Plugin: Akismet

One WordPress plugin in use on this blog is the Akismet Anti-spam Plugin. This is a must install for any WordPress blog. This one plugin will stop 95% or more of all comment spam. Any comments it deems as spam are stored in the “Spam” category in the Comments section of the dashboard.

Installation

1. In the Plugins section of the dashboard, go to “Add New” and search for “Akismet“. Then click the Install link to auto install the plugin (if it’s not already auto installed). Then just activate it.
2. You will also need to register for an account with the commercial WordPress.com site to have them issue your an API key that is needed to activate the plugin. Don’t worry, it’s free, and you do not need a blog at wordpress.com, simply choose the “username only” option.
3. Enter the API key in the config section of Akismet under the Plugins section, and you’re all set.

Freedom from spam!

Once activated, Akismet will start separating out the comment spam from real people commenting on your blog posts. If it mis-tags a comment, either mark it as spam, or approve it if it was mis-tagged as spam, and this data will automatically be fed back to Akismet to improve their algorithm.

Since we’ve installed Akismet, we have yet to see a spam get through, or a real comment be tagged as spam. In the next post we’ll look at another plugin that will stop any sneaky comment spam from squeaking past Akismet.