The Article Writer

This morning I checked my email and noticed eight new comments from “readers” of this site. Typically, I receive notification of 2-4 comments submitted in the overnight period, so this number was higher than usual. I haven’t posted much over the past week, so I was curious what could be stirring people’s interest.

All  eight comments were spam — porn messages with links to adult sites.

Earlier this week I noticed that several other porn messages were being left and I deleted those immediately as well. Curiously, Akismet and one other spam detector are active and updated, so I’m not sure why these snuck through.

Not wanting this blog to turn into a breeding ground for spam comments, I have modified this blog’s commenting policy as follows:

• All blog comments will be held in moderation. They will be approved (or rejected) as soon as possible, but definitely not right away.

• Adult and other spam messages will be identified and Akismet notified.

• Any messages not adding value to the blog will be deleted. I’ve let some minimal value one-liners through lately, but I’m not going to allow this practice to continue. I’m looking for comments that can contribute to a discussion.

This blog will maintain its no-follow policy, at least for now. However, I’ll be deleting comments that link to bad neighborhoods or those off topic.

I hate to have my hand forced in this way, but I really have no other choice. Thank you for understanding.

Obviously, I haven’t been blogging much lately and I realized this morning that I should post something here to explain my whereabouts. In the blogosphere if you are someone who blogs on a regular basis and suddenly stops, your readers will think that you either died or took that better offer.

I assure you that I am very much alive, but I’m working on that better offer!

Seriously, I am in the middle of building a new blog (see Crunch Time)  for a customer and hope to have it officially launched on Monday. Certain internet access problems have slowed down the process, but I am still moving forward. Instead of trying to juggle everything, I’m pouring myself into getting the new site up and running. Once done, I expect to resume my normal blogging activities other than taking some time to goof off right around Christmas and again on New Year’s Day.

I might add that this is the third consecutive day that temperatures have topped 80 degrees in my area of North Carolina. The temptation to be outside has been great, so that could be another reason for my prolonged absence!

It is December and my thoughts are just now beginning to turn to — Christmas shopping! Seriously, I’m not that behind on things, but I do know that I have yet to dispense much link love this month. Yes, the month is young but I believe I’ll be caught up in so much other stuff between now and the new year that I’ll soon forget to spread the wealth.

As I’ve been stumbling (hint*hint) around the internet, I’ve found some great stuff worth sharing. I do actually read a lot of the pages I stumble — sometimes immediately or by bookmarking and coming back to them later.

Without further adieu, I am offer to you the following:

• Is Google no longer “good?” Well, I don’t know how a company can possibly be good in the first place, but judging by the list that Snoskred has pulled together, Google has been very naughty indeed. Maybe Santa will avoid visiting Mountain View altogether this Christmas — you think? In the eyes of some, coal in the stocking might be too nice of a gift for the internet giant. Humbug!

• Rob Watts is looking for a new SEO/SEM opportunity, just the kind of position that will allow this British bloke to shine for the right company. I’ve made frequent visits to his blog and enjoy his insight on all things internet and although I cannot vouch for his character (he sometimes is pictured wearing a funny hat) or say that he is too old (he is ten years younger than I) , you may want to consider what he has to offer to you.

• Jennifer, over at the Catalyst Blogger, recently discussed finding her blogging voice. Among the points she shared, Jennifer noted that teachers take about five years before they get a handle on their teaching. As a blogger, I can tell you that it took me about one year before I hit my stride, feeling comfortable enough to blog the way I wanted to blog. A good read and I appreciate Jennifer’s mention of this blog.

• What’s a NaNoWriMo? For many weeks now I have been seeing this term referenced on various sites, but days went by before I learned that it stood for National Novel Writing Month, a campaign to encourage authors to write a 175-page novel during the month of November. The campaign is over, but it looks like quite a few people participated — I wonder how many will end up being published?

Have a great weekend, folks!