Skimlinks trial on MSE forums

One-Eye

Some links do not work normally after Skimlinks has altered it. An example is:-

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2657411

JimmyTheWig

One-Eye wrote: »

Some links do not work normally after Skimlinks has altered it. An example is:-

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2657411

Hard to test after the link has been removed.

For testing purposes...
www.ryman.co.uk/competition

Edit: Works fine for me on a middle-click to open in a new tab (which is what I do by default). But right-click and open in a new window or left-click to replace current tab both go to the default Ryman page. After this, hovering over the link above shows the redirect at the bottom of the screen.

edgex

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

While I think the rest of your post (a little too long to quote all of it) was well reasoned (and worthy of an official response), I must again question the logic used in the piece I have quoted.

If I (whether before the Skimlinks change or afterwards) type www.bbc.co.uk, MSE turns it into a link. I have not told it to be a link. I have not typed "http://". All I have done is typed a website address. So MSE is _already_ changing my content. I don't see that changing what I typed into a Skimlinks link is any more of a change to what I typed than they've always done.

standard 'behaviour' on the internet & in software

www.bbc.co.uk is a link> http://bbc.co.uk
properties: http://bbc.co.uk
status bar: http://bbc.co.uk

the addition of 'http://' is to ensure that it works for all browsers, all its doing is completing the coding, because youve typed 'www'
Word does exactly the same
bbc.co.uk isnt a link


what skimlinks is doing:

www.bbc.co.uk
link> http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/5d857493?id=3196X602032&url=http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/5d857493?id=3196X602032%2!!!!=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk
properties: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/5d857493?id=3196X602032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.moneysavingexpert.com%2Fredir%2F5d857493%3Fid%3D3196X602032%2!!!!%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.bbc.co.uk
status bar: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/5d857493?id=3196X602032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.moneysavingexpert.com%2Fredir%2F5d857493%3Fid%3D3196X602032%2!!!!%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.bbc.co.uk

it is altering the link & its properties



example:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2653383

http://www.thehut.com/games/platform.../10035152.html
link: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/5d857493?id=3196X602032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.moneysavingexpert.com%2Fredir%2F5d857493%3Fid%3D3196X602032%2!!!!%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.moneysavingexpert.com%252Fredir%252F5d857493%253Fid%253D3196X602032%252!!!!%253Dhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.moneysavingexpert.com%25252Fredir%25252F5d857493%25253Fid%25253D3196X602032%25252!!!!%25253Dhttp%2525253A%2525252F%2525252Fwww.moneysavingexpert.com%2525252Fredir%2525252F5d857493%2525253Fid%2525253D3196X602032%2525252!!!!%2525253Dhttp%252525253A%252525252F%252525252Fwww.thehut.com%252525252Fgames%252525252Fplatforms%252525252Fxbox-360%252525252Fwanted-weapons-of-fate%252525252F10035152.html
properties: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/5d857493?id=3196X602032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.moneysavingexpert.com%2Fredir%2F5d857493%3Fid%3D3196X602032%2!!!!%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.moneysavingexpert.com%252Fredir%252F5d857493%253Fid%253D3196X602032%252!!!!%253Dhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.moneysavingexpert.com%25252Fredir%25252F5d857493%25253Fid%25253D3196X602032%25252!!!!%25253Dhttp%2525253A%2525252F%2525252Fwww.moneysavingexpert.com%2525252Fredir%2525252F5d857493%2525253Fid%2525253D3196X602032%2525252!!!!%2525253Dhttp%252525253A%252525252F%252525252Fwww.moneysavingexpert.com%252525252Fredir%252525252F5d857493%252525253Fid%252525253D3196X602032%252525252!!!!%252525253Dhttp%25252525253A%25252525252F%25252525252Fwww.thehut.com%25252525252Fgames%25252525252Fplatforms%25252525252Fxbox-360%25252525252Fwanted-weapons-of-fate%25252525252F10035152.html


yet if I look at the page source/html:
<aclass="skimlinks" onclick="mugicPopWin(this); return false;" oncontextmenu="mugicRight(this)" href="http://www.thehut.com/games/platforms/xbox-360/wanted-weapons-of-fate/10035152.html&quot; target="_blank">http://www.thehut.com/games/platform.../10035152.html</a>



in order to make this change to the links, a javascript file is being downloaded to your computer & then ran.
that file DOES NOT come from the MSE servers:

<scripttype="text/javascript"src="http://moneysavingexpertcom.skimlinks.com/api/vb.mse.js"></script>
<scripttype="text/javascript">
<!--
var skimlinks_pub_id = '3196X602032';

var skimlinks_domain = 'www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/5d857493';

vBulletin.events.systemInit.subscribe(skimlinks);
//-->
</script>

edgex

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

Hard to test after the link has been removed.

For testing purposes...
www.ryman.co.uk/competition

Edit: Works fine for me on a middle-click to open in a new tab (which is what I do by default). But right-click and open in a new window or left-click to replace current tab both go to the default Ryman page. After this, hovering over the link above shows the redirect at the bottom of the screen.

first hover, status bar: http://www.ryman.co.uk/competition

copy shortcut: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/5d857493?id=3196X602032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ryman.co.uk%2Fcompetition

now when i hover over it: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/5d857493?id=3196X602032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ryman.co.uk%2Fcompetition



after page refresh

hover, status bar: http://www.ryman.co.uk/competition

properties, address: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/5d857493?id=3196X602032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ryman.co.uk%2Fcompetition

2nd hover, status bar: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/5d857493?id=3196X602032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ryman.co.uk%2Fcompetition



this can be seen/tested by anyone:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2653383



THEREFORE:

it does not display as a redirect in the status bar, unless & until some action has been performed on the link on your computer

furndire

jamesd wrote: »

furndire, for example, you might have thought of something I didn't write about initially: is it appropriate to change links that were written in the past, when the poster wouldn't have known that their links would be changed, and therefore can't have given any knowing consent for that to happen when they wrote their post?

It was links that were in the Competitions Forum that were causing me concern. Not all of them, but quite a lot. I've been out all day, so have not been on there today, but when I find some more I'll report back.
I wish I was more computer literate

Here's one, https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2645689, right click, copy shortcut, and you get

http://www .moneysavingexpert.com/redir/5d857493?id=3196X602032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.moneysavingexpert.com%2Fredir%2F5d857493%3Fid%3D3196X602032%2!!!!%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.habitat.co.uk%252Ffcp%252Fcontent%252Femail-signup%252Fcontent

I've had to put a space after the www. otherwise I couldn't have copied it in to this posting.

jamesd

edgex, different people may be getting different page versions as part of the testing, so don't count on it always coming from the Skimlinks server.

reduceditem

MSE_Dan wrote: »

This forum is massive, one of the UK’s biggest social networking sites. It has no adverts (no one can pay to be on the site) and does not generate any income.

:rotfl:

Semantics.

Minerva69

furndire wrote: »

I wonder how many of the visitors to this site - who expect it to be open and above board - know it is happening - not many - judging by the amount of responses they are getting on here - or don't they care ???????

It isn't that they don't care - it's more likely to be that they don't know what's happening. This is one of the things that bothers me most - the weekly email went out yesterday and there was a prime opportunity to mention the trial to members and non-members of MSE, but it wasn't mentioned. It seems as though the powers that be do want to keep it under wraps. Another recent post in the Techie forum where someone was accused of posting an affiliate link: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2653073

edgex

furndire wrote: »

It was links that were in the Competitions Forum that were causing me concern. Not all of them, but quite a lot. I've been out all day, so have not been on there today, but when I find some more I'll report back.
I wish I was more computer literate

Here's one, https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2645689, right click, copy shortcut, and you get

http://www .moneysavingexpert.com/redir/5d857493?id=3196X602032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.moneysavingexpert.com%2Fredir%2F5d857493%3Fid%3D3196X602032%2!!!!%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.habitat.co.uk%252Ffcp%252Fcontent%252Femail-signup%252Fcontent

I've had to put a space after the www. otherwise I couldn't have copied it in to this posting.

chocolateone wrote: »

Habitat

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hover, status bar: http://www.habitat.co.uk/fcp/content/email-signup/content

properties: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/5d857493?id=3196X602032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.habitat.co.uk%2Ffcp%2Fcontent%2Femail-signup%2Fcontent

hover again, status bar: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/5d857493?id=3196X602032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.habitat.co.uk%2Ffcp%2Fcontent%2Femail-signup%2Fcontent

copy shortcut: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/redir/5d857493?id=3196X602032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.moneysavingexpert.com%2Fredir%2F5d857493%3Fid%3D3196X602032%2!!!!%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.habitat.co.uk%252Ffcp%252Fcontent%252Femail-signup%252Fcontent

jamesd

reduceditem, yes there are plenty of ads here, just not direct paid placement for browser real estate use.

It's done via promotions like the deals list on the right of the page (which isn't paid placement, but is still advertising featured here), the moneysaving books promo and links to articles with commission-generating links. Most of the deals mentioned by posters in the forums are also advertising (by the company running the promotion). Money saving advertising, but still advertising anyway. It's a bit like arguing that "Sponsored by" TV programming isn't advertising when the advertiser is being mentioned as promoting the show or arguing that product placement isn't advertising because it's not during an ad break or is in a film instead of a TV show.

Not that this description is intended to be objecting to those things, because I think that Martin has generally done a pretty decent job of sorting out what's sensible and what isn't. It's just a bit odd to have Dan write as though consumers don't understand the various flavours of advertising that are used on web sites these days.