A thin line between spam blog post comments and real blog post comments

"No, of course not!" you declare. "Spamming is disgusting and I never do it."

Really?

Well, I mean, yes, I find it disgusting too, but do you really never leave spam comments on blog posts or hubs?

Do you not get some kind of reward for leaving a comment? Maybe you don't want a reward, couldn't care less about getting a reward, and never try to get a reward for your comment on somebody else's article? What if you do get a reward anyway?

You absolutely loved somebody's article, and even sometimes have further helpful information to add to that article, by leaving a comment. You want to comment and you want to be helpful.

At the very least , you don't even leave your real name or a link to your own site, blog, or profile. All you want to do is help others or tell the writer how their information has helped you, or can help others (and thank them for a good article.)

Where's the reward?

Helping others or thanking others is something you like doing. It's enough for you. It becomes even more of a reward, if the writer thanks you for your input. You feel that your comment or help was really appreciated.

Let's move one step up now:

You thoroughly enjoyed the article, or found it very helpful, and you feel compelled to comment on it. The words just pour from your mind to and out your fingers onto your keyboard and into that comment box. Because you have a website or blog or profile on the same site, you leave a link to one of them. You don't really care if your own content is never visited, but the link is there if anyone wants to read your own stuff. It's a bonus or a "reward" if somebody sees your comment, takes an interest in what you said, and wants to learn more about what else you write about. You may gain a new follower, or some comments on your own pieces of writing. Even if it was not intentional, the mere act of commenting on an article and leaving a link to your own writing pieces is a chance at getting a "reward," however small.

A higher step:

This reward scenario is much the same as the previous step description, except that you are intentionally hoping to get visits to your own content.

Just a little higher:

You read loads of articles and leave loads of good comments, but you don't really care about the article you read, as long as your comment is a good one, and you get to leave your link.

What have you done? Although you didn't really enjoy the article, and you realise somewhere deep inside that you're lying when you say you enjoyed it or found it helpful, you're still giving the writer extra content for his page, and your comment was well thought-out, error free, and related to the topic. It was a good comment, but is it also a spam comment? Perhaps. There are so many articles on the Internet that you can comment on, why not comment on only those that really interest you - it's more ethical.

A much bigger step (towards spam, not rewards) with the sole aim of getting rewards, but perhaps not getting as many as you'd like:

Blatant spam comments left at a pace of 3 a minute, all over the place: absolutely out of context, and with no regard to even trying to use good grammar.

Perhaps some of these comments will get by moderation, but generally, what a waste of time and effort - and moral principles!

A debatable reward step:

This one is similar to the "just a little higher" step further above, except that you have been or will be paid to comment on blog posts, using somebody else's nicknames or links. Now, if the comment is good, related to the topic, and adds to the discussion, is it a spam comment just because you're being paid to make that comment? Unethical, I think so, but spam ?

It is up to the writer of the article to allow the comment to be moderated through or not (or deleted.) I say: let the writer of the article decide.

So, do you get any rewards - however small - out of commenting on articles and hubs,

or,

are you spamming?

Or, both?