Spam, whether it reaches your Email inbox or your WordPress blog, is annoying, can be irritating, and at times it may be wasting your precious time to have to manually delete all of it. So, let us discuss some well tested solutions to the spam plague and help keep it away from you.

Fighting spam messages on your WordPress blog

WordPress is one of the most popular blogging platforms out there. If you operate a privately hosted WordPress blog, you have the ability to add plugins which enhance the software’s functionality. Among these plugins, we find two amazing spam filters which deliver what they promise and keep the vast majority of spam messages out of sight.

Akismet
Developed by the same people behind WordPress, Akismet is an undoubted leader in the world of spam-fighters. Short for Automattic Kismet, it makes use of a web service which puts each comment under a rigorous testing process to judge whether it is spam or safe. You don’t have to do much other than sit back and relax while Akismet takes care of spam messages on your behalf.

Spam Karma
Spam Karma is one of the first plugins for WordPress to earn a place in the “spam-fighters which actually work hall of fame”. And rightfully so. An intelligent tool which is automatically trained to recognize spam messages. The most annoyances it stops the better it gets at it. And it has lots of options and customizations to work with, definitely worth checking this one out.

Helping keep your Email inbox spam free

Free web-based Email accounts today are a good way to hassle-free protect yourself from unwanted Emails, aka spam. Google’s Gmail as well as Yahoo! Mail offer you fully featured Email accounts at no cost, while they take care of keeping your inbox nice and clean.

As a general guideline though you should avoid giving out your Email address on websites where it may be seen publicly. Spam-people have bots surfing the web continuously picking up any Email address they find on a website and adding that to their spamming To: lists.

Get free anti-spam enhanced Email accounts at:

• Yahoo! Mail
• Google Mail

If you use a POP Email account that you wish to have protected, one of the most popular and effective solutions out there is Spamihilator.

Spamihilator is an anti-spam filter software, available for free download and use. You can use it with many Email clients such as Oulook, Eudora, Pegasus Mail etc. It boasts a new Bayesian learning filter for training the software to easily recognize spam and block it from reaching your inbox. Check it out here.

Well, that is all from the spam-fighting front for now. I hope you find these solutions useful, and if you have any more suggestions to the issue at hand, please don’t hesitate to tell.

Anyhow, I decided it was about time to start caring about spam and do something about it. I used to simply ignore-mark-delete. Now I think I’m taking more proactive action. Something should be done to stop this madness, but until those responsible are actually dealt with in manners too graphic to describe here, there is some great software out there to help protect your blogs and websites and send spam in the pits of digital hell.

If you’re frustrated over receiving to many spam messages and comments, stay tuned as I will soon be posting in detail what solutions are made available to you.

More information about this new version can be found here, you can download it here, and instructions on upgrading are here.

One plugin that has been around for quite a while and has recently been upgraded to a new – improved version, is Alex King’s WordPress Mobile Edition.

An easy to install, plugin that allows a WordPress powered blog to be read on hand held devices, such as PDAs and mobile phones.

Since people often use their hand held devices to search the web for information, offering one’s content in a form these devices can access is going to increase both readership and accessibility to it.

The new version of WordPress Mobile Edition allows bloggers to have mobile access to their admin interface, and readers can now access content on WordPress “Pages” as well as on regular posts.

Simply put – one of the best plugins for WordPress out there.

This release WordPress 2.0.5 is code-named Ronan, after WordPress developer’s Ryan Boren’s baby son. Congratulations and best wishes!

It is recommended everyone upgrades their WordPress installation, as the latest release also includes security fixes. Happy blogging!

WordPress Podcast

This is a NEW podcast, so perhaps it could use the publicity. Although it already has a dedicated listener base which it deserves, since it’s very well produced and very enlightening! Discussing news and more about the world of blogging on the WordPress platform, what’s happening in the WordPress blogosphere, new plugins and services to make your blog even more nice and comfy. It is not affiliated with WordPress.com/.org etc, but it’s all about it.

Latest show is about 20 something minutes, very easy listening, nice intro tune, great source of information. Honestly if you are running a WordPress blog, or are considering to do so – you have to listen to this podcast.

Website: http://wp-community.org/
Podcast Feed: http://wp-community.org/feed/

Guardian Unlimited: Newsdesk

Wow (2), I like this so far better than listening to the news on the radio. I can listen to it at any given time I want to be informed of stuff, pause and resume. Excellent work, on this daily news Podcast by the Guardian Unlimited Podcasts. A roundup of world news and other interesting stuff reporters and news people find out about and want to share with you.

If you are only to pick one news Podcast, pick this.

Website: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/podcasts/
Podcast Feed: Guardian Unlimited – Newsdesk feed

FeedBurner Podcast

“Another blogging related Podcast?” You wonder in anger. Oops, sorry, I just had to, this is too good to not tell people! And yes “Podcast” is capitalized even in angry thoughts.

FeedBurner, the blogosphere’s favorite distributer / manager of news feeds, is producing a Podcast! It’s official, it’s new, and it’s good!

It’s mostly about Feeds and Podcasting, mostly I say, but that does not mean it is of no interest to “normal” people as well. Check it out – you’ll be able to “manage your feeds” much better after this!

Website: http://blogs.feedburner.com/podcast/
Podcast Feed: http://blogs.feedburner.com/podcast/index.xml

Well, that’s it for now! Don’t forget to send in your favorite podcasts, my nose only goes that far. Discovering new things is something I’d like your help with as well! Remember to use my favorite tool to subscribe / manage your Podcasts / subscriptions, the free – Juice Podcast Receiver. And if nothing in this post makes any sense to you, check out Wikipedia’s article on Podcast. Ciao

At this point I should extend my love and appreciation to everyone working on WordPress. An active community of developers, testers, documentation volunteers, who make it possible for the best part of the blogosphere to exist.

Upgrading was quite easy and moving from 2.0.3 to 2.0.4 didn’t even require any database changes as there are none between those two versions. Remember the golden rule of upgrading though – first backup everything, and then read the instructions here.

No specifics have been announced yet, but I will keep watching. This time it appears everything will be well organized, well in advance of officially opening the competition. Lots of sponsored prizes are to be expected as well. What is perhaps most different about this competition in particular is that only original / new themes will be accepted. Skins and mods of WordPress themes out there already should not apply. I expect this to generate a pool of new, hopefully brilliant themes for the WordPress blogging community.

Truth is WordPress has changed to feature many innovative and new tools which aren’t being properly used or implemented by many of the older themes. A competition could bring more widgetized or ajaxed themes to light. Something I’d like to see happening soon.

Any theme designers out there, sharpen your keyboards!

According to the WordPress development blog:

The idea is to bring WordPress users and developers so we can meet each other face to face, share stories, and try to figure out the future of our little corner of the online publishing revolution.

WordPress has long been my favorite blogging platform, and I wish I had known of this earlier so I could go. Unless I come up with an extra $3,000 over the next couple of days and get transatlantic tickets… Nevertheless I expect it to be both a fun and productive event, taking WordPress yet one more step ahead. Read more about this on Matt’s blog here.

Considering the excellent quality of service WordPress.com users have received so far, and the unquestionable power of WordPress as a personal publishing platform, I am confident this little downtime they seem to have had today will indeed benefit them and improve the service for all.

Check for updates over at WordPress.com