Occasionally, I receive questions or comments about blogging and social media that inspire me to share key insights with my readers. Here are three recent examples of those topics. Hopefully, you’ll learn something from them.
How to get less spam!
In my recent post, “Astonishing! Some Bloggers Disable Comments on Their Blogs. Why?” many readers mentioned that they turn off comments due to the overwhelming number of spam comments that often come through. This is a valid concern! However, it’s worth noting that WordPress offers a setting that can help prevent you from seeing most spam comments. Activating this feature is simple.
- On your blog’s dashboard, go to Jetpack – Akismet Anti-spam.
- On the page that opens, look for the Settings box. Under Spam Filtering, ensure ‘Silently discard the worst and most pervasive spam so I never see it‘ is selected.
- Click the ‘Save changes‘ button.
You’ll now see much less spam in your blog’s spam folder. On average, I’m seeing no more than a few spam comments every week.
For more details, check out my post, ‘Turn This Setting On To Stop Seeing Too Much Spam On Your WordPress Blog.’
How do you find the people you want to follow?
Author Liz Gauffreau recently left a comment on my post, ‘The Ultimate Guide to Engaging on Bluesky: Tips, Features, and Strategies for Success,’ saying she was struggling to find other users on Bluesky who read or write literary fiction.
I asked Liz if she had checked out the Bluesky Starter Pack directory, where users can search for other users with similar interests. I included a link to the directory. This is how Liz replied.
If you’re a Bluesky user, I recommend checking out the information about Starter Packs. They are an excellent way to discover other bloggers, writers, authors, photographers, and more. Starter Packs are also great for getting noticed and connecting with other users. Click the following link.
What are Bluesky Starter Packs?
And click the following link to check the Bluesky Starter Pack directory I sent to Liz.
Bluesky Starter Pack Directory.
I recently passed a milestone on Bluesky: getting over 5,000 followers. Given that I’ve only been on Bluesky since November 2024 and it took me nearly 12 years to reach 9,000 followers on X, I can’t emphasise enough how every blogger and writer should consider using Bluesky.
If you haven’t already, give Bluesky a go.
How to stop the theme you’re using from crashing your blog.
Amanda, who blogs at ForestWood, recently published a post titled ‘It’s Time For A Change Of Theme.’ She was referring to a change of blog theme. I’d recently published a post about WordPress themes, so I was interested in what Amanda had to say. Needless to say, Amanda’s post inspired me (and many others) to leave a comment.
You’ll have to read Amanda’s post to find out what she and I had to say, but it contained an important lesson some readers may have forgotten or may not know about regarding WordPress themes. Do not attempt to change your WordPress blog’s theme unless you’re using a theme still supported by WordPress.
If, like Amanda, you are using a retired theme and click ‘activate’ on any of the current themes WordPress offers, you won’t be able to return to your retired theme!
If you are using a retired WordPress theme that isn’t causing you any issues, you can continue using it. However, be cautious, as there are drawbacks to using a retired theme, including those related to online security. For more information, check out my recent post, “WordPress Themes: Something Exciting Is Happening,” which provides further details.
Let’s wrap it up!
- Use WordPress’s Jetpack – Akismet Anti-spam feature to significantly reduce spam comments. By enabling the option to “silently discard the worst and most pervasive spam,” users can keep their spam folder manageable.
- Use the Bluesky Starter Pack Directory to connect with other users with similar interests. This resource helps you discover other bloggers, writers, authors and photographers and gain visibility.
- If you are thinking of changing the theme of your WordPress blog, be aware that if the current theme you are using is retired and no longer supported by WordPress, you won’t be able to return to it.
Do you have any questions about blogging or social media? Leave them in the comments section.
The featured image in this blog post is taken from Pixabay. AI checked spelling and grammar mistakes.
I’m getting tough with non-engaging comments. Comments such as ‘Nice post’ are marked as spam.
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