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Content / Spam Classification Has Two Sides

Spend some time surfing Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue - both in detail, for recent periods - and random sampling, over long periods.

Read the comments, and questions. You'll see both complaints about spammy (aka "abusive") content - and objectionable (aka "adult") content. And, you'll see review requests, referencing previous abusive and adult content penalties.

Given enough surfing, you'll discover that each is simply the other side of the same coin.

As you examine issues discussed in the forum, about abusive and objectionable content, be objective - and be thorough.

Consider both sides of the classification issue.

Try to look at both sides of each story.

  • Look at the complaint reports.
    • Blog "xxxxxxx" is nasty. How do I get it blocked?
    • Blog "yyyyyyy" is spammy. How do I get it removed?
  • Then, look at the review requests.
    • I publish blog "xxxxxxx". Why do my readers get an "adult" content warning?
    • I publish blog "yyyyyyy". Why was my blog removed?

Each of these issues represents previous action by the Blogger Policy Review team or automated content / spam review process - and each of these issues represents more work to be done, by the Blogger Policy Review team or automated review process.

With more relevant reader opinion, Blogger has to be more responsive.

As the content / spam classification process becomes more responsive to opinion, and the needs of the reader population, the Blogger Policy Review team has to become more responsive to the review requests. Both the people who maintain the automated classification filters - and the people who conduct manual reviews - know the dichotomy involved.

As the initial classification becomes more responsive to the needs of people who don't like something in a Blogger blog, the review process is going to later get more demands for review, because of unfair classification. And, more filter tweaks will follow.

Both initial classification, and subsequent review, become more deliberate.

Both classification, and review will require more deliberation - because both teams know that the more responsive they become in one side, the more demands they will see, on the other.

And all of this continues, as cultural expansion / internationalisation, by Blogger / Google, produces a more diverse and larger blog content and reader population. And, it also produces a more easily offended population.

And all of this requires that the blog owners be willing to compromise.

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