Referrals links

Annieg123

I've just received a message from MSE saying one of the comps I shared had to be removed due to it being a referral link.
When trawling the web for competitions how can I recognise if a competition is a referral link rather than a direct link?

And also does this message mean another user reported this as I would rather other users contacted me directly with any issues with my posts?

bluesooz

difficult to say without knowing the link posted but most referral link have an additional code after the main link. I always try to trim any link back to as short as possible that actually works, before posting but this isn't always easy Often the additional code is not a referral link but just may look odd and that may be what is picked up.

I've had a comp removed before for having a referral link and it wasn't

It may have been seen when you were off line and they wanted removed asap, who knows - but yes would be easier if you could know why. I believe the forum team have so many posts they have to deal with, after all it's a huge site, they really don't have the time to correspond about every post they remove. If you ask them, and say that no referral link was intended they can reinstate the post with an 'acceptable' link

hope all that made sense

edit I've just looked at some random comps you have posted and they all look as though you've made the links as short as possible

Browntoa

It's often "share for more chances, this is your link to share "

But it's not always that clear

One-Eye

1) The most common type is something like:
http://www.kuoni.co.uk/kuonimagazine?pid=aw&awc=3353_148741982
here everything after the "?" relates to you or where you got it from, and occasionally it can even contain your email address. In most cases you can delete the "?" and everything after it and the link will still work:
http://www.kuoni.co.uk/kuonimagazine

2) Related to "1)" is the timestamp:
http://caboodle.nationalbooktokens.com/Win-a-set-of-20-Pocket-Penguins#.V0V7ahNViko
This is not a referral, but the "#" and everything after it gives a time and date the URL was created and it can be traced back to you. Again the link will work without it:
http://caboodle.nationalbooktokens.com/Win-a-set-of-20-Pocket-Penguins

3) With woobox, prpage and others you are often given a referral link to use after you have entered the comp. The first group after the domain refers to the comp and the second group is the referral bit relating just to you.
http://woobox.com/he8suy/gpuupo .... https://prpage.co/EhD/3hgFFt3rt
You can delete this referral group and the link will still work:
http://woobox.com/he8suy .... https://prpage.co/EhD