If you login to your WordPress Dashboard and see that Akismet is giving you an error message regarding a deactivated key, or if your blog is suddenly getting more spam than usual, you might need to get a new Akismet key.

You may also see this error:

Akismet Error Code: 10003

Howdy! It looks like you have an Akismet Personal subscription, which does not appear to be appropriate for your current usage. In order to continue using Akismet in this way, you will need to upgrade your subscription to one of our Enterprise or High Volume plans.

Akismet is a wonderful blogging spam prevention plugin made for WordPress websites. I’ve been using Akismet for many years. But recently, Akismet has made changes in their policies such that many business owners must now get their own unique keys. In the case of my clients, for example, I have been using my own key on the sites I build and Akismet has been free of charge. Now, all business owners need to apply for their own individual keys and select a plan that’s appropriate for their business.

Here’s where you go to get a new Akismet key for your WordPress site:

http://akismet.com/plans/

Here's also a link to general information and frequently asked questions about Akismet:
http://docs.akismet.com/

And if you want to disable comments on your blog, here's how to do that:
http://en.support.wordpress.com/enable-disable-comments/

If you found this article helpful, please take a moment to share it with your friends, it will be much appreciated. Thanks! Jill