Let’s take a closer look at the most popular comment management programs — Disqus, IntenseDebate and Livefyre, and their built-in SEO benefits for your site.

Disqus and SEO

Disqus – By default, Disqus shows comments using Javascript, which search engines can’t read or index. There is a plugin available for WordPress that will convert comments into HTML that can be indexed by the search engines.  In addition, it also backs up your comments and includes social mentions such as posts from Twitter and Facebook.

SEO Rating: 

Having to go through an extra step to make your comments indexed by search engines is just one strike against what many bloggers consider a clunky comment management system

IntenseDebate and SEO

IntenseDebate – Made by the same people behind WordPress, IntenseDebate (ID) works flawlessly with WordPress’ built-in commenting system. This means your comments can still be indexed and even users who have Javscript disabled can leave comments which you can then import into the ID system for easier management.  One added feature that sets IntenseDebate apart from the competition is its “Reply by Email” which lets you respond to comments and moderate them directly through your email.

SEO Rating:

Working seamlessly with WordPress is a big plus, as is comment management by email. The more convenient and easy it is to moderate comments, the better.

LiveFyre and SEO

LiveFyre – Livefyre was built for the social community. Lightweight and easy to install, you can pull comments from Twitter, Facebook and let users login with a variety of popular services to move comment activity from the social sphere to your blog.  Naturally, they also have a WordPress plugin which replaces the default comments.  All comments, even those from Facebook, can be indexed from your blog by search engines.

SEO Rating: 

Livefyre’s social capabilities and flexibility (you can moderate comments from your smartphone) are second to none, and so far, its performance and scalability are holding strong.  But if you get a lot of comments, you’ll quickly find that LiveFyre turns it into more of a conversation.  If that sounds good to you, go for it – but if not, you might want to try an alternative.

And you may not even know you’re a victim until it’s too late.

Hackers can exploit this vulnerability in several ways without your knowledge.  They can insert hidden links to spyware, adware and viruses.  Google picks up that your site could be a risk to other users, and puts up a “This Site May Harm Your Computer” warning.  You lose your hard-earned visitors, rankings and revenue.

It’s even possible that your web hosting company was the victim of the hacking, and it spread from site to site across the entire server.

What are the Symptoms of a Blog SQL Injection?

You may not even realize there’s a problem with your blog if you don’t regularly login to Cpanel, FTP or other website management systems outside of WordPress.   In fact, you may find out about the hacking

• From a web-based security scanner like McAffee SiteAdvisor or Norton SafeWeb
• From Google’s diagnostic database, which can tell you if any spyware attacks have been coming from your site within the last 60 days (check your own site by replacing the EXAMPLE.com with your URL by clicking here)
• From the search engine result pages which come up with strange links or pages when you search for your own URL. An example might be searching for your site and seeing pharmaceutical links inside.
• From your visitors themselves who report getting a virus (or being redirected to a spyware site) when they visit your page.

Prevention is the First Step

The best way to protect your blog against SQL injections is to make it as inconvenient and difficult as possible for the hackers to get in.

This includes obvious things like not using “admin” as your login name (if your WordPress was setup this way, you can create a new user, give them administrative privileges and then move your “admin” posts over to your newly created username), setting a strong password and storing it in a safe location (I use Roboform and love it), and updating both your WordPress installation and your plugins as soon as new releases are available.

When WordPress plugins show outdated updates, it can be an invitation for hackers to find security holes

There are some helpful plugins that make blog management and protection easier too – but keep in mind, the more plugins you have installed on your blog, the more you could be leaving it vulnerable to being exploited, as plugin authors don’t always keep their work up to date.

WordPress Security:  Recommended Paid Plugins

BackupBuddy – This paid plugin lets you backup and restore your WordPress blog and schedule regular backups for a one-time fee.  Backup 2 sites for $75 or unlimited sites for $150.

VaultPress is a backup and security plugin from the same people who brought you WordPress. They have different monthly fee packages depending on the level of security you need and a new feature is coming soon that will update your plugins automatically as new ones are released – a huge help if you manage multiple blogs.

Free WordPress Security Plugins

Bulletproof Security – Protects your blog against SQL injection attacks as well as other common types of hacking and exploits.

Bei Fen – One of my favorite WordPress backup plugins, it backs up the database (where your content is stored) as well as themes, plugins, images and non-Wordpress tables. You can also schedule backups.

WordPress Firewall – Blocks many WordPress-specific hacking attempts while also letting you whitelist specific IP addresses for login.

Login Lockdown – Prevents brute-force login to your WordPress (admin) dashboard.  If more than a certain number of failed logins are made from a certain IP range, Login Lockdown prevents them from attempting to login for an hour.  Timeouts and IP addresses can be edited in the admin area.

WordPress Security – Share Your Thoughts!

Do you have a blog hacking horror story or security plugins that you’d recommend?  Tell me about it below in the comments!

  Apply aWeber Coupon Code Save Up to $34 a Year Instantly

Is There an AWeber Promo Code?

There’s good news and bad news regarding the much searched-for aWeber coupon code — the good news is, you can save $34 when you opt for the yearly billing option by clicking this link

The bad news is, there is no actual aWeber coupon code listed on the site, despite the fact that it asks you “Have Gift Code?” at checkout.

So why is the option even there?

The answer, according to Tom Kulzer, CEO and founder of aWeber, is that “There are no AWeber promotion codes, aka discounts. We don’t discount the service as it already has tremendous value”.

Interestingly enough, he also admits, “It is interesting how many searches I see in our logs for promotion codes though, just with the one tiny option being on the order form.”

So why is the option even there? As it turns out, aWeber’s order page is part of the same code used on other sites they run, where the option of a gift code or promo code is enabled. Apparently they have no way to turn this off – so there it sits, teasing the user to stop what they’re doing and go hunt for a coupon code.

aWeber Coupon – Sign Up for $1

This represents a great opportunity for aWeber to test whether or not having a promo code would help boost their sales.  The fact is, nobody wants to pay full price for anything – so if someone looks for a coupon code and doesn’t find one, they may not end up ordering at all because somewhere, in the back of their mind, they were offered the possibility of an Aweber Gift Code which hinted that they might not have to pay full price at all!

Although, as Mr. Kulzer himself states, aWeber is already a great value for the features it offers.  Still, wouldn’t the option of a promo code at least be worth testing?  It wouldn’t even have to save someone money, but it could used another way, say in conjunction with an upsell offer or a bonus or some kind.

You can also use that same link to take a test drive of the aWeber autoresponder for just $1.   That gives you a chance to try out aWeber before you join to see just how easy it is to use.

Give it a try now by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom of the page. Enter your name and e-mail to start the test drive.

In addition to helping you manage your mailing list, aWeber also provides free email newsletter templates, a point-and-click web form designer, unlimited email campaigns and most importantly, one of the highest email deliverability rates in the industry.

  Apply aWeber Coupon Code Save Up to $34 a Year Instantly

With spam at an all-time high, numerous email and internet service providers have started requiring strict guidelines from people and companies that send a high volume of e-mail, even if it’s legitimate.   aWeber currently has a full 30 day money back guarantee, so you can try out each of these suggestions for one whole month – and if it doesn’t live up to your expectations, you can request a refund.  In addition, they also have around a $30+ savings when you sign up for a year – a discount that’s far better than any coupon code or gift card!  To get started and nab your $30+ savings, join free at http://freeinfo.aweber.com

An alternative to Feedburner can help you manage blog and newsletter subscriptions more efficiently

Since Feedburner has been bought up by Google, many bloggers and coders wonder if it’s even worth the effort to try and create an alternative.  Fortunately, that hasn’t kept them from trying to create some unique plugins and services that do what Feedburner can’t (or isn’t any good at). If you’re tired of Feedburner’s limitations and would like to look into other solutions, check out these Feedburner alternatives.

FeedBlitz – The closest thing you’ll find to a true Feedburner alternative, FeedBlitz brings together RSS feeds and email marketing into one fast-loading, lean system.  Setting up your feed and email is a simple, step by step process.  Feedblitz also works seamlessly with WordPress, Blogger, Twitter, Facebook and many more popular networks.  There’s a 30-day free trial.  After that, the pricing depends on how many subscribers you have.

FeedMyInbox - I personally love this site as a unique alternative to Feedburner.  Rather than charge you based on how many subscribers you have, FeedMyInbox charges subscribers based on how many FeedMyInbox-powered feeds they subscribe to. The first five are free, and unlimited subscriptions costs $19 per month.

RapidFeeds – Includes lots of in-demand features, including branded RSS feeds, auto-Twitter update, RSS feed scheduling and subscriber statistics.  Also integrates nicely with podcasts. Price varies on the number of feeds you want to manage and the features you want.  Enterprise-level feed management is $13.95 per month

Nouri.sh – Nourish is an RSS to email service and a reliable Feedburner alternative for those sites whose visitors don’t really grasp (or don’t use) RSS much.  The free version lets you send up to 1,000 emails per month. Also includes customizable newsletter templates.

Related: RSS to Email for Your Existing Autoresponder or Newsletter Service

Need an alternative to Feedburner, but you’re already subscribed to AWeber or Mailchimp?  Fortunately, those services have ways to help you convert a blog RSS feed to email. Just click on their respective links above to learn how.

Why Didn’t You Include (Insert Name of RSS Feed Service Here)?

Occasionally I’ll get questions about why I didn’t include certain RSS to email services in this list.  I’m a big believer in quality over quantity, and would rather give you links to services that:

• Consistently perform well even when managing tens of thousands of feeds
• Have a user-friendly interface that’s easy to use
• Provide detailed stats and analytics so you can better understand your subscribers’ behavior.

If it doesn’t meet those criteria, it isn’t listed here. Simple as that!

Got a great RSS to email service I missed? Tell me about it below in the comments.

For many people, blog avatar plugins like Wavatar, Identicon and MonsterID are all they have to choose from in addition to the widely supported Gravatar. But what if stick figure monsters or quilt pattern icons just aren’t your style?

Enter iElectrify’s custom avatars plugin for WordPress.  With this plugin, you’ll be able to upload any number of icons to your blog and have them appear next to the post of anyone who leaves a comment, only if they don’t have a Gravatar enabled. The end result? Your blog stays stylish while your visitors get unique avatars for each comment.

To install it, simply open the zip file and follow the easy installation instructions. To find beautiful themed icons (most of which are free for personal and commercial use), check out iconfinder.net. Enjoy!

  Download Plugin from WordPress.org Wordpress Custom Avatars

But just having a Twitter or Facebook account won’t do you any good if you don’t keep it updated.  Likewise if you send out text message alerts to your mobile and smartphone customers. And if you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of time and work it takes to keep posting regularly, you’re in luck – Sendible can help.

How Sendible Works

Sendible is an incredibly helpful web service that allows you to schedule Facebook posts (to your wall and to groups that you’ve joined), as well as schedule posts and uploads on Twitter, WordPress, LinkedIn, Blogger, Flickr, SMS mobile phone (extra charges apply) and Google Buzz, just to name a few.

Sendible supports all major social networking services, and its scheduling calendar lets you schedule any type of post for any time of day or night.  You can also send recurring messages – all from a streamlined web-based interface.

Additional Features

Sendible also lets you create a basic blog and send newsletters to your contacts using one of their built-in templates.  While not as robust and not packing nearly the features of a full-fledged autoresponder (or a self hosted blog like WordPress), these additional features could come in handy if you don’t have a segmented subscriber list or use a lot of plugins on your blog.

Message Tracking and Analytics

Where Sendible really shines is the addition of message tracking and social analytics. You can track message statistics directly from the Sendible dashboard and monitor the number of mentions, likes, clicks, views and comments your posts get.

A free 30-day trial account lets you send 100 messages per month and bulk pricing is also available.  With SMS messaging, Sendible uses a token system and depending on the country you live in, you can also reply to your SMS messages through Sendible’s interface.

All in all, Sendible is a fantastic resource that definitely belongs in any serious online business owner’s social media toolbox. It’s by far one of the most user-friendly, intuitive ways to manage and monitor all your social media outlets.