes a little more time to actually read the post and comment with something genuine, but it is worth it in the end to build that relationship.
Ileane says:

Hi Eve, I didn't realize that you had so many blogs. You're doing a great job and it's so smart of you to enter this contest and write this awesome guest post. The comment section is just as informative as the post - and that's in true CommentLuv fashion! Good luck, I hope you win some cash. This contest is the best!
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks! I love blogging, I used to run others but wanted a change so I stopped for a while, these are all under a year old, so I feel like a newbie again! LOL I am having a lot of fun meeting everyone in the comment section too- learning a lot! This contest has helped me come out of my shell!
Sourav says:

I try to be very careful about commenting, specially about leaving a relevant comment. If I feel that my comment won't add any value to the post, I prefer not to comment. There are some posts which leave no room for comments, I mean the post says it all. In that case it becomes difficult to comment except saying that "I agree to what you have said.....". Now it depends on the author how he/she will take that comment, whether as an encouragement or as a comment for the sake of commenting.
- evelester says:
  
  Great point Sourav, it is a problem I have encountered and have surely created it for potential commentators on my site as well. It is a hard situation to deal with in terms of 'commenting for the sake of commenting' and if nothing else all the comments here have cemented the idea of asking questions at the end of the post so I avoid leaving people with nothing to say!
David says:

Well, "That Guy" is just a cheap-skate cutting corners and missing all the fun. Blog commenting is one of my favorite things to do. I love to add my 2-cents. I love to add humor. As an SEO, my job is to build links; sad but true, that's the majority of the job. So when I look for a fun way to build links, you can best believe it includes blog commenting on behalf of my clients. And they are fun or useful comments that add to the conversation...so they are usually welcomed and get approved. Dropping a lame "nice post" or "I subscribed to your RSS" (usually an outright lie, by the way) is indeed a total waste of what should be a fun and rewarding activity. It must suck to be "That Guy".
- evelester says:
  
  Exactly David, commenting is an amazing way to build links! Not only do you get potential 'juice' (do-follow plugins) but you also help build your brand (name/avatar recognition) as well as build relationships with the bloggers and other commenters by leaving useful/funny/supportive comments. And great point- it must suck to be them!
John Soares says:

Eve, I've received all the types of "bad guy" comments on my blogs. Some manage to commit more than one offense in a single comment. What frustrates me most is someone who comes to my site only once and leaves a one-sentence comment that is vaguely on topic -- he read my headline and subtitles -- and then splits. I usually respond to every comment, but with these I just leave them if the person seems somewhat legit, or in some cases I hit the delete button (but not the spam button unless it truly is spam).
- evelester says:
  
  Great that you mention that John, not all comments are spam, some may link to sites you don't feel comfortable linking to, or some may just be rude- it is important to correctly remove these if your going to. Marking it as spam could potentially blacklist the commentor at askimet and result in a lot of problems for people that are not actual 'spammers'.
Sire says:

You are so right, That Guy will never read this or any other informative post. That Guy, who actually may also be a woman, probably doesn't read any post. They probably only go as far as the title and then formulate a comment that has nothing to do with the post itself. That Guy probably only survives on newbie bloggers blogs who will accept any comment. This post will educate them to delete or spam That Guy's comments so that he will either have to change his/her ways or have his comments sent to spam hell where they will rot forever never to be seen again.
- Tia says:
  
  Sire's right! I'd take it a step further to say that the guy you're referring to (at least, in my experience) is probably neither male or female. It is one of my comment bots and its job is to plaster as many comments around the blogworld as is possible. The thing is - what they are doing works, because the you and me's of the world - the ones who use Akismet and who actually tend to our blogs, are probably 1-2% of the millions and millions of blogs that exist. So their odds of getting approved and getting back links in the thousands are really high.
  - Sire says:
    
    Gee Tia, it's not often someone from the fairer sex agrees with me; Although a lot of the times the comments are from bots I reckon I get quite a few from humans who should know better but don't seem to care all that much. What I find surprising is how some of the A listers don't seem to care who comments. I've seen quite a few on their blogs that I personally would have deleted.
    - evelester says:
      
      Very true, a lot of the spam appears to be from humans, just not ones that care enough I guess!
  - Tia says:
    
    LOL P.S. I really need to clarify that "it's one of my comment bots" should have said "it's one of MANY comment bots." Boy did that come out really really wrong! :)
    - Sire says:
      
      LOL, even as a mere male I knew what you meant ;)
    - evelester says:
      
      LOL, I had a feeling you didn't mean it like that :-) Although I do wonder who does dispatch the bots and what is going through their heads- like do a guest post or something - "Confessions of a Spammer" LOL maybe I will start emailing the spammers that comment to try to get a interview LOL
  - evelester says:
    
    So true, there are a LOT of blogs out there, we only make up a tiny percent!
- Hesham says:
  
  I just want to say Hi to welcome the King of blog comments and online conversations ;)
  - Sire says:
    
    How nice of you to say so Hesham. I only wish I had more time to drop by and contribute to this excellent site. I must say you've done a great job and it's turned out to be a really informative blog with heaps of great contributors.
  - evelester says:
    
    I feel honored to be visited by the king! :-)
    - Sire says:
      
      I'm honored that you're honored ;)
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks Sire, hopefully it will help in some way!
Tracy says:

I have a love hate relationship with the tit for tat commenter. Every time you comment on their blog they'll dutifully come to yours and leave a comment even if it doesn't seem like they quite knew what to say. And they only comment if you've left a comment on their blog - perhaps they don't remember you exist until you pop up to remind them? While I really do appreciate people visiting my blog via the comment, I don't leave comments to get them and I do feel a little put off once I realize the only reason a person has ever commented on my blog is because it's a duty comment. Duty comments are the blogging world equivalent of pity dates.
- evelester says:
  
  Great analogy Tracy :-) I see what you are saying here, and I have been in that situation, where I want to comment but can't seem to come up with anything- but that is when you should choose NOT to comment. I also run into the other issue you brought up- only commenting after you leave a comment- I am guilty of this- and worse, often I can't return 'love', as a web designer, mom, wife, blogger, etc... I have ran out of time in my days to be able to go to blogs and comment, it is more like IF I get a free minute to comment, I start with the people that have commented on my blog. I hate doing it and I am working on getting better at time management so that it won't be an issue, but until then I just strive to make the comments I CAN make meaningful. :-)
  - Tracy says:
    
    See, I'm in the same position and it's never offended me once if somebody doesn't return my comment or pay a visit to my blog. I comment because I had something to say. I don't know sometimes it's like Christmas cards and one angsts too much over being the one to break the back and forth! It shouldn't be this complicated!
    - evelester says:
      
      That's a great way to be Tracy- I never expect a visit back because I understand how busy things can get! If I commented just to get comments I would be very unhappy LOL
Gail says:

It makes me so sad to see so many bloggers equating sincere comments left by people who know the value of link building and are interested in becoming their regular readers and commentators with real spam which originally meant machine-generated and could include totally unrelated or generic comments and particularly automated spam left by bots but NOT sincere comments that happen to have links related to products and services. Maybe if I share a couple of examples we can have a lively discussion here and see if you still feel the same way. This is extremely important and will mean the difference between which businesses stay open and how much worse the economic decline will be. Before you read on consider opening my post about How CommentLuv Grows Businesses and Blogs for some VERY important information about moderating comments and not being a spammer. Suppose you throw a party and invite all your neighbors. When they arrive, would you ask each of them what they do and let those who are employees in and slam the door in the face of any of them who own a business? THAT is what equating all commentators who use business URLs with spammers is doing. There is no way for you to know whether a commentator who leaves a relevant comment in your blog found you during the course of a link building process OR saw your comment in a blog they read regularly OR on Twitter or because they were searching for what you wrote about in a search engine. Many bloggers are ASSUMING that if the commentator has a business or uses keywords (even in a KeywordLuv blog) or features a post in CommentLuv that is business, product or service related that they "only commented to get that link". You do NOT know that. They might just love what you write about and since they can get a link that benefits their business why shouldn't they? You leave links to your blog or your Twitter account or your Facebook page, don't you? Should we assume that you only commented to promote your blog or get us to follow you at Twitter? That is EXACTLY the SAME scenario as assuming someone who writes a comment in your blog ONLY commented to get a link. Even if they DID find your blog because they are seeking to build links why do so many think that makes them evil people who "ONLY" comment for links? You can not know that; it is another which came first: the chicken or the egg thing! If you truly understood the value of links you would not feel that way. Time for another story. Every one of us must know people who are unemployed or underemployed. All of us know what we earn does not go as far as it once did and the price of everything is going up. That means there are far fewer people spending what they did just a year ago - and every business they once spent money in will feel the effects. Do you not have a business you frequent that you really appreciate? Maybe it is the local restaurant that has delicious food at an affordable price or your mechanic who worked on your vehicle in the middle of the night or on a weekend because it was an emergency or the quaint antique store downtown. Did you know YOU could help them stay open and if YOU do nothing they may close forever? If any one of those businesses is wise they will start using the Internet to attract new customers to replace how much their existing clients are cutting back. If they are truly wise it will be a blog. If they do not build incoming links to their site it will NOT show up when you search for what they do and they WILL go out of business in this economy. If they DO build incoming links, when you search for a mechanic in your town or restaurant in your city their new site or blog will come up and you can find out if they're offering any specials this week and leave a comment in THEIR blog so your neighbors can all find YOUR SITE. WHY would you not want to let them leave a comment in YOUR blog so your friends and neighbors can find out about their new site? Would you not chat with them in your comments and thank them for their great service? And if you did that would that not let your other neighbors know "here is a business I know and trust" so they could find a great mechanic or restaurant too? Here is another reason why allowing quality comments with keywords in them is better for us all: they make sure we can find what we want online. No matter what you want to buy, it is best if you can find it right away, right? That is especially true if you already know exactly what you want. Let's take a random example. Suppose you want a blue business card holder. If I decide to leave my usual comments in my favorite blogs and feature blue business card holders, the links using that phrase point to that exact product and when you search for "royal blue business card holders" in a search engine my featured page will be on the first page of results. Now blue business card holders are not all that easy to find. You might have to search through many stores that sell business card holders before you find one. OR you could find it right away because you already know that one of your favorite readers sells them OR because wise bloggers who know the value of links have been allowing their commentators to feature their products and services. Multiply that one item by all the products or services you would ever want to find online. Every link makes them easier to find FOR YOU, me and everyone else and allows your commentator blogger friend to stay in business and keep their electricity and Internet connection turned on so they can keep visiting you. When we deny small local and online businesses and bloggers links we deny them TWO of the best ways for us to find them. The more of them whose businesses fail the fewer choices we have - and thanks to our foolish focus on buying cheap regardless of who we hurt we already have fewer choices than ever. True spam is annoying, but what a huge percentage of bloggers are calling spam are real comments left by real people just like you and me. Delete their comments if you must but DO NOT flag them as spam. I encourage every blogger to read the post I've put in CommentLuv in this comment because many of our favorite commentators have already been flagged as spammers and in many blogs Akismet is deleting their comments before you even see them. Do test your OWN comments in the blog posts I have provided because YOU might be flagged as a spammer already too. And seriously think about what exactly bugs you about comments that say Gail @ Blue Business Card Holders in your KeywordLuv-enabled blog bothers you so much that you want to ban so many readers and commentators. One more thing to think about: the commentators who understand the value of keywords and links and anchor text are the ones who know how best to write about and link to you and want to recommend your blog to their thousands of Twitter followers or all the people who know them at StumbleUpon. If you consider more visitors and more comments a bad thing then yes, you probably don't want us to read your blog anyway. If you are serious about growing your blog or business or even making money online that would be a supremely unwise thing to do.
- evelester says:
  
  You are completely right, I may not have explained myself very well, in no way do I mean anyone with a business URL or keywords, not at all, my post was about the quality of the comment, regardless of the URL it leads to, mom bloggers are just as guilty of posting these types of comments, "nice blog", "visit my giveaway", etc. And not adding anything to the conversation/post. It is a common misconception that keywords in a name field = spam, if the comment is relevant to the post, and not a generic generated comment then I don't care where the URL goes- with some exceptions- a name field filled in with something like "Enlarge your Penis" linking to a site filled with adult images and pop ups- is not getting published on my blog REGARDLESS of the comment content. This is my decision as a blogger running a business blog and a mom blog, neither of those blogs are appropriate places to advertise penis enlarging websites. Know what I mean? I love seeing keywords in comment name fields- to a point- it lets me know who they are and what their blog is about, as long as it is appropriate for my readers and does not lead to a website that will harm my computer then I am fine with keyword use- in moderation- I do NOT think it is ok to use a name field to fill in a 15 word list of keywords, that is just rude and overkill. I hope my post didn't come off as not welcoming comments by ANYONE, because that was not the intention, at no point in my post did I specify where 'that' guy was linking back to, because for the purposes of my post it does not matter if it is a site selling business card holders or a personal blog about family life- EITHER of those bloggers could be guilty of leaving comments that do not relate to the post they are commenting on. I love comments, and whether they are from "Bob @ The most Awesome Desk Toy Set Company" or from "Jason" - I like them to be on-topic, positive, and ending in a positive result for bot of us (they get a link back and I get to feel supported and valued because I got a comment with value.) Sidenote: I had not heard about the KeywordLuv plugin much before all this- I really like it a lot and plan on adding it to my blogs- as well as the do-follow plugin! Thanks for the info on it!
  - Gail says:
    
    Thank you for this excellent reply Eve, I should clarify that my comment above is more about the COMMENTS in this post about what other bloggers consider SPAM than what your post said and I am thrilled that your view on quality comments, keywords and links is similar to mine. I am actively seeking out bloggers who are serious about creating a better world and succeeding online to join our private blog collaboration and what I call the DoFollow CommentLuv KeywordLuv community. If you or anyone reading this is interested please DM @GrowMap your email address or use the contact form on my blog. All blogs that are Do Follow CommentLuv KeywordLuv blogs and welcome comments from businesses and link builders who leave quality comments are eligible to be added to my Supportive Blogs By Niche list in the post I'll feature in CommentLuv. Andy and I have been brainstorming ideas on how best to tell which CommentLuv bloggers are interested in collaborating with others like me and which would prefer that we not visit, comment in or share their blogs. Andy is an exceptionally talented programmer so I'm sure we will find a way and when we do it will be announced to the CommentLuv mailing list.
    - Kristi Hines says:
      
      I'm interested in any comments from commenters who show they have read my post and want to add to the value of the discussion, and so long as their link doesn't have anything to do with the "bad neighborhoods" I will have no issue in approving them. I'm not necessarily concerned about what brings someone to my blog to comment, but rather that they take the time and leave a good comment. In thanks, I let them have their link.
      - evelester says:
        
        Same here Kristi- it does not matter if they found me on a do-follow list or through another blog- if their comment is relevant then they are both the same to me!
Deal-ectible Mommies says:

I am SO not fond of "that guy". If I didn't have askimet I would be met with comments everyday that say things that are too awful to repeat here! Sicko's are lurking about and they'll do just about anything to get a link back via comments. Now Jimmy Viagra I think would be comical...I may let that one pass just because of the humor of it ;) Loved the post!!
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks! Askimet has been a huge help- there have been several client blogs that I forgot to activate it on and within a day I start getting the comments that are nothing but jibberish- literally- lk;shdgfdflkjgdfh lkjflgkjhd;lkgj lkcnjbv;klhfg
Jamie says:

I just started my blog, so I think at this point I'd even be happy to get a spam comment or two ;) At least to show someone is reading it...but I'm really glad I ran into this post. Sometimes, as a blogging "newbie" the line between being "that guy" is a little blurry. Being an avid reader, I sometimes find myself in the position you were talking about...wanting to show my support, but not having a comment with a lot of "substance". Since I haven't gotten any comments yet, having read this will definitely help me to identify spammers, thank you! BTW, my hubby hates it when I call him "that guy" too! HEHEHE...
- evelester says:
  
  :-) No comments are better than junk comments- that's for sure! Keep writing quality posts, ask for comments (by asking a question at the end of the post that has to do with your post- like my ending question "What are your least favorite kinds of comments?" to get the conversation going.) Hang in there, blogging takes practice and dedication before you start seeing results (comments, money, links, etc whatever your personal goal is)
Shan says:

Yeah, I hate "that guy" too. I especially hate when he thinks he is so clever with his comments, but they are on a post that has nothing to do with said comment and contain links to spam sites. Or when you write a well thought out out post and someone comments "great post!" Uh, did it make you think? Did it inspire you? Did it stir anything inside you at all? OY. If you are going to read, leave a comment that pertains to that post. Tell me how it made you feel. Don't be generic. I don't post on my blog just to get a bunch of two word responses, I post to start a conversation. It's annoying. ANd don't even get me started on the spammers. WHERE do they find us and do they REALLY think we are dumb enough to think it's a real comment? OY. Again.
- evelester says:
  
  LOL, you go girl! Like I said before, it doesn't matter what you sell, if you leave a comment that actually means something and isn't jibberish and generic then I am MUCH more likely to actually come see what you sell!
Brittany says:

LOL! Awesome post now come visit my site... No I like some of the spam comments that tell me how brilliant I am. Spam or not, I like to have my ego stoked, hahahah! The ones that I have a hard time with are the ones that LOOK like spam but their comment is so relevant. It's so confusing.
- evelester says:
  
  Yeah, it can get confusing, one of the other commenters mentioned a type where they tell you your site is not loading correctly... I would drive myself crazy with that one.... but actually right now my site is not loading, I was in a hurry and messed something up- yayyyy! :-)
element321 says:

I hate that guy.... I don't even know why companies pay that guy( in some cases) to make comments that are random or you know they are crap comments that will get deleted and marked as spam before they even go live. On my site all new commentors have to approved by admin and if they look spammy, untrustworthy, bots or just commenting to comment they get trashed. Why do people waste their time and money with this kind of service and trying to get backlinks when 99% site owners block and delete these comments before they have chance to get a backlink to be active.
- Brittany says:
  
  Yeah I don't get why they would wanna hire them either and I would HATE to be that "guy" to have a pretty pointless job!!!
  - evelester says:
    
    Exactly, especially since from what I have read the pay sucks! LOL (I could be wrong though- don't quote me!)
- Hesham says:
  
  All new comment has to be approved here to! But.. I am facing a problem now! all comments are in hold and need my approval, I am having hard time to approve all these comments we are getting! Are we getting more comments that we should or what lol?
  - evelester says:
    
    LOL, yeah, I think we are overloading the admins here! :-)
- Shan says:
  
  They get PAID to spam us? LOL Really? Do they get paid by the comment or by the hour? Sorry, but that just made me laugh out loud.
  - evelester says:
    
    lol, yeah, they get paid- no idea how much, but I have seen ads on Digital point and other places- I know it isn't much at all though!!!
    - Shan says:
      
      Weird. They ADVERTISE for spammers? That is so...I don't even know what to say about that. LOL
      - evelester says:
        
        oh yeah! I even got a application on my blog post about wanting a SEO partner from a guy who's main site is all about making link farms and selling comment spam... lol funny that he even applied because I mentioned those in my post as what I DIDN't want! I remember a forum a while back that used to have a ton of people 'buying' spam comments, they would pay some guy like .05 cents to go around and plaster their link everywhere!
- evelester says:
  
  Exactly, I would love to know where they all hang out online, to get a peek into the happenings in terms of WHY they keep doing the same thing over and over again, when it goes into spam before the blogger has to junk it anyway!
Karen says:

I don't understand what spammers gain. I have no patience with them. Even if they write relevant comments on a post of mine, they are deleted. Unfortunately, I am on a no-follow list and I think that is where a lot of my spammers come from. I love relevant comments and have gained four or five friendships from banter back and forth between our blogs.
- evelester says:
  
  I agree Karen, even the ones that write a comment good enough to pass, if the website they are linking is spammy, I reserve the right to delete. I too love comments, gives me a sense of worth (I know- totally unhealthy and a therapist would have a field day with that! But it is who I am) Unfortunately with work I don't get to comment on nearly as many as I would like, although once I get some of the current clients done I am going back to the the plan on commenting on at least 10 blogs daily. (all good comments of course!)
Dennis Edell says:

One thing I see time and again is beginners sying they let the garbage through because it is the only comments they get. Just stick with it, that will change soon enough. One good reason to never let him through is if you run a do follow blog - he is most likely linking to a site deemed a "bad neighborhood" by Google.
- evelester says:
  
  ohhhhh, Dennis- I had not heard that before- it would explain a lot though, if some bloggers let them through then they are going to keep spamming us all. Besides, if I go to a blog and it has a bunch of spam comments, I wouldn't comment- it would appear as though the writer does not care about comments so why bother. Thanks for the tips- I remember a little about 'bad neighborhoods' in google years back, has anything changed on that front- any new tools to know if you are listed wrongly or anything?
  - Dennis Edell says:
    
    Backing away is a good plan. Although this has yet to be definitively proven, YOUR comments on the same article may look like a sign of approval as well. New tools to distinguish bad neighborhoods? Not that I know of, I didn't know there were old tools. lol
    - evelester says:
      
      Thanks! As for the tools for bad neighborhoods, I remember about 4 or so years ago there were 'bad neighborhood link checkers' all place- usually seen on long lists of SEO tools (backlink checkers, etc) the closest I found to it now is - http://www.bad-neighborhood.com/text-link-tool.htm And you mentioned how YOUR comments on a post help the approval as well, do you mean when the blogger responds to visitor comments (like I am doing here?) or like the blogger comments on the post when there are no other comments? Posting the first comment on your own post could be a good idea, if you don't do it all the time, it may help the whole 'first commenter' issue- where no one wants to be the first person to comment- even though being the first person to comment could be a REALLY good thing if the post picks up traction and gets a lot of traffic!
      - Dennis Edell says:
        
        Thanks for the link, it does look familiar. ANY comments with a link behind constitutes approval...this is what I hear. Posting the first comment to ease those that don't want to, does sound like a good idea. That whole business about how you must be the first commenter - just a big 'ol myth....post coming eventually. ;)
Tricia says:

I think "That Guy" has set up camp on several of my blogs. I'm always battling spam. Some new spam that I've been seeing over the last few months has been ones where the commenter says something like "Is it me or is half your page not loading? Maybe it's me - I'm using Safari" (or Chrome or whatever other browser). The first time or two that I got this kind of spam I'd load up my site in several different browsers to make sure it looked ok, but now I've had this spam on most of my blogs and I'm fairly certain it's not my blogs - just a new spam technique. Anyone else see this kind of spam?
- evelester says:
  
  thanks for the comment Tricia, I haven't seen this one yet- thankfully- I would probably still be troubleshooting my blog! Hopefully that does not catch on, I can see it slipping through a little easier than other types if the blogger does not check all URL's. Would love to hear from others that have had this type- would be interesting to know how widespread it is.
Jen says:

Nice post, keep it up! I'm only kidding, that is my most unfavorite comment left by that guy. Why are those comments always left by a guy? You forgot my all time favorite way to leave a comment, and one that inspired a really great post: "I have an award for you on my blog" That's it, nothing about the post I just wrote, just come to my blog, pick up the award you don't want and then spread the linky love. I'd leave a link to the post that inspired but that would be rude. Seriously, great post, keep it up!
- evelester says:
  
  LOL Jen, I hear you!! Those "Nice Posts, keep it Up" linking to Viagra are the most popular at my blog lately! And the award comments, that would irk me too- but I can't really say since I have never had one... (***pout***) I am just not special enough I guess! LOL
  - Jen says:
    
    You don't want them, really, learn from me. http://www.redheadranting.com/i-hate-blog-awards/. It's like that shampoo commercial, they'll tell two friends and so on and so on.
    - evelester says:
      
      LOL, I was reading that earlier when we were talking about the newsletter issue- love it! I am glad I never got in that crowd then! :-)
Cheryl says:

I guess I'm different. ;) I don't get many comments AT ALL, so, maybe I'd let "that guy" comment, just so I could feel the comment love! ;) I haven't ever *knock on wood* been hit with spam, so.... I don't really know what I'd do! ;)
- Jen says:
  
  Cheryl, you do not want that guy showing up on your doorstep because he doesn't come alone and once he has stopped by all his buddies stop by too and pretty soon you are spending hours each day deleting comments that have nothing to do with your thoughts but are all about linking to Viagra.
  - evelester says:
    
    yeah, it is like feeding stray cats, feed one and he tells all his buddies then you have a ton of cats pooping in your yard!
- evelester says:
  
  I understand your thought process there, but also remember that everytime you let one through, you are fueling the fire, letting their spam 'work' and they will never stop. As I said in another comment, letting them through will also keep people from commenting, if I visit a blog with several spam comments I don't want to comment, it is as if the blogger dies not care about their blog and comments so why bother. Hang in there, it takes time to start getting comments, and leaving good comments and posting useful posts will help you get there. :-)
Kristen says:

I LOVE THIS!!! I was just speaking about this on Twitter the other day. I was debating whether or not to delete a comment someone left clearly for the simple purpose of leaving their link! The thing is...I have comment luv. No need to spam me with links!! I'll be linking to you this weekend-thanks for an awesome post!
- evelester says:
  
  Thank you!! :-) That's the thing that irks me to- when a commenter leaves a link in a comment when you already have comment luv... especially when it isn't 100% relevant and helpful.
Crystal says:

"That guy" seems to make his way around the web. I do find it aggravating when he happens across my blog, but most of the time I just hit the delete button and move on.
- evelester says:
  
  Yep- that's all we can do- delete... and hope that eventually they will get bored and move on! But there is always another one right behind him!
Leah - Diaries of a Domestic Goddess says:

Oh man could I relate to this post! In the beginning of my blogging "career" I was probably "that guy" when it came to the blog hopping stuff. But then when I went through a slump where I only got comments like "thanks for visiting my blog" I was irritated at first, but then had to stop and think about it. How many quality comments do I leave on other blogs? So now when I go to a blog and read a post, I make sure to leave a comment that is worthy of someone to read. Well unless I totally disagree with the article and really can't say anything nice, then I quietly hit the X in the corner ;) Great post!!
- evelester says:
  
  I hear you Leah, we all make mistakes when we first start out, some of that has to do with following the wrong blogs for advice in the beginning. After a while though you are able to see that maybe his advice was not the best and start to really grow. Thanks!
Ryan says:

Hi evelester, I've seen so much of hit and run commenting where I'm not even phased by it. Just part of the online game for me. The thing to keep in mind is that you get what you give. Want backlink juice? Give someone else backlink juice. Want insightful, thoughtful comments posted on your blog? Provide insightful, thoughtful comment on other blogs. You get what you give, every time. Thanks for sharing your insight :) Ryan
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks for the comment Ryan! I like what you are saying, that's why plugins like comluv and do-follow are so nice, you can pick and choose what you want to give to people. And you cant be a spammer then get upset when you get crappy comments!
Firefly says:

Great article! I get so many of those comments from "That Guy" and "That robot" LOL right now the most I get for "Oh your article is what I need. Thank you for the information I'm using it in my college paper so informative!".... well that would be all ok if the post wasn't about a recipe LOL and if it had nothing to do with anything really other than my breakfast that day! Another ones that drive me crazy are once with Viagra and any possible antidepressant pill you can think of LOL
- evelester says:
  
  LOL, yeah- I would LOVE to know what kind of paper they are writing about some of my posts! I am still just amazed at how MANY spammers there are, I mean, where to they hang out and exchange secrets, where is their hideout LOL
Indian Homemaker says:

Wow!!! This struck a chord. One spammer copied MY response to another commenter in a very old post and left it as a comment. I had to read it many times before I understood why it seemed so familiar - it was a part of an argument, so in a way the spammer was agreeing with me. :\ Another I received this week, and saved to read and laugh, 'I really like your writing style, its not generic and extremly long and tedious like a lot of blog posts I read, you get to the point and I really enjoy reading your articles! Oh, and merry Christmas!' Christmas in JUNE? :)
- evelester says:
  
  OMG, that is balsy! The spammer could have at least copied a comment from ANOTHER blog to leave a spam comment on yours!! :-) LOL, That's a great one! I have been noticing a lot like that lately, they seem to think that with enough compliments that we will let the spam through!
Blazing Minds says:

I seem to get those types that have a set few phrases that are screaming out SPAMMER, then there are those really annoying ones that add several links and comment that is so off topic that it could have been written on the moon!
- evelester says:
  
  Oh, I know those kinds- the comment is sometimes so off-base that you spend a bit more time trying to figure out if it is spam of it the guy is just a little crazy! :-)
Dana says:

There is also comment that copy the comment before it. What a spammer, right?
- evelester says:
  
  Yeah, the lazy spammers amaze me, how much more time could it take to at least scan the post and leave a half-a$$ed comment?
CJ says:

Haha, Awesome post. I'm pretty sure that no one likes "That Guy." Nothings worse than a half ass attempt to seem genuine and interested in a blog post. Haha. It's jsut annoying. CJ CJ's last blog ..Why You Will Fail at Growing Your Online Income
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks CJ! They must be getting something out of it to keep doing it all these years later, I can't imagine how they work though?! :-)
Jean Sarauer says:

I've been super lucky in terms of the quality of the comments I get overall. Once in awhile I'll get one where someone has a 'keyword name' with no real face, and it's just plain strange responding to them. They usually leave a 'real' comment on the blog, so I do respond, but still . . . . I can't help but imagine what the offline equivalent would be . . . going up to someone wearing a mask and a name tag that says 'Wisconsin blogger woman?' Bizarre :)
- evelester says:
  
  LOL, I never thought of it that way- I imagine things would be a lot different if everyone had to attach a real name and face to everything! So how do you manage to keep the spammers away, any special plugins I should check out?
Lee says:

I hate the commenter who jumps in just to disagree with you. I have no problem when someone disagrees with me, but you know that person who just comes to your giveaway to tell everyone they hated the product? That type of thing can bother me. It can be done correctly and respectfully and that is fine. But sometimes its just blatant they were trying to start something. Lee
- evelester says:
  
  Great point Lee, I missed a whole class of commenters- not all of them are bad for spamming! Trolls are thankfully keeping away from my sites so far, but I am sure it is only a matter of time before I get the 'drama' comment!
fashionartexpression says:

Hi Eve, I enjoyed reading your article. It is very funny but also helpful because nobody wants to be that guy! Some even might not know there him. I hate spams that are from those Viagra companies. I get them al the time!
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks! That is what I was going for- a little humor mixed in with a few tips and not so subtle pokes at certain commenting styles.
Creative Junkie says:

I've been the recipient of so many drive-by comments that I stopped keeping track. However, I've noticed lately that the spammy comments are getting quite entertaining! I actually have to double check a few of them to confirm that they are, in fact, spam. Oh, and I love all the pharmacy technicians' cousins who apparently love my blog!
- evelester says:
  
  Such a great point Andrea, I guess they are finally realizing that random letters will not get a comment approved, I just wish they would see that it is not that hard to leave a real comment- but even some of the 'real' comments that link to viagra type sites you have to delete or remove the link to avoid upsetting readers! How about they just stop making spam sites to begin with? LOL
Heather says:

ok, I get that comments are the place for discussion but when 'that guy' leaves a comment to disagree for the sake of disagreeing it can be pretty obnoxious. I've seen bloggers write fantastic and useful articles and then drop in an affiliate link to a product they believe in. Then genuinely believe in supporting that product and it was relevant to their article and hey, if they make a buck or two I'm going to be happy for them. Then 'that guy' shows up to comment and completely blasts the bloggers chances of making an affiliate sale by bashing the product for no good reason. Sure, if you have a relevant reason not to use the product maybe say something or provide details about your experience or whatever...but to bash it just to squash the bloggers chance of making a sale is low. Don't be 'that guy' !
- evelester says:
  
  I see a lot of this when I am blog-hopping, it is a mix of spam and angry people doing it, about half and half. You have the spammer bashing the product and telling everyone about the 'better' one he happens to sell or have an affiliate link for! Then you have the person who isn't selling anything, that just had a bad experience and now they spend hours a day searching googleBlogs for mentions of the product and proceeds to bash each and every one of them, often copy/pasting the same rant on all blogs! "That Guy" Needs to go down!! :-)
Tola says:

Interesting post! I know I don't want to be known as 'that guy' that's for sure!! And hopefully, I'm not either! But errr... about the last part, the Egotistic guy... I think that's a bit of a grey area. Cos personally, I always like to know how someone finds my blog. So if you drop me an informative comment (yes, it should show that you actually read my post) and add a thanks for visiting my blog or something at the end, I don't really see that as been rude or anything. Yes, its rude when you just drop the comment without reading the post though! So I agree with you on that.
- evelester says:
  
  Good point Tola, I should have clarified, adding that you are returning 'love' after a good comment is perfectly ok, and welcomed- like you I like to know where everyone comes from! I hope your not 'that guy' either, but you weren't him here so your good! :-)
Asad says:

Yeah, spammers are really a headache for me.Today i got a spam comment on my tech blog in which i wrote about "How to find your lost iPod" and the commenter wrote "To anyone asking why iPhone is special, this post is your answer, the community do CARE about this mobile". Oh man.......i was talking about iPod and he was talking about iPhone :).
- evelester says:
  
  Don't you love that? I always want to contact them and say "sooooooo close buddy!!" If they had taken a bit more time they may have slipped through! And I am going to have to check out the post on how to find a lost iPod! I tend to loose mine a lot!
Jorgen says:

Hmmm... I am sometimes that guy because I skim read articles - I have the attention span of a toddler so that's my excuse! Perhaps the trick is to read less blogs and only comment on a few select ones. Anyway, thanks for bringing that to my attention, will try to be another guy hence forth!
- evelester says:
  
  So I helped someone! :-) Yayyyyy! That is awesome to hear, and I personally believe that yes- 3 well thought out comments are worth more in the long run than 10 crappy comments anyday! And I am sure you weren't that bad! :-)
DiTesco says:

Haha! I still remember when I once had this thought about "Hesham", our dear friend here on FB. When I started to hop around the sphere, I always said to myself, dude, who is "that guy". That guy (Hesham) was all over the place :), the only difference is that he is one hell of a helpful blogger and that label fit him well on the positive side of course. Anyway, I know what you mean and I might have been called "that guy" too, sometime during my debut. I really did not know how to start a comment, just "great, great, great".
- evelester says:
  
  That is how I found many of my favorite bloggers, I saw them all over the place- and your right- what separated them from the rest was the fact that all of those comments were meaningful and relevant. We all started somewhere, as long as you cover your tracks with new, useful comments then you will be the good guy :-) It is good to be 'that guy' as long as it is said with that slight nod and eyebrow lift! The one you don't want is the one said with a scowl! :-)
Anna Haller says:

Haven't had any keyword spammers like Rhys above (yup, not only do I read the posts but I love to read the comments too) but I have had ones where I fell for them like "Your post was interesting, I'm going to add you to my feeder". So now I learned if Akismet has qualified it as spam it is spam so I just delete them permanently. Anna
- evelester says:
  
  I've been there Anna, thinking it is a legit comment only to find out it is spam later (after people have seen that you let it through!) And you are my favorite type of commenter, there is a lot you can learn in comments, everything from learning a new trick to learning of an important event in the bloggers life. Most mortifying comment moment ever: I had read the post, the blogger was ill, sounded like a cold or something, nothing serious. I went to comment with a hug and well wishes, only after I hit SUBMIT did I notice that all the recent comments were sad and 'off' for this post... so I scrolled through the pages and discovered the woman had passed away earlier that day and her husband posted it in the comments. I wanted to DIE, I felt horrible! Ever since I always check the comments on every post before I comment, that is part of the reason I do not love the paged comment option, but it really is helpful.. Sorry for writing you a novel! LOL You inspired me!
Frantic Holly says:

You have definitely covered "That Guy" Eve. I get these on a daily basis and it just drives me nuts. The worst for me is the porn ones. I do not promote porn on my site. It is a mom blog about my family for pete's sake. I have no interest in seeing naked pictures of anyone. Oh and the EMT training guy he leaves a comment every single hour. The same comment every single hour and not a one of them has gone through. You'd think he'd stop.
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks Holly! The more I read it and reply to comments I am seeing how much I missed- but I would have written a VERY long post if I tried to cover it all! I get the EMT training guy too, we must be on the same list somewhere! :-)
Dr Joe says:

Fun post. I checked out that video and it was hilarious. But I was still a bit worried I would be 'that guy' you would be talking about. The one who shows up at the party wearing his tie and can't seem to lighten up. Relief to know you weren't talking about 'that guy' this time. So I'm off the hook, and that makes me like your post even more. Now I can sit back and say "Yeah those other guys are jerks." By the way, I'm not even going to argue your gender-based slant here because there's no question you're spot on. It always guys that burst onto the scene like Kramer and are oblivious to the little nuances of social etiquette.
- evelester says:
  
  Thanks for making me smile Dr. Joe! I am usually nervous at parties too- so I guess I am "that Girl" :-) I didn't even think about the gender basis when I wrote it- lol, all I heard was the 'tone' you get when you say "that" guy - my husband hates hearing it, quite often when he does something to upset me or is getting on my nerves- I will say to him "You're not 'that' guy"- or "Don't be 'that' guy" - it drives him NUTS! He will get a kick out of this post though, last time I said it to him he forbid me to say it ever again (jokingly of course! (I think!)) :-)
Nabeel says:

I comment on a number of blogs and I think it is very important to leave comments that add value. Sometimes the article/post does not leave much room for comments. Though, when the author asks a question at the end of a post, that is the easiest to comment on. The funniest comment I read on a blog was a 'nice post' on a post which was about something going wrong with Twitter (people accessing other people's account)! While other comments were obviously about the frustration about the topic...I replied to him 'WTH is so nice about this post?' lol....I guess it was a typical spammer. Nabeel
- evelester says:
  
  Very true Nabeel, a lot of blog posts are hard to comment on, I have run into that quite frequently, sometimes all you can say is something like "great story" or the like. I TRY to remember to end each post with a question, but I catch myself forgetting to do so quite frequently, resulting in few or more likely- no comments. Thanks for the reminder- I will be sure I stay on top of that from now on!
Rhys says:

Keyword spammers are my bugbear Best I've had have been comments from [Insert Named Link Here], Africa's ex (which if you move the spaces around, you get the keyword he wanted to rank for) & "Hannah Montanna - Really!" But the best was from a guy called Jimmy Viagra.
- evelester says:
  
  LOL Too funny! I haven't had the ones with the spam 'names' - my mom has emailed me a few comments from her blog that she couldn't tell if they were spam or not- you know the ones- they praise your site up and down, say nothing about the actual post- and have a link to a super spammy site. Such a tease- you think someone REALLY loves you then BAM! Spam in the face! And who knew Hanna Montana would be such a popular spam keyword!?!?

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