Skimlinks

meher

WhiteHorse wrote: »

I would suggest that the use of skimlink has compromised the integrity of MSE by virtue of the fact that MSE is now linked financially to particular retailers.

The site move according to the times and that's where integrity lies - when a business gets bigger, resources should be allocated for it's upkeep and maintenance or, imo, it would be downright disrespectful to it's users; also why would anyone want to have faith in a money saving site that doesn't demonstrate any financial sense.

WhiteHorse wrote: »

Does this also explain the recent changes to the site, and the technical problems that many are experiencing?

I could be wrong but I somehow get the feeling that it is these kind of unfound suggestions that actually take the focus away from real problems.

Mandelbrot

Link to some previous discussion on this.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2640163

WhiteHorse

meher wrote: »

The site move according to the times and that's where integrity lies - when a business gets bigger, resources should be allocated for it's upkeep and maintenance ...

So MSE is now a business.

... also why would anyone want to have faith in a money saving site that doesn't demonstrate any financial sense.

And why should anyone trust a consumer site that gets kickbacks from retailers?

I could be wrong but I somehow get the feeling that it is these kind of unfound suggestions that actually take the focus away from real problems.

We are not talking 'suggestions', we are talking facts. MSE now gets kickbacks.

meher

WhiteHorse wrote: »

We are not talking 'suggestions', we are talking facts. MSE now gets kickbacks.

:rotfl: so sorry this is getting funny by now :rotfl: I suspect we view the site and it's dynamics differently - you see the revenue as kickbacks, I see them as royalties, so I'll leave it at that

and you probably misunderstood me

by suggestions, I meant your post suggesting that this was causing techi issues, if I read it correctly:

WhiteHorse wrote: »

Does this also explain the recent changes to the site, and the technical problems that many are experiencing?

^ not a fact surely?

jamesd

WhiteHorse wrote: »

So MSE is now a business.

MSE has been a for profit business since Martin founded the site, though if I recall correctly he's said that he initially didn't anticipate it making much if any money. If you want not for profit try Wikipedia or Which. The second of those will try hard to sell you things, the first periodically to get you to donate.

WhiteHorse wrote: »

And why should anyone trust a consumer site that gets kickbacks from retailers?

For the same reason that you might trust a newspaper that has ads or ITV news that has ads within the news: journalist ethical standards.

Martin has in the past said that the only way that finance influences what is recommended is the choice of topics to advertise in places like the front page, not the recommendations within each topic. Advertising those topics is likely to favour the ones that are of most interest because those are likely to end up making the most money, though maybe not always.

Maybe you don't trust him to act in that way but I do, even though I do disagree with how he describes some things and use a far more comprehensive dictionary definition of advertising than he has used in posts here.

WhiteHorse wrote: »

We are not talking 'suggestions', we are talking facts. MSE now gets kickbacks.

The original links are added to posts by consumers. How do you think MSE is persuading consumers to link to things so it'll make money, even if it does subsequently modify the posts to insert a link that the original poster didn't intend to have there?

While I greatly dislike the use of Skimlinks or other things that modify the post content of consumers in any way I do trust that Martin is very well aware that integrity of the recommendations here is crucial to his personal and site reputations and knows the huge damage that could be done if those were found to be modified by revenue concerns. It's extremely easy for consumers to move online and no shortage at all of places that would love to have his audience move to them if he trips up significantly. He knows more than enough to avoid killing the goose that's laying the golden eggs.