What is Akismet?
So, you’ve just installed WordPress and you are wondering what that little inactive plugin named Akismet is doing in your installed plugins list. You’ve probably already guessed that the WordPress developers would not include a plugin, with the version of WordPress you installed, unless it added some kick-ass functionality to your blog.
A beautiful can of whoop-ass, courtesy of spreadthewhoop.com.
You’ve guessed right. Activating the Akismet plugin is like opening a can of whoop-ass on spammers and, once activated, you will never have to deal with faux comments again.
Comments that are filtered through Akismet are processed in an underground colony of gnomes that specialize in identifying spam … just kidding of course, but it does seem that way. Akismet filters comments by using data collected by WordPress bloggers. The comments are sent to the Akismet web service and literally undergo hundreds of tests before they are approved as comments and posted on your blog.
You don’t need to worry about Akismet catching comments that are actually not spam — it rarely happens — and when it does, you can always approve the comment[s] manually after clicking the spam link on your dashboard. If a comment gets approved that is spam, you can mark it as spam and Akismet will learn and adopt from its mistakes … that’s the kind of technology that could lead to Akismet becoming the next SkyNet.
So what does the word ‘Akismet’ mean?
Akismet is actually a contraction of Automattic (the corporation that develops WordPress) and Kismet as chosen by Matt Mullenweg’s (the founding developer of WordPress) little sister. Kismet is “the magnetic attractive force that actualizes the playing out of karma; often used in the positive sense,” according to Akismet’s website.
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Tags: plugins
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Hi, great plugin, but i have a problem, the color that i applied to the BACKGROUND also affects the TEXT at the same time. I´m using wordpress 2.9.2 whith atahualpa theme. What i got to do. Thanks a lot!!
Hey pablo, I think you are commenting on the wrong post.
At any rate, send the the URL and I will tell you what is going on.
[...] nifty Akismet tool is arguably the most advanced spam protection software on the Internet. Developed by WordPress [...]