Update: Search Engines Put a Damper on Comment Spam

If you operate blogs or Web-based forums then maybe you've already become targeted by comment spammers--those who post comments for no other reason than to advertise their Web site.

Comment spammers typically use automated scripts to spam blogs and forums in rapid succession. Invariably the posted URLs are completely out of context and have nothing to do with the article they are posted in reference to.

The tactic of posting out of context URLs in the comments sections of blogs and forums is used to help boost page rank at various search engines, particularly Google. Blog and forum developers have worked to develop ways of preventing comment spam but so far the tactics have not become completely effective.

This week search engine operators, including Google, Microsoft (MSN) and Yahoo!, announced a solution to the problem. The companies suggest that blog and forum operators include a new element (rel="nofollow") into HREF tags. The new tag would look something like this when implemented:

 <a href="whichever-site-url" rel="nofollow"> 

When the search engines' crawlers come across the "rel" tag formatted in that fashion then the referenced URL won't be counted towards the referenced site's page rank.

Blog and forum software developers, as well as operators of the same, are already implementing the new tag.