What is UP with WordPress?

I’ve tried to comment on about 12-15 blogs this past couple of days. All using WordPress, all ATE my comment. Not literally ate, but put me into moderation each time. It’s beginning to get really bloody irritating, because I know for a fact that I have commented on all of these sites many times before.

I can only assume that each of these people have upgraded to the latest version of WordPress and there is some change in the code that forces people who haven’t commented since the upgrade to be placed in the queue. The really irritating thing is that I can pinpoint several blogs on which my comments have been approved and yet my newer comments are STILL ending up in moderation.

The part that is most infuriating is that WordPress doesn’t have a “comment confirmed” page, or any sort of notice that verifies that a comment has actually gone through (because most people edit out the line that displays “Your comment is in moderation”). That leaves me sitting here wondering if it is patiently waiting in the database, or if my series of carefully placed letters and characters have been sucked into the vacuum that is cyberspace.

If you use WordPress, please check your moderation queue!

Blame Canada Akismet

Update (4th March): Several people have come back to me blaming Akismet (saying that my comments have ended up in the Akismet queue, or deleted altogether). So, as an amendment to the last line of my unedited entry: if you use WordPress and Akismet, please check your Akismet moderation queue.

Apparently, I’m not the only one that’s had this problem. I’d therefore appreciate it if everyone could mark me not spam, to ‘re-teach’ Akismet. If you have a blog that you’re protecting with Akismet, let me know and I’ll leave you a comment — you can then do me the favour of de-spamming me.

The de-spamming process can take up to a day, according to the Akismet FAQ.. but the more mistakes that are marked, the better chance I have of being allowed to leave a comment normally again. That said, if this is someone playing stupid games with me and deliberately marking me as spam to try and inconvenience me: the only people you’re inconveniencing is yourselves. It’ll be no skin off my nose if I simply have to stop commenting on blogs; I won’t be losing out.

Update (5th March): “Re-teaching” Akismet seemed to achieve nothing, but I sent an e-mail to the Akismet guys this morning and have checked just (5:45pm) and am able to comment again. Hoorah.

26 comments so far

  1. Meli said:
    On 04 Mar at 12:02 am

    They had released 2.1.1 that apparently had a big security issue, and I think yesterday they released 2.1.2… that might be the issue. I don’t even know why people bother with the moderation, since you can just use Akismet to block spam and just get rid of anything else you might need to.

  2. Daniela said:
    On 04 Mar at 12:04 am

    Normally you have to activate or deactivate comment moderation. I am using WP 2.1 and I got it deactivated ever since I got it installed. No idea what is happening.

  3. Claire said:
    On 04 Mar at 12:47 am

    I can only assume that mine wasn’t a blog that you attempted to comment on as I can’t find you in my mod queue :P

  4. Jenny said:
    On 04 Mar at 1:11 am

    I have that happening to me at a couple of sites, I can only imagine that they have told WordPress to put EVERY comment under moderation despite previous comments. I know that I have set it so that WordPress only moderates comments whose author/email is not recognised. However, I have also set it so it gives me and email every comment and every “under moderation” comment so I’m fine in both areas. :P

  5. Montoya said:
    On 04 Mar at 1:42 am

    It has nothing to do with WordPress itself and everything to do with Akismet. Your comment went straight to the Akismet queue on my blog and it was almost by chance that I noticed it. Akismet has been pretty bad about identifying spam lately, and I’m starting to think that I should look for another option.

  6. Hillarie said:
    On 04 Mar at 2:26 am

    Yeah, there was an issue, and apparently it was HUGE. I’m quite surprised. I know that version 2.0.5 was out for quite some time before they came out with a new version, and I don’t even use it…pathetic, isn’t it? I watch the stats of scripts I don’t feel the need to use. Well, that’s just me… I’m surprised that they upgraded so soon, actually.

  7. Gabrielle said:
    On 04 Mar at 3:40 am

    The issue was that their server was hacked and one zip – the one for their latest version – was corrupted. More the sysadmin’s fault than the fault of shoddy coding.

  8. Angela said:
    On 04 Mar at 3:53 am

    Thats really odd. I regularly check my moderation, but I get e-mails that tell me when I get comments.

  9. Corinne said:
    On 04 Mar at 5:54 am

    It’s definitely Akismet. Akismet and WordPress 2.1 do not work very nicely together, which is highly ironic.

  10. Steven said:
    On 04 Mar at 6:27 am

    I’m using WordPress, except I’m revamping the layout ‘n stuff. I’m going to lean off BAB, it just isn’t my type, as of now. My blog isn’t even open to the general public yet!

  11. Amber said:
    On 04 Mar at 8:35 am

    I am beginning to truly despise WordPress. Instead of getting more impressed with each new release it’s annoyed me even more. The code is so bloated, messy and disorganised that I hate to look at it.

  12. Amelie said:
    On 04 Mar at 9:23 am

    ^ Which is precisely what made me want to write my own CMS. ;)

  13. Nellie said:
    On 04 Mar at 12:37 pm

    It’s definitely an Akismet thing, but I can’t understand why it moderates some comments and not others.

  14. Becky said:
    On 04 Mar at 1:27 pm

    And this is why I love me some Textpattern. No spam (unless you want to count that spat about a month ago), no Akismet and best of all it’s not WordPress *squeals*

  15. Stephanie said:
    On 04 Mar at 1:39 pm

    I haven’t had that problem yet. I’m assuming that it has something to do with the corrupted, hacked-into version of 2.1.1. 2.1.2 is just find though, at least I think so.

  16. Malin said:
    On 04 Mar at 4:53 pm

    I also belong to those who are deadly tired of WordPress. But what to do? I’m afraid of loosing all my posts and what not *sigh*

  17. Jenny said:
    On 04 Mar at 4:56 pm

    Malin, you can export your posts. I don’t think WordPress has any exporting software.. but if you have your mind on another blogging tool, I’m sure they’ll have some export/import type of system.

  18. HannaPai said:
    On 04 Mar at 5:40 pm

    ^Well I’m not sure if we’re thinking the same thing but at least in WP 2.1 has exporting chance, Manage -> Export. Otherwise, I haven’t noticed any troubles with Askimet so far (I usually check askimet moderation list before deleting spam).

  19. Steven said:
    On 04 Mar at 6:32 pm

    Finally got it running. I hate the WP admin. I accidentally deleted everything and had to manually clear my database and reinstall. I do like the front end. The code has become bloated. They need to start from scratch, maybe borrow some code here and there.

  20. Manda said:
    On 04 Mar at 7:05 pm

    I use Akismet and I’ve never had it catch a real comment :/ Thanks for the heads up :) *goes to check spam queue*

  21. Stephanie said:
    On 04 Mar at 9:09 pm

    I’m also getting quite irritated with WordPress. (see latest post on weblog where I whine about it.) I wish there were some other choices of weblog software out there, but there isn’t a whole ton. Seems everyone has to write their own CMS to get a better one and not everyone has the time for that! It’s definitely frustrating.

  22. David Airey said:
    On 04 Mar at 9:22 pm

    I agree with those who say Akismet has been underperforming with WP 2.1. It’s letting through new comments from the same author I marked as spam. Maybe there’s something more to it than what I know about.

  23. Melissa said:
    On 05 Mar at 4:16 am

    I haven’t had a problem with Akismet…hmm, wonder why its being so cranky. =/ And I leave the “comment is being moderated” in there! :D *flex* By the way…the podcast is finally up with the Q*Bee plug in it, if you’d like to check it out. :D I made a post on the BBS about it too…hope I did it justice! ^_^

  24. Grant Mc said:
    On 05 Mar at 1:51 pm

    I had this problem and the website had no comments except it was a big website, plenty of visitors and readers but the WP comments didn’t work. I had no message saying it was in moderation!

  25. Andrea said:
    On 05 Mar at 7:35 pm

    I reinstalled WordPress completely because of comment issues, so I know people SHOULD have to register now, making it so that I have to approve the first comment. Truthfully, I’m getting quite fed up with WordPress and some of my problems – I’m just not sure what else to use other than just updating my files manually. I don’t have time right now to learn how to write blogging scripts, but I have a feeling that might be a goal for after graduate school.

  26. Chrissy said:
    On 07 Mar at 11:54 am

    Before I went to Philadelphia, I made it so that all comments made on our blog be put into moderation. It was easier that way. I forgot to change the setting back until a few days ago. Comments you make on my site should go through as they normally would. Sorry about that.