Written on May 11th, 2008 at 05:05 am by Darren Rowse
Should you add Keywords to the Name Field when you Leave Comments on a Blog?
This weekend is a weekend for discussion here at ProBlogger and I’m posting some questions submitted by readers via Twitter.
jophllips asks:
“should you add keywords to the name field when you leave comments”
So another way to put it – should you leave your name, blog name or some other keywords in the ‘name’ URL when you leave comments on a blog?
This is a question we’ve debated previously here on ProBlogger and it generated some great discussion. Looking forward to hearing your answers.
130 Responses to “Should you add Keywords to the Name Field when you Leave Comments on a Blog?” - Add Yours
Danny Mac
May 11th, 2008 5:47 am
I wouldn’t leave keywords to the name field. It immediately turns off the reader from reading your wonderful prose and insightful analysis. Although it might increase viewership, it’s unnecessary and in my opinion unwanted.
Mert Erkal
May 11th, 2008 5:49 am
I can’t see any difference from SPAM comments and leaving a keyword on name field. Looking forward to see other comments. Maybe I am wrong…
ComputerTutorFlorida.com
May 11th, 2008 5:49 am
I don’t really see anything wrong with it. I mean, think about it practically. When someone is reading a comment that I have posted, do they really care that my name is Scott? No. As long as the comment itself is not spammy, I’m fine with it.
Mundotravieso
May 11th, 2008 6:02 am
To leave keywords is the closest way to say: “hello! don’t read my comment, I’m just another spammer!” But I don’t see a big diference about leaving your name or your blog’s name, if your are the only writer on it, you can be easily identified.
Alex W
May 11th, 2008 6:03 am
As a webmaster that immediately comes off as spam to me, even if the comment is good or even insightful. I usually end up editing or deleting those types of comments personally.
Stephanie
May 11th, 2008 6:10 am
I’ve seen a few variations, and some are definitely better than others. For example, some use “name – keywords or blog name” and I view that as better than just plain keyword. And I can see using blog name as your name in a comment, but only if it’s not too spammy. If your site is one of those with lots of hyphens, it’s probably overdone on the keyword side of things, and just looks bad.
Mostly I consider how much I want to look like a person when I comment, rather than a blog.
Collin LaHay
May 11th, 2008 6:11 am
No.
Comments are supposed to be for user contribution and opinion. There are plenty of places to build links, but spamming comments with keywords is not one of them.
I hand edit the majority of my keyword-spammed comments, and believe everyone else should too.
Rasmus
May 11th, 2008 6:13 am
That would be a big fat NO.
When leaving comments, I think it’s important to show just a little common courtesy and respect for the site you are commenting on. Don’t go spamming my blog with “keywords”, just to drive more traffic to your own site, please. I’d either simple delete comments like that or sic the spam filter on them.
Herb Pagano Jr
May 11th, 2008 6:13 am
Maybe I’m missing an opportunity.
From now on I’ll simply identify myself
with my first name only–and my website
will be some sort of HERBal blog.
Pierre
May 11th, 2008 6:14 am
Leaving keywords in the name field violates the unspoken trust agreement that blog owners and readers have. It’s near impossible to respect the comment when you see a blatant keyword spam attempt.
Of course, having the keyword link is good for SEO purposes as long as there’s no no-follow, but at the end of the day the contents of the comment should be used to build your reputation in a way that adds more value to your name and ultimately your business than one keyword rich link.
Chris
May 11th, 2008 6:17 am
No – I’d most likely treat comments with key words in the name field as spam and either delete them or mark them as spam so that Akismet can deal with them in future.
Rúben M.
May 11th, 2008 6:20 am
For me that is spam… a polite spam but continue to be spam…
The Url in our name/nick is enough to get visits! dont need to be rude and leave a url in comment!
getyourviagrahere
May 11th, 2008 6:23 am
what? I didn’t even read the post…
Kidding aside. If I received a comment with someone leaving a keyword for their name I would nuke it rather fast. However I let people slide if they use their site name as their name. I get that.
Tom Hanna
May 11th, 2008 6:24 am
Leaving your blog name, if you have one, seems appropriate in most cases. This is a good argument for including keywords in your blog name. Just leaving keywords seems spammy.
Jeff - ScienceSays
May 11th, 2008 6:27 am
Well…I hope I’m not the cause of this whole thing, but I personally have always tried to comment with “Jeff – ScienceSays” because there are an awful lot of other Jeffs out there in the world!
I’m a big fan of ProBlogger and try to comment here whenever something gets me thinking, and having seeing other “Jeffs” post here, I like to differentiate what I think.
Phil Newton
May 11th, 2008 6:51 am
Nope.
If you leave keywords instead of your name, it looks like all you’re interested in is improving your search rankings instead of contributing to a discussion.
Andrea
May 11th, 2008 7:12 am
Oh heck NO. Wanna leave a specific entry in the website field? That’s okay to me. Still linking to your website.
But it’s a comment area for interaction, not a free-for-all.
Lara Kulpa
May 11th, 2008 7:30 am
I think if it’s your site/blog NAME, that’s okay. For example, if I put “Anubis Marketing” in instead of my real name. Not the way I’d do it, as I feel it removes the personal tone and makes conversing between commenters seem weird (”@ Anubis Marketing: I think you’re crazy!” versus “@Lara: I think you’re crazy!”) but still I think it’s okay.
Now, had I used “Blog design” or “SEO Internet Marketing” – then I’d say “hells nah!”
dutch schultz
May 11th, 2008 7:33 am
I see both sides of the fence but if the keywords help the commentor out and the comments are worthy of listing which helps the blog owner, is it not a win win for both parties. I see the selfish part of it but I think the social media craze has exploded much because of things like this. Some people use keywords for the same reason they have 3k friends on myspace. networking. I guess it is up to the blog owner to decide if they want the discussion enough to allow the commentor to have his cake and eat it too. At the end of the day nobody is getting shot so it cant be that bad, right?
liveforever
May 11th, 2008 7:38 am
I have been leaving keywords in the name field on this Blog’s comments – because my name is Robin and I discovered there was another Robin leaving comments here, and I noticed other people were using “funny” forum-type names, and liveforever was the first thing I thought of in a hurry.
I’d be HORRIFIED to think any one thought I was using “keywords” as a strategy of some sort. Give us a break – thanks for making my Sunday morning.
- Robin
Stefan
May 11th, 2008 7:49 am
Since the comment links on ProBlogger are nofollow I guess it doesn’t make much sense to use keywords as name, huh…?
I don’t mind blogtitles as names but I don’t like filthy keywords as names, like youporn or viagra or stuff.
Tim B from Wordjot Newsletters
May 11th, 2008 8:00 am
I like this format of “name from company/website”. It does a number of useful things:
- Gives a name so you know who it is.
- It indicates where the link will go, so it’s not such a mystery meat experience.
- Gives a hint of your experience.
- More memorable than just a full name.
- Links the name with a website.
- You can still reply to just the name. eg @TimB
If this became a convention on the internet, or everyone did it on this site, I don’t think there would be a problem.
We should be proud of our work, it’s often a big part of who we are.
Austin
May 11th, 2008 8:25 am
Depends on the no follow status…
Robert Kingston
May 11th, 2008 8:28 am
Please Darren, please do a poll on this.
Personally I hate it when people leave comments on my blog using keywords. Sometimes I’ve deleted such comments and I’m thinking of adding a rule above my comments that stops people from using keywords. It’s just rude.
On from what Tim R was saying, just above me, I think a WordPress developer should create a plugin with a field like “Company/Website Name” and entries into that field will become the alt text for the commenter’s link.
Bash Bosh
May 11th, 2008 8:28 am
Most comments with many keywords attached to it may get your comment to be marked as spam, and probably on many popular blogs you will not be able to post new comments.
I think that you don’t have anything good if you post main keywords for your site on other blog comments.
Andrea >> Become a consultant blog
May 11th, 2008 8:32 am
I always put the name of my blog in the title. There are other people with my name and I feel this helps to identify me. I thought most comments had “no follow”, so it never occurred to me that anyone would see it as spamming.
Alex D
May 11th, 2008 8:40 am
If the blog that you post comments on has implemented the dofollow plugin, your comments will be indexed and maybe you should add some keywords instead of your name / your blog’s name.
But there’s a high probability that the man who owns the blog will mark your comments as spam.
Luis Gross
May 11th, 2008 8:49 am
I wish this comment was number one so more people could see it.
This is a very “touchy” subject. Spam is not wanted anywhere, (I know I certainly don’t want it) but many people have different views as to what spam actually is. I personally allow key-wording on comments on my blog, but only when a comment contributes that of high quality and has proper spelling, grammar and punctuation(only to people who keyword).
This shows the reader actually put thought into their comment, and actually read the post. This to me is NOT spam, an I reward my readers by allowing them to keyword their niche on their comments as long as they follow what is mentioned above.
However, I do not do such a thing when I comment on other blogs because I know how touchy other web-master’s can be about this, and the comments above hold some truth to that. The reason I know this is because I once key-worded comments, but never did I leave a “spam” comment or tried to promote anything whatsoever. Every comment I posted was a useful comment and contributed to the post 100%. Yet a webmaster(s) decided to mark me “spam” on their Akismet and I was blocked from making comments.
Obviously this was a mistake I contacted Akismet and the problem was fixed. I even contacted Darren about the situation to let him know what was going on. He was very understanding and helpful and even let some of the comments I made that his Akismet caught as “spam” (the once he saw, as he gets a lot of comments) go through.
Conclusion – It is up to the blogger or webmaster to decide whether they consider key-wording comments “spam” or if they choose to reward their readers with this (the ones who contribute quality comments.
Make Money Talks
May 11th, 2008 8:56 am
I don’t find using keywords wrong, especially if it’s related to your domain, but i can use Shiny Mikey Mouse in name field two.
Sandy Naidu
May 11th, 2008 9:08 am
Takes the whole fun out of it…I have no problem if other people do it…But for me it removes the personal touch….
Learn SEO
May 11th, 2008 9:14 am
Should you? Perhaps no. But the question would be better why not/to use keywords in comments?
Danny Mac said that people will not read the commentators content if he has used keywords. Actually I would pay more attention to those that do use keywords (especially if their keywords are to something related that I have interest on). It is just a way of “pre-describing” the website which you have linked on the comment. And this is a reason why to use keywords in comment.
However, maybe you don’t want to describe the nature of the site to which you are linking but rather you want to build your name among the others, thats a valid reason why not to use keywords in comments.
Just my 2 cents.
Kelvin Kao
May 11th, 2008 9:20 am
I’m going to use Darren as an example since everyone here is familiar with him. I prefer real names, so “Darren” is good. I am also fine with pseudo names or brand names that contain keywords, such as “Problogger”. It bugs me if it’s only keywords, such as “Earn Money Blogging Today!”
James
May 11th, 2008 9:24 am
If someone leave a good comment and they are linking to a quality site, it is not spam. No matter what name they are calling themselves.
Labeling a good comment spam when it is truly a good comment is wrong. You are being bigoted about their name. You are getting all their comments labeled as spam even on other site that would think it OK. If you are calling a good comment bad, you are the one that is wrong.
If you do a post about Phil Collins and a commenter uses the name Phil, is it keywording? Yes. That does not make it wrong even if his name is not Phil (as long as he is not trying to impersonate).
Aksimet would work a lot better if people would think before they label stuff spam. If it is not truly spam, do not mark it so. Just because you do not like the commenter’s name is not a reason to send them to Akismet hell.
That said, if Darren used his name and left a truly spammy comment or linked to a spam site, it is spam no matter what the name used, even if it is your own.
If you have doubts, delete the comment, but do not label honest comments spam if they are not.
The Grammar Guy
May 11th, 2008 9:24 am
I think it’s fine (obviously).
If you’re trying to brand yourself, then use the name you want to be known by, whether that’s your given name, a nickname, an internet handle, a company name, or the name of your website.
As for not reading comments from people who don’t use their real names, I always read the comments first. If I like a comment, I might look to see who wrote it. But I’m there for the content.
If I have no problem with “anonymous” (and I don’t), then why should I have a problem with “MakeMoneyOnline?” Surely the latter tells me more than the former.
“The Science Guy” is more informative than “William Nye.”
What matters is the level of discourse.
Igor The Troll
May 11th, 2008 9:27 am
So something like “Click Here to win $1,000″ and the link is MFA site or Adsense link, would definitely be a no!
How about “Donate to Trolls”, Ney!
“Buy a Troll” No way!
“Free Trolls”, I guess no!
I think your blog title works best, unless you have “Scented Candles” as your title and you are selling Candles, then I do not know what you should use, because it comes out as Spam.
Popular Wealth
May 11th, 2008 9:33 am
It doesn’t matter. Unless the post is nofollow free and is of the kind of quality that it becomes a reference with pagerank later on, it really makes no difference.
Google measures the links that existed on the page when the author hits ‘publish’ much more strongly than any user added link, including name.
Don’t bother.
Gary Jones :: BlueFur.com
May 11th, 2008 9:36 am
From a branding perspective I would think it is a good idea.
Tom Stine
May 11th, 2008 9:38 am
It is so against the whole nature of blogging to me. Blogging is about conversation. The blogger writes. Readers comment. Other bloggers link or extend the conversation. I don’t talk with people named “credit card counseling”. I talk with people named Bill, Ted or Fred.
Skype Buzz
May 11th, 2008 10:01 am
Even though most blogs add nofollow to the url, it has been proven that consistently adding keywords to the urls you use on blog comments does help for your rankings.
That is why I usually add the word Skype in the name field. I would prefer to use my real name, but since it does improve my rankings I guess it is an opportunity that I simply cannot let go.
Jon Phillips
May 11th, 2008 10:08 am
Hey Darren, thanks a bunch for posting my question! :)
I personally find it annoying when people add keywords before or after their name when leaving a comment, or when people put only keywords. It happened many times I went to the blog that the commentator linked to and had to find the ‘real’ name of the blogger… and I edit the comment.. I don’t do this anymore though, too time-consuming. Now I just delete… I understand why people do this though.. or I should say that I understand that some people see it as a good way to brand yourself or get the search engines to love them.. but to me it’s just plain annoying :)
Thanks again Darren!
Jarrod - BudoLife
May 11th, 2008 10:19 am
Well after reading all these comments I’ve changed my opinion. On my blog I want to hear comments from ‘real’ people, not from a advertisement written by a person. So I try to follow the same policy and use my name when commenting. Linking to your blog through your name is fine by me.
Until I read this though I wouldn’t include my blog name in the link, because it felt extraneous to a comment. However it does distinguish me from other Jarrods (obviously I’m not comfortable disclosing my full name on the web) so now I’m in agreement with that.
I still don’t like blog names without a person’s name, still feel touchy about blog names that just sound like an advertisement.
Carlie
May 11th, 2008 10:25 am
I often comment with the name Goddess Carlie – that happens to be my website title, but also my “name” for the most part on the internet. Which is think is part of the brand I’m building, but not any keywords.
i think that leaving comments is a way of getting to build relationships, and I know I don’t really want to build a relationship with someone who is just out to get a few keywords in a link back. As most blogs have the no-follow thing happening on comments, it is kind of pointless in that regards.
I think “Bob Shmob – mydomain.com” is fine because it identifies the person, especially if there is a lot of Bob’s around, but “Top Cleaning Products” – if you need to fill your name as such, I would think that you are not trying to build a relationship with me but only commenting to promote your own site, and I would delete yo arse.
The Masked Millionaire
May 11th, 2008 10:28 am
My name is The Masked Milionaire and it shows up in the name field. My url is also TheMaskedMillionaire I have noticed that some people get p** off if you leave your url in the name field or as a signature. I have actually been blocked from leaving comments on some sites because of it.
I think it is petty.
As long as it is not spam for some weird site, people can leave their keywords, url, or just about anything in the comments on my blog.
I even take it one step further….when somebody leaves a comment on my blog, I will look at their blog, thank them for the commment and leave a link to their blog on my blog.
I’m not afraid of people reading somebody else’s blog. I’m not afraid they might leave mine. But for sure, there are some mighty big bloggers out there that seem to be scared to death that somebody might leave their blog to read somebody elses.
Live From Las Vegas
The Masked Millionaire
Genuine Chris Johnson
May 11th, 2008 10:31 am
Yes. At least if you’re me. Why? Because I have the #4 most common first name for kids between 74-82 and the #2 most common last name. If you’re me, you’re either one in a sea of chris johnsons (Google it) or you’re Genuine Chris Johnson. I got no choice. IF I’m gonna stand out, I gotta do this.
Igor The Troll
May 11th, 2008 10:31 am
@Carlie, Do not just delete the Arse, but mark it as Spam.
Especially if you have Akismet, then they will be Banned from other blogs as well.
Mike Robinson
May 11th, 2008 10:37 am
I don’t like it when it’s just keywords, though I don’t mind if it’s “Name – Site Name” or similar. Personally, use my full name.
Colleen
May 11th, 2008 10:40 am
If the name field was intended for keywords, it would be called “Keywords”. Your name is not “SEO Marketing” or “Online Pharmacy”, so please don’t say it is for the purpose of using my blog to market YOUR site.
I delete any comment that doesn’t leave a real name, and heavily moderate all other suspect comments.
john paul
May 11th, 2008 10:55 am
NEVER do that .. i was in top 20 for a teen keyword .. then i try to comments on blogs from blogrush . and leave my keyword their . and they keyword is really nice , you wont hate that keyword cause its related to teen .. or a person that is really sad .
then now my site is on 251 which i think its a -251 penalty .
im an idiot – i was commenting on websites /blogs about parenting where the topics are really on babies , new babies i mean .. instead of getting $1.77 for 1 shot , im now shot dead on my head ..
Angelo
May 11th, 2008 11:12 am
if you are the only writer/author of the blog then maybe yes but if not it’s a no. theres a URL field where you can put your/the site URL so why should put the blog url in the ‘name’ field. and the keyword, it is not good because it’s like you just commented to my post so you can attract visitors to your site. keywords on ‘name’ is a big no.
Des Walsh
May 11th, 2008 11:22 am
Online, as offline, the idea of having a keyword endeavour to join my conversations is not something I find attractive. “Hi, Iwillmakeyourichfasterthanyoucanblink, meet my friends Darren and Joe and Mary and Jenny. By the way, is iwillmakeyourichfasterthanyoucanblink your last name or your first name? Sorry, you don’t actually have a name? Hmmm, I must be at the wrong party.”
Rob Brydon
May 11th, 2008 11:29 am
I personally don’t like the key words. I Don’t mind a name with a site. I prefer just a name that is a hyperlink. It just seems more classy.
John Cow
May 11th, 2008 11:35 am
If you are branding yourself and you can use it that way, then sure. I think however there is balance to this. If your site is for hair loss for example, perhaps..
John Fighting Hair Loss Doe
Works, BUT (and a big one), make sure the comment is worthwhile and offers value to the readers and the blog owner.
John's Weight Loss Blog
May 11th, 2008 11:35 am
I don’t have a problem with it unless the comments is pure crap – why not give back a little bit for a good comment? Of course, many people have nofollow added anyway, so it doesn’t matter what is used as the name.
I wonder, is “John’s Weight Loss Blog” better to use than “Weight Loss Blog” because it is more personal, or for those of you who don’t like keywords in the name field it’s just as bad either way?
Do you actually delete or mark as spam valid comments that simply has a name that contains a keyword?
[Lara Says: Hi John! I do a lot of the comment modding around here and no, I don't delete or mark as spam valid comments that put a keyword in the name on ProBlogger or on any of my own sites - I don't think Darren minds (much like he feels about signatures in comments) IF and ONLY IF they're actually commenting with value of some sort. However if someone says "nice site thanks you for this informations" and their name is keywords only, it's pretty clear they're not up for participating or adding value to the discussion, they're trying to spam. That said, it's sometimes not easy to know, so I also look at things like the age of the post they're commenting on (older ones tend to see more spammers around here) and factors like if they've left the same thing several times on several posts.]
Mindful Entrepreneur
May 11th, 2008 11:37 am
Wow! This discussion caused quite a stir. It’s interesting that many people here are so adamant that keyword-commenting is “spammy.”
If a comment is thoughtful and shows effort and interest on the part of the respondent, what’s the problem? Half the time, I don’t even look at names when I’m reading a discussion anyway.
These days the term “spam” is becoming so misleading. Why is it somehow “spam” to leave an honest comment just because you plug your site? If anything, a name should be left within the comment box itself, not the name field.
-Jason
anonymous
May 11th, 2008 12:00 pm
what purpose do keywords have in the “Name” field? particularly if you don’t leave your name or blog address? and do spiders crawl the comments/name fields? if so, key words would then be applied to the blog/page they are posted on correct? so again, what purpose do they serve?
if you want key words to drive traffic to your own site wouldn’t it be more prudent to work on the meta tags or other aspects of your own site?
as far as blog name goes – there is a separate field available for it already “Website” – is that broken?
ravi karandeekar
May 11th, 2008 12:13 pm
I have never done it but i will try.
Dimitri
May 11th, 2008 12:41 pm
Well, my opinion is that you should be careful not to come across as to pushy, or even desperate. Make sure you communicate properly, because otherwise bad rep for yourself. Once you do that, it will be hard to turn it around.
Michael | University Scholar
May 11th, 2008 12:57 pm
I agree with Tim B from Wordjot Newsletters. I use my name | blog name. That way my comment seems personal by using my name, readers know what my blog is, and they know where my link is going.]
If you want to use keywords instead of blog name that is ok with me. But I prefer to have an actual name to go along with it.
Matt Cleaver
May 11th, 2008 1:03 pm
I would say it depends on the site and what you are trying to do. If you are trying to ultimately build search engine traffic to sell to disconnected consumers, then leaving keywords might be a good tactic.
For me, leaving keyword-based comment links might give me a short-term bump in traffic, but (and I hate to use the word “brand” but I guess I will) for my blog, the “brand” I’m trying to promote really is me. I use the blog to disseminate ideas and build relationships with people in my field. Long-term I think that my name is a better strategy for my blog and what I am hoping to accomplish through it.
Random people won’t put in my name into Google, but that’s okay for me. I’m not hoping to make big money off the blog, and I am getting most my traffic through referrals through sites in my niche that I’ve interacted with the respective blog owners. If I had used keywords in name links on blogs, I might be getting more search engine traffic, but I bet I wouldn’t have had the email conversations or been added to the blogrolls and rss readers of the authors I have gotten to know through the blogosphere.
David >> footytrader
May 11th, 2008 1:18 pm
Leaving loads of keywords would certainly be spam
Double spam if the content of the comment doesn’t fit the post and is just an advert
Treble spam if the advert is for the usual rubbish about body parts being made bigger etc.
Those of us with blogs and podcasts are always looking to grow our audience and this can be done with all the social networking sites easily perhaps. Commenting on other blogs with good relevant content is OK because content is the king on your own blog and it would be rude to treat someone else’s blog with less respect than you would like for your own.
Anyone remember the early days of internet when netiquette required less than one line of text at the bottom of an email. My how things have changed online.
John Lampard
May 11th, 2008 1:27 pm
Since I have a personal website/blog I prefer commenters to use their name, or a nickname. I’m interested in hearing what a real person, with a real name has to say, and think that including their URL with a comment provides sufficient promotional opportunity.
I usually delete (rather than mark as spam) commenters using keywords if I can’t edit the “name” they used by looking at their email address or URL.
The Smile Guy
May 11th, 2008 1:40 pm
If someone entered their name as a string of keywords on my blog I would mark them as spam. I use my posting name to my blog which I see no problem with at all, this is my “identity” if you will.
Zerolove
May 11th, 2008 1:43 pm
I don’t mind it, long as the post has meaning to the topic. In that case use keywords and names after all everyone has to promote their own site or they wouldn’t be here learning from problogger.net. Now posting just to put your name and or keywords onto a sight to try and draw traffic without putting something meaningful is just as good as spamming.
RichLazyBum
May 11th, 2008 1:56 pm
I think it is probably a little spammy to include the keyword in the name, but the name of your site/blog is not a big deal to me as long at the comment is valuable and not an advertisement.
Stan Dubin
May 11th, 2008 2:03 pm
I think it’s a movement in the direction of spam. The content is in the comment, you get the link already, just come and provide some good stuff for all to see. Comments have a nice time-honored tradition…I wouldn’t want to see that minimized.
Michael Martine
May 11th, 2008 2:42 pm
My policy is that if you leave keywords instead of your name on my blog, your comment will be deleted. Comments are content. My blog is not your billboard.
Joe
May 11th, 2008 2:50 pm
I think that you should show some respect and not use keywords. It’s nice already that you get a link to your site, even it is nofollow. Why should you try to stuff sites? I’d delete those comments.
Lightening@Lightenings Blogworld
May 11th, 2008 2:55 pm
I actually like it when people include their blog name with their name as it helps me to identify commenters with their blog.
I also don’t mind the plug in that allows you to leave your name AND a keyword link in the name field.
But a keyword for the sake of a link can be a bit off-putting. And it’s not very personal is it?
Luis Cruz
May 11th, 2008 3:48 pm
It’s a Name field, so use your name, your site’s title, or both.
Including keywords simply makes the comment look like spam. If I feel nice, I’ll simply remove the keywords. If not, I’ll delete the comment. If I’m in a bad mood, I might sic the spam filters on it.
Chetan
May 11th, 2008 4:29 pm
I always leave my name instead of the keyword.
I dont like this spam kinda thing, rather be unique and bring your name some good branding.
Dave Child
May 11th, 2008 5:30 pm
I delete the URL where comments are left with keywords instead of a name. People commenting for SEO purposes should probably be happy just to get a no-no-followed link from a comment!
Comments are also like little tasters of your blog or site. Leaving a name, as you can clearly see from the comments above, gives a more positive perception of that comment, and by extension the site as well.
David@VineSites
May 11th, 2008 5:40 pm
I do brand myself, mostly it has not been a problem. I’m flexible on my sites as long as the commenter has something to say and does not spam keywords with no indication of their identity.
Auto Transport Company
May 11th, 2008 6:18 pm
Personally when commenting on the blogs about my niche, I don’t put my keywords in, so not to piss off the web masters and build up reputation by leaving legitimate comments, however I still do leave keywords on non related blogs with high pr and follow to rank higher at search engines. So I believe both of these methods should be practiced, and they work fine for me.
Paul Piotrowski
May 11th, 2008 6:38 pm
I use my real name, although I thought about using my Blog’s Name before. However, I still think I’ll continue to use my real name. If people want to see what my Blog is about they can click on it.
Top Blogs
May 11th, 2008 7:15 pm
A timely post. Only yesterday I noticed on my analytics that my biggest referring link was “george.” I figured I should change that and made a post to a high quality blog under the name “Top Blogs.” Immediately after I had submitted the well considered and long thought out post I began to feel like a guilty spammer.
I didn’t continue with my postings as planned but stopped. I guess I believe it is not a good thing. I have posted this in exactly the same way by way of demonstration and tomorrow i shall be changing my name by deed poll to Top Blogs Smith. There is usually a way round most things.
Until Tomorrow
George
Syed Balkhi
May 11th, 2008 7:16 pm
I have always went ahead using my name because I don’t want to be known with a certain brand. If I were to sell my site, it would mean I lost my identity.
I posted about this a few days ago
http://www.balkhis.com/for-starters/what-name-should-you-use-when-commenting-on-blogs/
Ulla
May 11th, 2008 8:11 pm
I use my first name and no key words. Actually I want to communicate with real names and not with some kind of funny invented name. If i like the comment, I take the time to click on the name and see what’s behind it. But maybe I am bit old fashioned (being a bit over 50 years old…)
Faina Sechzer
May 11th, 2008 9:16 pm
I only use my name and never keywords. I am not sure how people think keywords in the name help them on the no-follow blogs. On the other hand, when I read comments, like on this thread, seeing a blog name (if it reflects the nature of their content) could clarify the commentator’s views, without me clicking to their site. Using “brand name” is OK, since that’s how many people want to be recognized.
The most sure way is to follow the blog’s webmaster policy on comments. Without such a policy, deleting a comment, or blocking the commentator may not be fair. The “offender” may not have known what is expected on a particular site. These expectations vary, as evidenced by this comment thread.
Greg Wilker
May 11th, 2008 10:16 pm
Yeah, When I get comments I get all exited and go rush to see them and approve them. But alas when I get their I see something like “Casino Cards Online” and a bunch of links in the comment…
That just bothers me.
Jeff - buzzmyblog.com
May 11th, 2008 10:23 pm
I will obviously have to agree with what “Jeff Scienceblog” said. Amazingly, he not only had the same point I do, but he also has the same name. I put my domain after my name simple to distinguish myself. It is not meant for spam, but simple a way to show which “Jeff” I am.
Also, as John Cow mentioned, I make an effort to make sure the comment itself is not spam. If it is a quality comment, then it shouldn’t matter as much what is in the name field.
Simple Mom
May 11th, 2008 11:22 pm
It’s wild; I never once considered leaving my site’s name as keywording. I prefer to remain anonymous on the internet, though I do have a “handle” of sorts. I suppose I should start doing that so that people don’t think I’m trying to keyword spam. It really, truly never occurred to me.
Toblerone @ Simple Mom
Jeff@MySuperChargedLife
May 11th, 2008 11:41 pm
As another ‘Jeff’, I’ll throw my hat in the ring here. I include my site name when I comment to differentiate me from other ‘Jeffs’. I also consider it a way of branding. I too like it when other bloggers do this on my site. It lets everyone know who’s commenting and their credibility. Of course, I do expect comments to be relevant and not just a blatant spam link.
Genesis
May 11th, 2008 11:49 pm
Bad idea. I view comments with keywords in the name space as spam. Using your website or blog name is just fine (I frequently go as Expat Mom on parenting sites to differentiate my mommy side from my business side as Genesis, which is my real name). In fact, I recommend using blog names if you have more than one.
a husband
May 12th, 2008 12:26 am
I’m with Genesis on this. It’s spam all the way, but I personally always post as “a husband” as sort of a keyword, but it’s also who I want to be known as in the commenting circles.
Carol Clifton
May 12th, 2008 12:38 am
Whoa! This conversation has really sparked a nerve. Personally, I have done both although will never do it with the blog that is my newest baby because I do not approve as I think it is rather spammy.
The reason that I have done it in the past is that I was in a race (still am) for a ridiculous over rated keyword called “LipSense”. Most of the world has never heard of it but the 3 women (including me) that hold those beloved google rankings think that it is worth a million dollars…NOT! It has just become three women in a personal horse race.
Monica from pharmaknow
May 12th, 2008 1:24 am
I think this is extremely bad. It seems to me that the person is not wanting to comment, but to let a link of his site in my blog. This is very bad in my point of view.
Cindi-Moomettesgram
May 12th, 2008 1:26 am
Hi. I’m relatively new to blogging and wasn’t even aware this was an issue! I just figured that’s what most people know me on the forum as! I’ll just continue to do what I’ve been doing, I think it’s OK. I haven’t had anyone use keywords so to speak on any of my comments, but I’m more aware of it now thanks to your post!
John Evans (Syntagma)
May 12th, 2008 1:46 am
Yup. I’ve done it for three years. You don’t get paid for adding to other blogs’ content, so it’s a small price to pay — provided it’s a relevant comment and not spam.
ramiro marques
May 12th, 2008 2:06 am
I dont see anything wrong. Ia heve done it for some time with good results.
ramiro marques
May 12th, 2008 2:07 am
I have done it for some time with good results.
Anna
May 12th, 2008 2:30 am
I am blown away by this discussion. If someone takes the time to provide me with a useful comment, I don’t care what they do with their name. I even encourage on my terms of service to use your url after your comment.
To go further, I added link luv so your latest post show up. Aren’t we in this together? If I can help someone to get a new reader because of their thoughful comment, then I am happy for them.
There is enough at the table for all of us and perhaps we should start thinking like that.
david cheong
May 12th, 2008 3:32 am
I always leave my own name, using the keywords, not sure whether it is ok for me and also the blog that i leave comments.
Leaving a comments along with your name is like in the real world, giving a name card to others. For example : Is your name card, only contain your company name, and your company products. Would this be good? Not sure it will be the same usage as in leaving a comments.
Darren, i think if you have a poll here on this one, it would be nice. Lets see how many agree on this one and how many disagree on this discussion or not sure for it.
http://twitter.com/davcheong
residualncome
May 12th, 2008 4:00 am
I think it’s actually a great idea to help brand your site as long as it is relevant but at the end of the day, if there is a risk of getting your comment deleted, what’s the point?
There is also the ‘no follow’ issue which would make it pointless.
The real point in commenting is to build up a valuable dialogue and build a relationship which should have a far higher long-term value than building backlinks.
Muscle Post
May 12th, 2008 6:05 am
I think that as long as your comment ads value to the site, it doesn’t matter what the name field says. If you put the name of your site in there, people may see that, recognize that your site is about something that interests them, and visit your site for more information. If I just put my name in there, how would that differentiate me? And who really cares what my real name is?
Miracle
May 12th, 2008 6:54 am
I know this comment thread is quite long but I had to give my two cents.
Beyond whether or not someone should do it. You should ask why would someone want to do it. I doubt there is any extra click ratio when you do it with keywords.
I would also point out that most blogs use the nofollow tag when linking to comments. THe only advantage I would about using keywords for links is the potential link juice, but the nofollow tag clearly takes that away.
so in the end… why would you want to use keywords?
Then again this is coming from a guy with the last name miracle.
Brian Purkiss
May 12th, 2008 10:25 am
I say no.
When someone comments on my blog with their ‘name’ syndicated like that, it comes across as spammy to me.
It seems to say, “I only am commenting here so I can get the link bait.”
While that isn’t always the case, that is what comes across to me.
Gerard
May 12th, 2008 6:28 pm
Hell no! It’s the spammiest thing ever. Even if the comment was largely valid, it would stick in my throat to leave a comment from someone who was obviously SEO baiting.
The *worst* I’ve done from time to time was to use Gerard @ Unreality Music in the title, but I’d rather not overdo it.
The main reason for leaving comments is to join in a discussion. In real life, do you introduce yourself as “Cheap Payday Loans”? No, identify yourself and stop trying so hard to market your product.
sdenterprise
May 12th, 2008 7:17 pm
The most important thing is that the content of the comment are a reflection of the topic or the question being asked.
I like to promote my sites as well as feed back on posts on other people’s blogs, but I also see that many publishers would not like it on their sites…
I think it depends on the comments that people are making as well as the sites that they are commenting on.
It is good to see that people are having discussion about the subject anyway…!
Chase
May 12th, 2008 7:33 pm
I think its ok as long as you’re posting something relevant or meaningful.
Leanne
May 12th, 2008 11:09 pm
I have a business blog attached to my business website. The intent of my blog is to be more personal and laid back – so if a guest wants to start participating, I will not allow any “titles”. I prefer to be on a first name basis with my guests, so I will modify their “spammy” names if need be.
I haven’t had any problem when asking my guests to drop the keywording, either – it’s a comment from a person – not a keyword.
tish
May 12th, 2008 11:48 pm
I only comment if I have something to add to the other site, but I do include my name and URL. I highly approve of networking. However, when I look at incoming comments to my site, I first look at the e-mail or URL it’s coming from. If it looks shady, I take a closer look at the quality of the comment. Most of the time it’s from what I consider a “spammer” and I won’t approve it.
Justin Premick
May 13th, 2008 12:03 am
(Sorry if others have said the same as I’m about to – I haven’t read all 100+ comments).
IMHO, people who leave keywords, website URLs, etc. in the name field aren’t interested in having discussions, and totally miss the point of being in the blogosphere in the first place.
I want to have conversations with people, not with keywords.
How am I supposed to reply to a comment when the person’s name is Best-Something-Or-Other?
If it’s not something you would answer to on the phone, it’s not something that you should be putting in the “name” field in your comments.
If you want your name/personal brand/whatever to be synonymous with something, whatever that thing may be, don’t try to take a shortcut and put that thing as your name. Bust your butt (and your brain) and become a thought leader in your field.
The one exception I make to this is if you are responding to a post written specifically about your website/company – because in that case it’s about disclosure and not misleading anyone who might think your remarks are from an outside/unbiased source.
SpaceAgeSage
May 13th, 2008 12:27 am
I use my blog name in the name field. It is far more identifying, it doesn’t come across as trying to sell something, and I try to make my comments live up to the name. Writing under a pseudonym is not a crime. Just ask Samuel Langhorne Clemens.
(I don’t claim that kind of writing skill, though.)
Wayne Tully
May 13th, 2008 6:09 am
I feel that the problem lies in the quality of the comments, if they are too short and don’t really add to the discussion, then, yeah sure hang them for adding keywords into the mix.
I always just put my name in there, because I want to selfishly brand my name as an authority and not the website or keyword.
If I were to be a self promoter and a fool to the world of blog commenting, then I would spam everywhere and anywhere, but that in itself is foolish as untargeted and unplanned methods of spam get you nowhere.
JoLynn from The Fit Shack
May 13th, 2008 3:04 pm
For over a year I always left comments with my full name, JoLynn Braley. Only recently did I start leaving comments as JoLynn from The Fit Shack.
I’ve never left a comment as “lose weight now” or anything like that – I personally don’t like that, but now after reading all of the comments above I wonder if I should just leave my first and last name. Why? Because the last thing on Earth I’d ever want to come across as would be a spammer.
I started out using forums in 2004 and only started blogging in 2007 so for me, I’m like many of the others here who are interested in actually relating to other people. I’ve been hesitant to do this but I’m actually going to put together a comment policy now because I do want comments left with a person’s name – if they want to leave their first name and site name that’s fine, but I am tired of responding to comments left by someone named “diet pills” (an example, no comments have gotten through with that “name” on my blog) – sorry, I just don’t get how that’s a real person.
Thanks for all of your comments, I don’t feel so alone now in how I’ve been feeling about this topic. And again, I’m wondering if I should just go back to using my first and last name and not even include my site name, but at the same time it’s natural for me to say “hi ya, this is JoLynn from The Fit Shack”, just like I would say on the phone, “hello, this is JoLynn from ABCD Company calling to speak to Jane Doe”, ABCD Company being my fictitious employer.
I’d love to see a specific poll just on that – if a commenter leaves their first name followed by site name, do you consider that spam?
Jessica Bond
May 13th, 2008 9:34 pm
I agree with JoLynn, from The Fit Shack, leaving your name and title is nothing more than leaving the equivalent of your business card. As for links, it is your address which is similar to what one would place in a business letter.
Cheers,
Jessica Bond
Medical Careerist
Paul @ Web Design Ireland
May 13th, 2008 11:06 pm
Well I think its ok, with the most of us looking to improve our rankings (being webmasters) – why not give back something for the effort someone has taken to comment in the first place. I’d bet that keyword comments get more clickthroughs as well – which is maybe not so good for the blog hoster – but if we are in the business of rewarding contribution…
Scott
May 13th, 2008 11:42 pm
If any of you all would like to leave key words or your website on my blog that would be great. Then I would feel like someone was reading it.
This is a great topic for us new bloggers, you never think about offending someone because of your signature. Thanks to everyone.
Troy
May 13th, 2008 11:46 pm
From a webmaster perspective, I immediately delete comments from http://www.somedomain.com rather than from a person’s name. I agree that leaving your name and URL is the equivalent of leaving a business card. However, you wouldn’t go to a networking event (which is what many blogs are) and pass out your business card and say “make $1,000 a day with Adsense!” everytime you passed it out. For that reason, I’m fine with just leaving my name and URL. If I provide value to the conversation, then I’m likely to get traffic, whether or not I use keywords.
Using keywords in comments seems like you are taking advantage of another blogger’s good will and/or reputation to build your audience, and doesn’t seem right. It’s like if you arrive at a party and then announce that you are also having a party, but it’s more popular and everybody who attends your party will become better people. So I don’t think it’s a good practice.
Adam Donkus
May 14th, 2008 1:39 am
In general, I am not against it. But if you are going to leave a keyword phrase in the name field, the comment better be good, and your site needs to have a blog. I have been deleting the url field for comments that don’t link to a site with a blog.
Rick Butts
May 14th, 2008 2:38 am
I have to laugh at the people who think that a name like Bill is just fine, but if you change those four letters to “debt” the letters now become “spam.”
Spam is unsolicited email.
Comment Spam is a made up word like Wiccan but does represent an intrusion so we let it live.
But a word on a web comment, written by a real person, that represents that person’s topic (like the subtitle on a business card that explains what you do) is just fine.
Bloggers who over-freak-out about using keywords in comment URL anchor text are probably broke anyway.
Why do you think there IS a separate field in the comment field anway – it’s for anchor text! A clue…
Rick Butts
turn fun
May 14th, 2008 4:15 am
the answer is no, i dont like to leave keywords in comments its a very cheap thing :P
but you can leave the site name like me site name will not be keyword at all
many webmaster thinking that its a good idea to leave keywords but they may mark as spam
rjleaman
May 14th, 2008 5:07 am
I have no problem with the Name/Company or Name/Blog format in comments on my personal blog, but draw the line at Name – Keyword Keyword. Other blogs I write for have a range of different comment policies that are both more and less strict than my own, and that’s cool too.
For my personal blog, however, I’d like to be allowed to think that commenters are responding in a genuine way to the post, and it’s hard to maintain that pleasant illustion when faced with a bunch of keywords.
The other day, I was soundly chastised by one commenter for editing out the keywords in his name field — he thought I should be grateful that he was “helping search engines to know what this blog is about”! Wasn’t that thoughtful? Of course, it would have been even more so if his keywords were remotely on target… :D
Reginald
May 14th, 2008 6:24 am
The thread of comments in the post is just an educational as the post itself.
Burton >> Acupuncture Clinic Marketing
May 28th, 2008 9:58 pm
I leave keywords only at marketing blogs, and I only comment when I have something to contribute. I figure that marketers “get” that I’m not trying to spam, but I’d appreciate a decent keyworded link.
By the way, nofollow doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get no credit for links. It just means that Google doesn’t share some of the page rank/Google juice, whatever you want to call it from the site.
Anyway, I think it’s interesting how people use their keywords or sites names.
- domainname.com
- firstname @ domainname (without com)
- firstname >> Site Title
- firstname from the blog title
- Site Name
etc. I wonder which goes over best? Personally I’d never use the @ because a bot could come along and translate it into an email address.
Burton
Jay
May 29th, 2008 2:30 pm
Keywords in the name area don’t matter, you don’t care if my name is Jay, just dont spam the comments and everything is fine!!!!!!!!!!
BlueWorkhorse
June 9th, 2008 2:56 pm
Personally, I use the name of my web site in the “name” field on every site that I leave comments on until I become a regular on that site.
I think if someone recognizes your “name,” they are more likely to lend your comment to being credible. And since, in my area (sports) people are more likely to recognize my site name rather than my individual name (since there are 6 collective writers on my site), I use my site name as my “name.”
Concrete Buffalo NY
August 7th, 2008 1:33 am
As long as the comment is relevant to the blog entry then the name used to publish the comment should be irrelevant.
Darrin
August 25th, 2008 4:59 am
Hi everyone, I have an important question please.
When bloggers leave a one time comment on my Typepad blog and enter their url should I leave it or delete it?
Once in a while they are relevant nice comments but i usually know which ones just stopped by to say something that I would ignore so they can add there link. Can that hurt my own Google rank or SEO numbers?
I have been deleting the Url’s of non relevant sites and only leaving the comment if it’s relavant to the post. Is that recommended? Or should I delete them all together or leave them alone?
I am sorry to ask so many questions but we have only been blogging a month and don’t know what to do.
Thank you all so much and God Bless.
Darrin & Josy
Brad @Blogging For Noobs
January 26th, 2009 10:05 am
The onus is really on the site owner to define what sort of comments you want and what you will tolerate and then tell it to your commentators. If you don’t have a clearly defined policy then deleting someone’s legitimate comment for violating your unwritten rules makes you out to be a world class ass. If you don’t want keywords or people leaving their blog name it is up to you to tell them.
In the end people who leave real comments are increasing your content, no matter what their name is. If you are just going to throw away comments because the people increasing your content want something in return, you are petty and unworthy of being read and commented on especially if you already are nofollow. Show your commentators some respect and you will get it in return.
Bollywood
January 28th, 2009 9:03 am
i think its ok to add the keyword in name field because if you are going to add some thing on others site’s or blog so you also need the back and backlink is not the big issue, backlinks is not only way to get the top ranking you also need to do other only one thing can’t make change in ranking so keyword in name i think
OK +1 :D
asep
March 8th, 2009 1:11 am
I really like your blog. I will coming back.
Beautyshells
March 16th, 2009 12:58 am
I found your site on google, great site, keep it up. Will return in the future. Submitted this post to Google News Reader.
Top Webmaster Forum
March 16th, 2009 12:56 pm
I found your site on google, great site, keep it up. Will return in the future. Submitted this post to Google News Reader.
Futures Trading
April 9th, 2009 1:20 pm
I like the info and will be linking back to you from my site. Also great looking site.
Lazy joe
April 26th, 2009 9:10 am
I am going to have to sign up to receive your feed. This is good stuff
New Age
May 5th, 2009 8:00 am
I Really enjoy Reading Your Blog, it is interesting, inciteful and inspirational. Excellent. Keep up the great work!
Ken
May 9th, 2009 7:13 am
I would say using keywords as a name is spam.
Ken
Top Webmaster Forum
June 2nd, 2009 1:06 pm
I would love to write and say what a great job you did on this, as you have put a lot of work into it.
energy
June 15th, 2009 10:03 am
Great stuff. Nice to read some well written posts. A long way between them.
Comments will be closed off on this post 90 days after it is published. Apologies to those this impacts but it's a regrettable and temporary measure to combat a growing comment spam problem. See our most recent posts where you can comment here.