Bahla Fort Oman
I decided to close comments after 90 days today.
After a post goes live you have three months to drop genuine comments.
I consider this to be the best spam control on Blogging From Paradise Dot Com based on my statistics.
Number paint a clear picture.
Why would I write this blog post?
I like to get *you* into my mind.
Sharing my line of thinking can inspire you to take specific blogging action.
Does that help you?
You better believe it.
Most blogging problems arise from mindlessness. Some blogging problems arise from ego-centric emotional whims versus looking at hard facts. Thinking carefully is the first step to solving blogging problems. Think. Identify the issue. Proceed with a plan to solve the blogging boo-boo.
I opened comments on Blogging From Paradise Dot Com months ago. April 6th 2026. We’re talking about four months of comments on my blog after a hiatus for years.
Feedback?
Solid.
But I did note red flags.
How Blog Comments Look on Blogging From Paradise Dot Com
Two readers comment consistently on my blog. Two additional readers comment less consistently. A few additional readers comment sporadically.
As of this post publish date:
- I approved 399 comments
- 205 comments are mine
- 194 comments are yours
I gazed at the 194 legit comments number. I considered the pool of:
- two consistent bloggers who drop comments
- two fairly consistent bloggers who drop comments
- other bloggers who drop comments here and there
versus:
- 1000’s of spam comments
- 100’s of spammers who dropped comments during the time frame
Two to four loyal human beings dropped the majority of roughly 200 blog comments.
Thank you for your service. I love our chats. Please do continue to drop comments on posts within three months of the publish date.
The Red Flag
Hundreds of spammers dropped thousands of spam comments.
Note this red flag.
Compare those numbers.
Two to four close followers dropped most approved comments.
The ratio does not work favorably.
I also noticed highly unusual spam activity for my online course page.
My page views skyrocketed for the page but spam comments rocketed through the stratosphere. Using a spam plug-in could catch those comments but with a clear drawback; I will discuss this below.
Anyway, I shut down comments for my course page yesterday. Spam comments dropped fast. I did not wake up to another 25 spam comments in response to that post alone. Each of those spammers went bye-bye.
I do give up potential comments serving as glowing reviews for the online course. I never get many of those anyway. People buy my stuff without dropping endorsements. This is fine by me. I guess this underlies the benefit of targeting blog traffic. Attract customers who believe in your content enough to pull the buy trigger based on your blog posts.
What About Using a Spam Plug-In?
Not enough readers drop genuine comments consistently enough for me to consider using a spam plug-in that:
- eats blog resources here
- potentially corrupts my entire blog based on compatibility, updates and all those uncertainties
- potentially ruins your user experience based on 2-4 loyal people from my Blogging From Paradise Dot Com community
I need to look at the raw numbers without bias.
Blog commenting slowed down after the first month. This typically happens. I reassessed my spam strategy after legitimate engagement dropped.
I Would Use a Spam Plug-In If This Happened
Back in the heyday of blog comments, I generated up to 120 comments per post.
I mean legitimate, thorough, detailed comments. Don’t bother looking for those posts. Like a fool I deleted these comments. I made a mistake. It happens.
Anyway, if 50 of you dropped genuine comments on my next post I would use a plug-in because the reward far outweighs the risk. But going off of pure statistics the number is typically 1-2 people dropping comments per post if that. Plus based on my blogging experience from the past 18 years, the same pattern unfolds. Comments skyrocket after opening discussions. Comments drop month over month because our blogs take precedence over blog comments.
I hear ya.
Ditto for me.
The grind sets in after initial commenting excitement. The grind sets in. Engagement drops. Spam increases exponentially. At that point, bloggers have a decision to make. Is a plug-in the answer is legit comments drop drastically as spam grows big-time?
I don’t think so.
Why the 90 Day Comment Window?
The scum of the earth spammers comment consistently on older posts. Setting up a 90 day window sends cyber roaches scattering for the online hills.
Jokes aside, everyone needs to make a living. Even spammers. Closing comments 90 days after the post publish date instantly eradicates 99% of all spam on Blogging From Paradise Dot Com. Past and present, this is my magic blog comment window number.
How Does This Help You?
- I improve your user experience by devoting all server resources to virtually all legit comment droppers (clean traffic rocks)
- Shortening the blog commenting window may motivate you to read and drop genuine comments on new-ish posts to maximize your traffic potential and to solidify our bonds (unintended from my end but it can help you)
- You keep current with my latest blogging tips because you will read my content more quickly (for those hungry to drop genuine comments here)
The upsides are solid enough.
How Does This Hurt You?
- legitimate commentors cannot drop a thought, question or detailed insight on all Blogging From Paradise Dot Com posts
- potential blog traffic generated through legit comments drops
However, anyone can:
- email me
- drop an X, Facebook, Blue Sky or LinkedIn message
- drop an X, Facebook, Blue Sky or LinkedIn comment
at any time to share feedback. I am highly active – and responsive – on those channels.
As for the potential traffic/exposure drop, it is the one trade-off we will live with.
What Should You Do?
Look closely at your blog comment statistics before making decisions.
Do readers drop genuine comments in response to posts published years ago? Let’s say that your tribe comments on older blog posts. What is your spam situation like? Do you use a reliable, light plug-in to keep spam in check? If you do it makes sense to keep comments open for all blog posts.
But picture this scenario.
You use a plug-in to keep spammers at bay but no one comments on blog posts older than two months.
What should you do?
I’d probably close comments after two months because the stats point you in that direction.
Readers may comment on old posts in the future. However, past results do not support this possibility.
You ultimately decide. Trust your intuition.
The Verdict
I let numbers guide me.
I will close comments after 90 days because spammers drop comments on old posts with the rare legit comment sneaking through.
Legit readers drop authentic comments on new posts primarily.
In the past, I let reader requests override reader activity in this regard.
But I learned how promises and raw statistics are two different things.
Note; I am not fishing for blog comments, guys.
I want to share my thought process to empower your decisions.
As with everything blogging-wise, we work on a case-by-case basis tailored to individual metrics with an intuitive bend as well.
Call to Action
Thinking this way – tightening up blog comments – means developing blogging posture.
This eBook can help you with that.
