How do you determine SPAM from HAM?

i would just delete the whole post

I would most likely allow the relative links IF they have good page rank, but a relative link with the same PR or a lower PR would be useless.

On the other hand, if the link was relative, and the comment has some content to it, then I would allow the comment, and maybe the link if it has decent content.

My thinking is, if they don’t bother to comment, I don’t bother to view the link, because a smart blogger would know better, and if they’re not a smart blogger then they’re not likely to gain much page rank in the future.

Then again, stranger things have happened on the internet.

^ I do not think that any blogger with a high PR 'll drop a link in the comment section on a lower PR blog.

Generally, I never accept such comments especially if the links sound like spam and unrelated.

The whole post? Did you mean comment?

Interestingly, I had exactly this happen to me just moments ago. The comment was on-topic and relatively insightful, but the unrelated link implied to me that it was simply there as a link drop. I decided to spam the comment.

I welcome comments on my blog, but if people want to comment, I want them to do so because they have something to say, not because they want to leverage my popularity (or lack thereof) for their own blog.

That’s what I’ve been doing so far.

Lately I’ve been wondering if maybe there is some benefit to leaving the positive comments.