The Blogger/Blogspot Team,
I, a Blogger Publisher, together with those who will support me, kindly request the Blogger/Blogspot team to increase your efforts to improve your services, particularly those who are with the Blogger Help and Support group. This is in relation to blogs that are locked due to possible errors of your "spam detection bots" that classified some Blogger/Blogspot blogs as spam blogs.
I do not discourage your continuous attempts to fight spam blogs, and I understand that your spam detection system is not perfect. However, I and those who are victims of this erroneous lock-up, ask you to please act swiftly and fulfill your promise of (4 business days) waiting period for our blogs to get reviewed and reactivated.
After I've read some complaints posted in the Blogger Help Group, about blogs that were locked for almost "two months" already, I became very concerned. I visited those said blogs and found out that they were definitely not some spam blogs. What's worse is that those posted complaints didn't even get a response from anyone in the Blogger Support Team.
I consider myself somewhat fortunate that my main blog, which is where I'm posting right now, was not affected. Although, I fear that someday those buggy spam detection bots will also take down this blog by accident, and Blogger/Blogspot will let me wait in vain, again. Still, I want my locked blog to be reactivated as soon as possible as with others who are also tired of waiting and wishing to get their blogs back.
I ask all Blogger Publishers, whether you are affected by the lock-up or not, to support this open letter by leaving a comment here. Let's hope against all hope that someone from Blogger/Blogspot will get to read this letter and will take necessary actions.
Sincerely,
Blogger/Blogspot Publisher
***end***
UPDATE: Blogger finally restored my blog after 11 days.
hi there. we are having the same problem. My blogs were deleted due to malware but another blogger's blog with malware on them was not deleted automatically. Contrary to what happened to me, this blogger was able to clean his blog and Blogger restored it. Mine was just deleted automatically..
ReplyDeletePlease refer this thread and include your blog List of Deleted Blogs
I figured out how to help, sign up with WordPress and get out of here.
ReplyDeletehey i reviewed your said blog and it seems to be up and running again! what magic did you do?
ReplyDeletemy blog was deleted without any notice, i didn't get any email telling me i could request a review either. it's ridiculous how some get notifications or even "grace periods" to remove the "offending" (ha!) content, but some are never given the chance. You'd think you were a second-class citizen.
I linked to your open letter from my blog. I set up a specific blog recording this type of issues, so others can also learn what kind of "support" Blogger is offering their users. Also it's a place to vent my frustration! LOL
you could take a look if you'd like, we are in similar situations: http://shittyblogger.blogspot.com
I hate to be mean about this, but Blogspot is something of a sinking ship. The issue of spam blogging has become so severe on this service, largely due to inaction by Google in the early years of the problem, that now they can only resolve the problem by making severe cuts to the service itself.
ReplyDeleteThese spam blog detection bots are just another symptom of the problem and a means for Google to fight spam blogs without cutting back services, unfortunately, they are regularly getting legitimate blogs, such as yours and those of friends of mine.
Google allowed Blogspot to fall apart and now there is almost no room for legitimate bloggers between the spammers, the bots that chase them and the reputation it has earned.
Though I am loathe to agree with a simple solution, I think that TimT may be right, WordPress.com has a much better reputation and a significantly less spam blog issue...
@Talking Idiot: Really? That's so sad and scary. I hope your blog can still be restored.
ReplyDelete@Tim: I've been thinking about it already.
@ShittyBlogger: Thanks a lot for your concern. I hope we will get our blogs back.
My blog is still locked. I can only view it but I can't do anything like posting and stuff. I guess I'm still luckier than you are, but I fear that someday they might delete my blog also without notice :(
@Jonathan Bailey: Thanks Jonathan for the comment and for your concern.
That's what I'm thinking also. I think Google doesn't care much about Blogger/Blogspot anymore because they don't help them improve their services.
On the contrary, I still think that there is a solution to spam blogs. How about putting a Captcha before anyone can make a post? I think they already applied it before, but I don't know why they removed it. There are still plenty of things that can be done.
I think Blogger should just ask advice from Wordpress :)
I moved to wordpress today. I'm sad to say this is the first product by Google I've been so disappointed with.
ReplyDelete@PianoWow: Good for you. I'm already planning to migrate this blog to WP by next month. But, I still want that locked blog back ASAP.
ReplyDeleteHuhuhu.. my blogspot blog was still locked... :(
ReplyDeletegood thing I've moved to wordpress... but still waiting for my blogspot blog to get unlocked.. hehehe :D
Well blogged. I have had the same problem. Some of the entirely blank blogs that I registered were locked. It seems as if a spam detector should be smart enough to notice that a blog is empty.
ReplyDeleteWell, like you, I haven't needed to post on the locked blog(s), but I worry "what if I did?"
I just set up my blog last week and have already been locked down because of a false positive by the spambots... pretty frustrating. And hearing that it may take a month for Google to deal with this shit... it's making me look for a better option. Wordpress locks down its CSS, otherwise I'd be there in a heartbeat. It's a shame Google, normally recognized as a friend to the internet, has gone so overboard and irresponsible here.
ReplyDelete