Spam on the Web
Some people don’t understand why I’ve been so worried about comment spam. Some bloggers are content letting it pile up, accpeting it as part of blogging, but I am not. I came across this wiki spam today and realized yet another reason why comment spam is problematic. As a first-time visitor to the wiki, I immediately wondered whether anyone is watching over it. I initially thought the wiki might be abandoned or not maintained regularly because of the prevalence of spam on the page. But since the visit was my firt time at the site, I have no context in which to place those thoughts. If the spam is still there next week, next month, then I’m going to wonder. If it’s gone tomorrow, I’ll know someone is actively caring for the site.
One of the ways I evaluate Web resources is by looking for signs that the site is actively maintained, especially when it carries information that will change over time.
