Thank you, Blogger, for filtering out the spam!

Thanks, Blogger!

I must confess that sometimes I’m perplexed. I’ll receive an e-mail notification that someone (often “anonymous” but occasionally someone with an unusual—for my community—name) has posted a comment on one of my blogs. Yet when I go there to reply to it (or delete it), nothing is there. Have I been pranked?

No, I was merely being protected from spam. Blogger recognizes most spam and filters it out for us blogfolk, which I very much appreciate. I can’t tell you how many years I blogged before I discovered the spam file (*blushing*), and that is where I found those comments I’d been notified of. You know the kind: “Hello There. I discovered your weblog the use of msn. This is a very neatly written article. I'll be sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I'll definitely comeback. Visit my website -- 'This website'”

They always include a link to another site, and they never mention specifics about your blog; it’s always in generalities that could apply to any blog. That’s a tip-off that this same comment is being spread like manure across blog land. I have not succumbed to the temptation to click any of those links. I grew up around farms. I know there is nothing delightful to be found in the midst of a cow patty, if you know what I mean.

Now it’s your turn to confess. Have you ever checked the spam folder in your blog? Have you ever curiously clicked on a link left by spam? And if so, were you surprised?