Matt on Not-WordPress

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Announcing Akismet

October 25, 2005 · 70 Comments

So for all of you who were wondering what the API keys are for, go check out Akismet, a new solution to comment spam. Of course this is just the first of several things in the oven. :)

Of course on WordPress.com we’re already handling all your spam problems for you, so no need to install Akismet or similar.

To clarify, you use your API key to run Akismet on your own blog. 

Categories: Akismet
Tagged:

70 responses so far ↓

  • N. Godbout » Blog Archive » Akismet? // October 25, 2005 at 4:27 pm

    [...] Who exactly is Akismet for? I’m not sure I understand this. In order to use it, you need to have an API key. In order to have an API key, you need to have a WordPress.com account. In order to have a WordPress.com account, you need to have a friend with an extra invite (or get one from WordPress.com’s random golden tickets). [...]

  • Lunacy Unleashed » Automattic Kismet // October 25, 2005 at 4:31 pm

    [...] P.S. Matt’s started a web site for Akismet, where you can find more information. [...]

  • Female Geek » WordPress.com and API keys // October 25, 2005 at 4:52 pm

    [...] The mystery of what purpose the API keys on WordPress.com were for has now been solved. Matt has just announced Akismet, a new spam prevention solution. [...]

  • Aaron Brazell // October 25, 2005 at 5:02 pm

    I get it but I don’t. A free account is only for WordPress.com, but you say:

    “Of course if you’re only blogging on WordPress.com you don’t have to worry about this, we’re already handling all your spam problems for you. ”

    How do you reconcile that? It seems to be an obvious drive for cash dressed up as if it was a free gift and good for the community. Matt, I don’t mind you and the WordPress team making money. In fact, I think you should. What I resent, as a loyal WordPress follower, is being decieved.

    Am I missing something here?

  • Matt // October 25, 2005 at 5:10 pm

    Hey Aaron,

    If your blog is hosted on WordPress.com you’re just protected, you don’t have to do anything. If you want to use Akismet on other sites it’s completely free for the vast majority of people out there, as very few bloggers make more than $500/mo from their blog, and if they do paying %1 of that to completely stop spam is not a big deal.

    Is something about the sentence in the post confusing? I can edit it if you think it could be clearer.

  • w00kie // October 25, 2005 at 5:10 pm

    How will it improve over Spam Karma 2???
    Since I installed this plugin on my 3 blogs, it never missed a spam comment nor did it make a false positive.

  • Matt // October 25, 2005 at 5:13 pm

    w00kie, it would be improved because it’s always 100% up-to-date, you don’t need to update the plugin. However if you have never gotten spam, I’m a believer in “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Most people I talked to though still get a fair amount of spam even when using one of the several plugins already available for WP, and Akismet worked perfectly for them.

  • w00kie // October 25, 2005 at 5:18 pm

    but I’m guessing the wheels behind Akismet are a spinoff of Spam Karma, am I right?

  • Aaron Brazell // October 25, 2005 at 5:20 pm

    Matt–

    I just posted a blast on my blog but I’ll make an update to it after this comment. Thanks for your clarification. However, I believe the wording that is at issue is from the Akismet site itself

    Akismet is free for personal use.

    In the spirit of helping the blogosphere as much as possible, we’ve decided to make Akismet free for as many people as possible. All you need to start using it today is a WordPress.com API key. Sign up on WordPress.com to get an API key.

    [..]

    We offer two subscription options for Pro-blogger API keys:
    Billing Cycle:

    * $5 a month
    * $55 a year (1 month free)
    WordPress.com Account:

    * I do not have a WordPress.com account yet, invite me
    * I already have a WordPress.com account

    If it’s free for WordPress or MoveableType users who don’t make over $500 then you should say that. As it stands, it only indicates being free for WordPress.com users/blogs

    I have a WordPress.com blog that I don’t use. Can I use it’s API key on Technosailor.com?

  • Matt // October 25, 2005 at 5:26 pm

    w00kie, no parts of Akismet use code from SK2, which I haven’t looked at in about a year. The server (where the real work is done) was built from scratch. The plugin is GPL and uses some code from CJD’s Spam Nuker for administration.

    Aaron, sorry things aren’t clear, I’ll try to update the text to be easier. The point of your WP.com API is so you can use Akismet on other sites, so yes you can use your API key and Akismet on Technosailor.com for free.

  • Aaron Brazell // October 25, 2005 at 5:30 pm

    Muchos gracias, senõr. :-)

  • Technosailor » WordPress Misunderstanding [UPDATED TITLE] // October 25, 2005 at 5:32 pm

    [...] I left a comment on Matt’s entry and, although I respect him and expect he would not remove my comment, it might be seen as negative press. For the sake of preserving my statements, I post my comment here. I get it but I don’t. A free account is only for WordPress.com, but you say: [...]

  • Matt // October 25, 2005 at 5:45 pm

    Aaron, I added some more text to the download page to make it clearer:

    http://akismet.com/download/

    Thanks again for your feedback!

  • Sketch // October 25, 2005 at 5:48 pm

    Thanks, next time you’re in Baltimore, I owe you a beer!

  • Aaron Brazell // October 25, 2005 at 5:49 pm

    Sketch, of course, is me with my WordPress.com login name automatically added. :\

  • Chris J. Davis // October 25, 2005 at 6:11 pm

    Very cool. I am running Askimet on chrisjdavis.org now. I am looking forward to seeing how this puppy works Matt.

    And that rocks that you were able to find some of my code useful, big compliment to me man thanks.

  • The sights our eyes behold, Will open up our merging hearts, And feed our empty souls. » Askimet is loose // October 25, 2005 at 6:17 pm

    [...] Just a quick little ditty to point you all to Askimet.com the latest release from our fearless leader Matt Mullenweg.  Spam fighting goodness with a little pinch of CJD Spam Nuker thrown in for flavor. [...]

  • Chris Gonyea » Blog Archive » Akismet - The Solution to Blog Spam? // October 25, 2005 at 7:02 pm

    [...] Matt, the famous creator of WordPress, has announced a new way to prevent blog spam called Akismet. [...]

  • raincontreras.com » Running Akismet // October 25, 2005 at 7:17 pm

    [...] Matt announced it here, and like a dutiful gnome, I followed his path: We cant stand spam. Who can? You have better things to do with your life than deal with the underbelly of the internet. Automattic Kismet (Akismet for short) is a collaborative effort to make comment and trackback spam a non-issue and restore innocence to blogging, so you never have to worry about spam again. [...]

  • Andrew // October 25, 2005 at 7:27 pm

    Hi, I’m getting an error when testing Akismet out on my personal, off-site blog. On the Manage > Akismet Spam page the PHP error
    Fatal error: Cannot redeclare ksd_config_page() (previously declared in <filename removed>:14) in <filename removed> on line 17     is appearing. I’ve had this problem with other plugins in the past, but I don’t know why. I’m guessing it has something to do with my install.

  • Elliott Back // October 25, 2005 at 7:54 pm

    Akismet Stops Spam: Some Side Effects

    There’s a new spam stopper for WordPress called Akismet. It works by submitting every comment you get to a centralized comment-checking service, and echoing back a “spam” or “not” response. Hurray. I can identify a few…

  • phrostypoison // October 25, 2005 at 8:31 pm

    Hey matt, how come I can’t view ANY of the wordpress.com blogs?

    This might have something to do with spam blockers, ’cause on my LAN a few days ago there was a worm…

  • phrostypoison // October 25, 2005 at 8:40 pm

    Oops.

    Sorry for the double post.

    The problem on my comment above seems to have stopped.

    Note: I used Firefox to post the above comment instead of Flock.

    But really, what was going on?

  • Apple Sauce » Blog Archive » The mistery revealed; Wordpress.com misbehaving // October 25, 2005 at 9:00 pm

    [...] Matt on WordPress » Announcing Akismet [...]

  • eric on wordpress.com » Blog Archive » Akismet, Wordpress, Matt, and more… // October 25, 2005 at 9:38 pm

    [...] So, Matt finally introduce the Akismet plugin and more. He also mention the use of the API keys we’ve all rumoring about. What is it? With the API key provided by your WordPress.com blog, you can use Akismet WordPress plugin on your own blog. Example, now I can use Akismet on ericsetiawan.com. This is great but I have something more on my mind. [...]

  • Bryan // October 25, 2005 at 9:39 pm

    Wow, this looks real spiffy, Matt!

    Do you recommend disabling Bad Behavior and clearing the moderation word list? I’m only asking because I saw that you had help with Michael Hampton..

    Yes, I saw the FAQ - sorry if the answer is “yes”. :D

  • Bryan // October 25, 2005 at 9:42 pm

    Nevermind. If anyone else is reading this, see Michael’s post about Akismet. Bad Behavior should be the first line of defense, while Akismet is right behind it. Cool beans. :)

  • Matt // October 25, 2005 at 9:42 pm

    I would recommend turning off all other spam plugins. However BB can be complementary so it might be worth turning it back on if Akismet is letting any spam through or if you get massive spam attacks that eat up lots of resources. Clearing the moderation word list of spam words is recommended.

  • Akismet, Wordpress, Matt, and more… at ericsetiawan.com // October 25, 2005 at 10:08 pm

    [...] Actually, this is a sequel to my post over at WordPress.com. So, Matt Mullenweg announce Akismet. It is a spam filter plugin for WordPress. You may download it but you can use it only if you have API key which you can get on your WordPress.com blog. Yes, you have to own a WP.com blog first if you want to use this, otherwise you have to pay for it. [...]

  • The Silent Deep // October 25, 2005 at 10:45 pm

    Akismet - it’s kismet!

    Fate indeed! There I was noting my intention to add a SPAM catcher, and there I see on Matt’s site the notification that AKISMET was available!
    Well I’m gonna give it a go
    IF it fails there are gonna be a few red faces I guess, but seems …

  • The Silent Deep » Blog Archive » Akismet - it’s kismet! // October 25, 2005 at 10:46 pm

    [...] Fate indeed! There I was noting my intention to add a SPAM catcher, and there I see on Matt’s site the notification that AKISMET was available! Well I’m gonna give it a go IF it fails there are gonna be a few red faces I guess, but seems such a good idea. Only concern is privacy, and I hope Matt has figured out the secure aspect of all this? GO for it! [...]

  • Akismet, centralised spam combating solution by Matt | FuCoder.com // October 25, 2005 at 10:51 pm

    [...] Matt Mullenweg announced a new spam combating service — Akismet. If you are a personal blogger, or pro-blogger-wannabe who cannot make more than $500 a month, Akismet is free for you to use. If it is a commercial site, or you are making big bucks from your blogsites — then a commercial license needs to be acquired starting from $5/month. [...]

  • Footsteps in the Mirror » Wordpress Mystery Solved With The Will Of God // October 25, 2005 at 11:30 pm

    [...] Enter Akismet. [...]

  • boakes.org // October 25, 2005 at 11:43 pm

    Akismet - Comment Spam Killer

    This website - like any website that allows readers to submit comments - receives comment-spam, usually advertising medicines, gambling, or other vices.
    I’ve been trialling a new anti-comment-spam plugin since mid September. It’s called …

  • BrittaBlog » Blog Archive » Akismet - behold your spam crusher // October 26, 2005 at 1:40 am

    [...] Matt has announced Akismet - but the best overview at this point comes from Michael Hampton: Automattic Kismet. [...]

  • kapeka » Akismet and the secret of the API-Keys // October 26, 2005 at 2:23 am

    [...] Matt writes that akismet is just one of many other tools tied to the api-key. I am really excited what else will come. [...]

  • Wet Scalpel » Akismet is Kismet indeed! // October 26, 2005 at 2:38 am

    [...] Heh heh - well Matt has shown us what the API key is for - Akismet anti-spam system. Works for all your non-WordPress.com blogs. [...]

  • The Blog.ch.Blog » Spam-Probleme der Welt sind endgültig gelöst! // October 26, 2005 at 3:34 am

    [...] via Matt on WordPress [...]

  • Steve Weintraub // October 26, 2005 at 4:02 am

    THis is fantastic, works great. But what about referer spam? Does it catch that? And if not, will Referer-Karma work ok with it?

  • HardinComp // October 26, 2005 at 4:04 am

    I activated the plugin, but I can’t see where to get the key, which makes it pretty useless. There’s nowhere on WP.com to sign up, and I have my blog hosted elsewhere anyway. I give it an “A” for concept, but a “D-” for execution.

  • Invisible Blogger // October 26, 2005 at 4:08 am

    Here’s the trouble I’m having:

    I installed the Plugin on http://urbansemiotic.com and 60 comments were identified as Spam that were caught by my own handmade keywords. Akismet now invites me to delete them from my database or release the false positives.

    There are four comments that were caught and I want back. When I try to “undelete” them I get taken to an Akismet that my API key is invalid. I re-certify my API with your system and nothing happened to the 60 messages I have in queue for processing. When I try to get my messages back again I get an error message my API key is invalid.

    Any idea what’s happening and how to fix it? I really want to try to delete all those messages from my database but I want to pick out the non-Spam messages first.

    Thanks!

  • David W. Boles // October 26, 2005 at 4:12 am

    Whoops! Sorry! I was logged in before as “Invisible Blogger” — that’s my wife’s blog and I was trying to get her API key for her.

    The API key giving trouble is the one related to my WordPress.com blog: boles.wordpress.com and I’m trying to install it on http://urbansemiotic.com and it’s interesting that the instant I activated the Plugin it “found” 60 Spam messages that, I guess, were sitting in my local database. There was no time for any of those messages to be scanned by the Akismet system.

  • From The Producer of WordPress.. at SurfiOnline // October 26, 2005 at 5:14 am

    [...] ..oooo, its like a movie! Matt Mullenweg, the lead developer of WordPress has announced the release Askimet (go the name!) a free WordPress.com remote spam filtering service. You enter your WordPress.com API key after installing the plugin on your own blog and away you go! Best of all, comments that are marked are held in the moderation queue for 15 days before being deleted (assuming you login to WP every once in a while.) Freaking awesome! Technorati Tags: wordpress akismet // Used for showing and hiding user information in the comment form function ShowUtils() { document.getElementById(”authorinfo”).style.display = “”; document.getElementById(”showinfo”).style.display = “none”; document.getElementById(”hideinfo”).style.display = “”; } function HideUtils() { document.getElementById(”authorinfo”).style.display = “none”; document.getElementById(”showinfo”).style.display = “”; document.getElementById(”hideinfo”).style.display = “none”; } [...]

  • Akismet and Just Saying Hi Spam at David W. Boles’ Urban Semiotic // October 26, 2005 at 5:17 am

    [...] I was surprised today to awaken to find news from WordPress Guruji Matt Mullenweg announcing a new blog Spam filter called “Akismet” that will scan all comments to determine if they are Spam or not. Currently Akismet stats claim: “6,134 caught so far; 326 today and 62% of all comments are Spam.” [...]

  • Chris Boulton // October 26, 2005 at 5:26 am

    Looking excellent, Matt.

    Though my trackback above, some weird stuff going on there (yes, i spelt the name wrong too!). Delete it if you wish ;)

  • owen // October 26, 2005 at 6:44 am

    So, I need to have a WordPress.com blog in order to filter spam from my non-WordPress.com blog?

    When are you going to offer API keys to non WordPress.com users?

  • Matt // October 26, 2005 at 7:05 am

    Owen, you don’t need to blog at WordPress.com, you just need an account. This will always be true.

    Chris, everyone who uses K2 has that problem, you should report it to Michael.

    David, yes it will expose spam that’s already in your database.

    Hardincomp, if you have Flock you can get an account for free without an invite.

    Steve, it doesn’t stop referrer spam, only comment and trackback spam. Sorry!

  • David W. Boles // October 26, 2005 at 7:46 am

    Matt –

    Okay, all is working great now but I “lost” the 60 Spam comments originally identified — and when I say “lost” I mean they were visible now they are not and I didn’t do anything to change that. Are the 60 comments still in my database or were they deleted by the Plugin?

    Also, do we still need to check “Blacklist comments from open and insecure proxies” in Options | Discussions or does the new Plugin handle that for us now?

    Oh, I’m using K2 and I don’t have the problem Chis is having. :mrgreen:

  • surfichris // October 26, 2005 at 8:05 am

    Cheers for that Matt,

    I’ll be moving off K2 when I have time anyway.

    Also, something i’ve noticed - not sure if this is the most appropriate place to post, when selecting comments identified as spam and clicking “Not Spam” i’m taken to the configuration page saying my API key is invalid - yet the plugin is still working and my spam count has risen to over 300 in a few hours.

    David, which revision are you using?

  • David W. Boles // October 26, 2005 at 8:08 am

    surfichris —

    What revision of K2?

    “K2 Beta One 96″

  • Matt // October 26, 2005 at 9:18 am

    Well it’s probably unfair to call it a solely a K2 bug, it’s something in the K2 template which triggers undesirable behaviour in WordPress.

  • Flocking - Formation Blogging » Blog Archive » Photomatt Marketing // October 26, 2005 at 10:13 pm

    [...] Matt’s done it again with his Akismet Spam plugin. Driving people to WordPress.com, of which I have no doubt, he has great plans to create as a quality blog hosting company. Good luck Matt. Your doing well creating a solid brand. I hope Ric Johnson doesn’t mess that all up. I doubt he will, he doesn’t seem too clever. [...]

  • BloggingTom // October 27, 2005 at 1:19 am

    Akismet - Spamschutz für WordPress

    Kaum hat Matt den Blog-Hostingservice wordpress.com lanciert, folgt schon die nächste Idee: Mit Akismet, einer zentralen Lösung im Kampf gegen Kommentarspam. Mittels eines Plugins werden sämtliche Kommentare, Ping- und Trackbacks zuerst an den Akismet…

  • theroxylandr // October 27, 2005 at 10:05 am

    Oh, let see how it works, it’s all very easy to use, you’ll see…

    This is spa-a-a-am! Buy viagra online! http://viagra.com

    What? Something’s wrong :-(

  • Matt // October 27, 2005 at 10:30 am

    theroxylandr, you’re obviously not an automated spammer, so it didn’t stop you. :)

  • juanmanuel // October 28, 2005 at 8:35 am

    May I share the API key with two personal blogs?

  • Matt // October 28, 2005 at 8:37 am

    If you run both of them.

  • N. Godbout // October 28, 2005 at 9:22 am

    How would it stop somebody from handing out their API key to friends (or strangers for that matter) to use on their blogs without them having a WordPress.com account? Obviously this seems silly since WordPress.com accounts are free (for the time being), but is there any prevention for this?

  • Matt // October 28, 2005 at 9:38 am

    Your API key is like a password, it can be used to access information about your account. You should only share it with people you would share your password with.

  • Aaron Brazell // October 28, 2005 at 12:18 pm

    Matt– is this where we would post issues we’ve found?

  • Matt // October 28, 2005 at 12:19 pm

    Aaron, if it’s something that is incorrectly identified simply marking it as spam or not spam is sufficient. If it’s something else use the contact form on the site.

  • Aaron Brazell // October 28, 2005 at 12:31 pm

    ok

  • #!/Dudi/Gurnadi » Spam Karma 2, Akismet dan Wordpress // October 28, 2005 at 2:37 pm

    [...] Saat ini, Matt Wullenberg salah satu personil inti WordPress juga menelurkan plugin baru yang bernama Akismet dimana beberapa baris kode Akismet sebenarnya Matt mencomot dari CJD’s Spam Nuker. [...]

  • Hoodlum // October 29, 2005 at 1:11 am

    Where the hell does one go for assistance ??

    I signed up and never received my password and the retrieve password function don;t work

    can someone PLEASE assist me?

  • Akismet Creates Comments Glasnost at David W. Boles’ Urban Semiotic // October 29, 2005 at 10:17 am

    [...] Who knew Akismet creates comments glasnost! // Used for showing and hiding user information in the comment form function ShowUtils() { document.getElementById(”authorinfo”).style.display = “”; document.getElementById(”showinfo”).style.display = “none”; document.getElementById(”hideinfo”).style.display = “”; } function HideUtils() { document.getElementById(”authorinfo”).style.display = “none”; document.getElementById(”showinfo”).style.display = “”; document.getElementById(”hideinfo”).style.display = “none”; } [...]

  • David W. Boles // October 29, 2005 at 10:26 am

    Sorry for the ugly trackback! :eek: Last time I tracked back here I was using Vader. This time I was using K2 modified default. Hmmm…

  • Hamarana » Akismet Spam Stopper for Wordpress // October 29, 2005 at 12:34 pm

    [...] OK, I’m convinced! Matt announced Akismet a few days ago. Its a spamstopper which is installed as a plugin in your WordPress plugins directory. Akismet requires an API key from your wordpress.com blog (you don’t need to use it there, wordpress.com already have spam controlled for you) to activate it on your other blogs. [...]

  • a bit of an apple » Blog Archive » ¿Se puede? // November 3, 2005 at 1:01 am

    [...] Me parece que ha aparecido al introducir un plugin anti spam. Lo más gracioso es que es un antispam hecho por el creador de WordPress (Matt Mullenweg). Claro que igual es que no tengo la ultimísima versión y por eso falla. O igual es por otra cosa. Lo tengo que revisar. Ya os contaré como va la cosa… [...]

  • Akismet, le nouvel outil anti-spam pour les blogs at Almaren // November 22, 2005 at 11:12 am

    [...] Il y a quelques jours, Matt “(Photomatt|WordPress)” Mullenweg annonçait Akismet. Il s’agit d’un plugin. Non, il s’agit d’un service web. Non, il s’agit d’un outil anti-spam. Et bien, vous n’y êtes pas du tout: il s’agit de tout cela � la fois, mais surtout Akismet annonce la couleur en matière de lutte anti-spam pour l’avenir de WordPress en particulier et des blogs en général. [...]

  • brennan.sg | Conform to (Blog) Ethics! // January 7, 2006 at 6:19 am

    [...] On my part, I accept all views - basing nothing on judgement. Practically speaking, if you don’t see your comment appearing immediately on my blog, this is because WordPress.com has employed an anti-spam system, Akismet. As my readers, your comments are the most valued entity on my blog - above my post. [...]

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