Not defensive at all, actually, although clearly you mis-read it that way.

And I’m hardly likely to say anything detrimental about guest posts - have a look at my own guest post on this very blog! Since you replied to my positive comment on your guest post I’m surprised you say what you say - did you forget that you’d already responded to me?

10 quick posts on the last day of the month? Whatever kind of thinking do you have to suggest such a thing? I wouldn’t dream of it and I don’t think anyone else should, either.

But thank you for your concern and if you get any such emails yourself you should probably just delete them. Most of them are SCAMS!

It’s shocking, isn’t it?

By the way, if you’re really serious about getting the top corner advert this month I won’t stand in your way, so the obvious and disappointing building of post count with short posts isn’t really necessary.

Of course, I may be totally wrong since that may not be your intention. I guess we’ll find out if you reply to this comment to even up your numbers - won’t we?

This thread is actually a good example of why some bloggers won’t allow comments to go live until they’ve been moderated.

Comments that add little to the discussion could be either poorly written, or they could be blog spam. It’s impossible to be certain just by looking, but a good test usually is whether multiple postings are actually necessary.

In some cases they may be continuing a dialogue already commenced - I answered a point Cindy made for example - but in others it’s hard not to assume that the only point of the comment is to get a link.

I suppose one way to get a better sense of that is to look at the type of comment a particular person makes. Are they generally very short - 1 or 2 lines at most - or do they usually engage with the main topic of the blog post and add some extra value to the post?

When Hans decided to offer a couple of prominent slots on his blog every month I think he made a wise decision. It stimulates interest (we can see that very clearly) and it offers its own reward to people who contribute.

But it also has the drawback that it’s actually pretty easy to bend the system.

I’ve thought long and hard about what system would be better, but pretty much any system can be bent, one way or another.

One recommendation I would make to anyone who takes the time to comment is this: do yourself credit by making your post as good as it can be.

Your comment is going to be on record for quite some time and if it’s a good one it will work for you for a very long time. If it’s not the best you can do you’re actually short-changing yourself.

What’s the point in that?

lol. Please keep those!

It’s the ones paying me that I didn’t want to lose! Then again, the fact the money appeared in my account was enough to keep me happy!

I always enjoy the posts.

I appreciate the link. While I was reading mail a moment ago I got the Google Alert that showed that you had posted. Always nice when that happens.

@Amin - I think I am getting your paypal emails, they keep asking me to resubmit my credit card number.

delighted as I am to have the spot for the time being, do you think it’s possible the other person just didn’t get your email?

I know I’ve had some emails disappear in the last few weeks, including some from Paypal, which is very odd - and troubling.

Amin