Comments to my blog posts…
They can drive any author nuts. How can an author tell that someone’s comment to a blog post is spam? First, that someone doesn’t follow the rules. Here are mine (these also appear on my “Join the Conversation” web page):
No post with foul language or pornographic innuendos is accepted. I try to keep this website PG-13. Please help me in this effort. For example, your marketing posts about porn, sex toys, and ED drugs WILL be eliminated!
I also try to keep this blog commercial free. Help me in this effort. No marketing posts are accepted. Don’t try to disguise them either. My spam filter will recognize the keywords used by marketers; if it doesn’t, I will. In particular, posts about SEO, WordPress plug-ins, and other annoying illusions to general website improvements aren’t accepted. I’m sure there are many creative gurus out there, but I already have trusted consultants.
Please refrain from making comments in languages other than English. That’s unfair to readers who don’t know your language and hinders continued discussion if a thread is started. I apologize for any inconvenience this might cause. I know a few languages, but I’m no polyglot. Let’s all use English so everyone can understand the comment thread. (Even though I’m a writer, I won’t hold incorrect spelling or grammar against you—all there are interested in your ideas.) Posts in other languages than English will be eliminated—sorry. Please comment on just the particular post; and please, no generalities about how great this blog is or how you’re going to recommend it to everyone.That wastes everyone’s time, including mine. You can start your post with a simple “I agree” or “I disagree” or something similar (even just a “Hi Steve” tells me you’re not spamming the Universe—I don’t test to see if you’re a robot), but readers (and me!) will want to know why you do either one. Zero information comments will ALWAYS be eliminated. I really don’t need any gratuitous pats on the back other than your reading this blog, but I welcome comments that contribute to the conversation.
Please also note that some comments are held by WordPress software, so if yours doesn’t appear immediately and is acceptable as part of the conversation, I will fix the problem. Also, your first comment on this blog has to be approved by me. From then on, you might sail through, unless WP flashes the red light and calls the cops (with my spam filter) or I catch you breaking one of the above rules. That first approved comment isn’t a low hurdle, though.
Please don’t think you have to agree with me. Discussion threads are generally enlightening, and I respect other people’s opinions. Keep the discussion to the topic in the blog post, though.
Follow these rules if you want to join the conversation. Doing so will make the blog a pleasant experience for every reader.
There are other reasons your comment will be censored too. Recent comments in Chinese or Russian immediately sent up red flags, especially now during the buildup to the US election. In general, if the commenter has a different name from her or his email address, I’m suspicious. And I don’t do proxies anymore—now they’re invariably spam, so they’re verboten.
Be forewarned: I have to approve every new comment! Once you’re a trusted commenter, you’re golden. That’s for my readers’ benefit: They don’t have to go through that “Are you a robot?” nonsense.
Happy commenting! And thank you for your understanding.
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Comments are always welcome.
Death on the Danube. At the end of Son of Thunder, #2 in the “Esther Brookstone Art Detective” series, ex-MI6 agent and ex-Scotland Yard inspector Esther Brookstone and Interpol agent Bastiann van Coevorden finally say their I-do’s. At the beginning of this new novel, #3 in the series, they embark on their honeymoon cruise down the romantic Danube. When a strange passenger who is traveling alone is murdered, Bastiann takes over the investigation because the river was declared international waters in the Treaty of Paris. Who really is this gaunt victim? And who on the list of passengers and crewmembers is the assassin? Mystery, thrills, suspense, and romance await readers who join them in their journey. You can’t take this trip now because of COVID, but you can join them in spirit. Available in ebook and print format at Amazon, and in all ebook formats at Smashwords and its affiliated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo and Walmart, etc.) and affiliated library and lending services (Scribd, Overdrive, Baker & Taylor, Gardner, etc.). Click to see the book trailer.
Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!
