Referrer override

John_Aloisi

So I see referrer overrides a lot on here, mostly though facebook comps.

Now I always thought this was a way to get extra entries because you see a lot of comps which say get bonus entries for every entry through this unique link.

However, increasingly I see a links with referrer overrides posted by experienced posters which makes me wonder what's going on.

I posted a similar question on a thread and never got a straight answer. Are people using referrer override links to get extra entries into competitions or is it just an innocent thing?

weeowens

John_Aloisi wrote: »

So I see referrer overrides a lot on here, mostly though facebook comps.

Now I always thought this was a way to get extra entries because you see a lot of comps which say get bonus entries for every entry through this unique link.

However, increasingly I see a links with referrer overrides posted by experienced posters which makes me wonder what's going on.

I posted a similar question on a thread and never got a straight answer. Are people using referrer override links to get extra entries into competitions or is it just an innocent thing?

Hi,it is probably an innocent thing but personally I would repost it with a short/clean link for clarity.

Just my view & not definitive of course:D

StrayCat

I always comment with a clean link if I see it happening, although sometimes 100 people have thanked the poster by then. It's one of my pet peeves to see people doing this, granted some people will post in innocence but a lot of them you have to click through the link posted on your own Facebook page to get your referral link so certainly some people know exactly what they're doing.

Rosiemary

Could somebody explain what this actually means as I am not sure what 'referrer overrides' is. I am not an experienced comper. Thanks P.S I did google it first.

custardcream1000

Rosiemary wrote: »

Could somebody explain what this actually means as I am not sure what 'referrer overrides' is. I am not an experienced comper. Thanks P.S I did google it first.

When you enter a FB comp it often gives you the option to share a link with friends to gain extra votes. I think it is being suggested that people then put this extra vote link in the competition posting rather than a link that is not associated with their entry.

So if 100 people clicked on that link and entered it would give the competition poster an extra 100+ entries!

Please correct me if I am wrong, as it is a term I have never heard of either.

I hope this is a genuine mistake being made by posters and not intentional x

LadyMorticia

Sometimes a link will have "referrer" in the link but it's not actually a referral link.

One-Eye

Referral links where the poster derives a benefit (such as an extra entry) are strictly against MSE rules - This is stated at the top of every page:



It is not just Facebook - normal web links can also be referral links. I believe 99% of these are posted in innocence.

There are many more links posted where the poster doesn't derive a benefit but the link contains extra information that allows the website to see where/when/who posted the link. Particular care should be taken when posting a link from an email you have received.

It is always best to shorten a link where possible. To do this delete from the right upto and including the "?". If this doesn't work delete from the right upto and including the first "&" to the right of the "?". If it still doesn't work try it at the second "&" and so on. examples:

http://www.mse.com/comp?sid=70258235x21f99vwb change to http://www.mse.com/comp

http://www.mse.com/?comp=1234&ns=1&uid=e4e5 change to http://www.mse.com/ doesn't work, but http://www.mse.com/?comp=1234 works OK

http://www.mse.com/comp/#.Uh2ysZhGQf0 change to http://www.mse.com/comp/ (this is a time/date stamp and is very common)

If all else fails you can always post the URL one level up - often the comp page - and say something like "enter bottom right" or "click on 'win an ipad' - second comp down" etc.