Adjust your comment settings to control how users engage with your blog. Comments are enabled on posts and pages by default, but you can approve, delete, or disable them at any time.
How spam is filtered
The Bristol Blogs network uses the Akismet plugin to filter spam and offensive content. The Akismet plugin is installed at a network level, and it does not need any further configuration on individual blogs.
When the network reaches its monthly spam-filtering limit, Akismet might temporarily stop filtering comments. This means spam may appear on your site until the limit resets.
For public blog sites, you can view Akismet’s limited settings under Dashboard > Settings > Akismet.
Note
A warning banner about subscription limits may be visible on the Akismet settings page. This message applies to the whole Bristol Blogs network, and you do not need to take any action.
Control or disable comments
There are several ways you can manage unwanted comments:
- Disable comments entirely
- Switch off comments on future posts to reduce spam and moderation workload.
- Auto-close comments on older posts
- Set a time limit to auto-close comments under Settings > Discussion > Other comment settings.
- Disable comments for specific posts or pages
- Edit the post or page and update the Discussion settings.
Some comment settings – like the Discussion menu or Akismet options – might not appear if your site is not publicly visible.
To change the site visibility, go to Dashboard > Settings > Reading, and make sure ‘Discourage search engines from indexing this site’ is not selected.
Keep spam under control
To reduce spam and avoid adding to the network-wide limit:
- Do not approve anything that looks suspicious. Spam comments that are approved could allow more spam to bypass the filters.
- Block repeat offender IP addresses under Settings > Discussion > Comment Moderation.