What is a clean link please?

hdh74

Can someone explain this to me, what it is, how to spot when a link I want to post needs changing and how to do it?

One-Eye

Links often have extra information tagged on the end - especially if you take them from an email. This means the website you go to can tell where you have come from and sometimes even who you are, what your facebook page is etc. In the worst cases I have seen the poster's private email address clearly displayed in the link itself. In some cases the full link is a referral link and its use gives its originator extra comp entries, or a website might get "advertising" revenue. Referral links are banned from MSE.

1) The most common type is something like:
http://www.kuoni.co.uk/kuonimagazine?pid=aw&awc=3353_148741982
In most cases you can delete the "?" and everything after it and the link will still work:
http://www.kuoni.co.uk/kuonimagazine
If the shortened link doesn't work you may need some of the information to the right of the "?". Go to the first "&", delete it and everything after it:
http://www.kuoni.co.uk/kuonimagazine?pid=aw

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 maybe it can be traced back to you using this. 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 ("get an extra entry for every friend who uses your personal link"). 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

If all else fails, post the full link and somebody more experienced will try to post a clean link for you. If possible you should always then edit your post to replace your full link with the clean link.

bluesooz

I've noticed that MSE are now adding affiliate links - so although the link on here looks clean, there is a lot of affiliate stuff on the url of the page you go to.  I note that occasionally someone will post a 'clean' link saying affiliate links aren't allowed yet the original link was clean -  it's just MSE  eg https://www.appleyardflowers.com/

hdh74

That's really helpful thank you one-eye

mjm3346

bluesooz said:

I've noticed that MSE are now adding affiliate links - so although the link on here looks clean, there is a lot of affiliate stuff on the url of the page you go to.  I note that occasionally someone will post a 'clean' link saying affiliate links aren't allowed yet the original link was clean -  it's just MSE  eg https://www.appleyardflowers.com/

I noticed this using the swagbucks thread, change the settings in your profile to untick the skimlinks box stops it (I think the default on the old forum was off but that has not carried through to the new forum)

I think they have set this up the wrong way round - instead of registered members turning it on if they want them and anyone not logged in getting them - they have reversed that and have registered members needing to opt out while anyone not logged in doesn't get them (I tried incognito to see what happens)

pate-ci0

mjm3346 said:

bluesooz said:

I've noticed that MSE are now adding affiliate links - so although the link on here looks clean, there is a lot of affiliate stuff on the url of the page you go to.  I note that occasionally someone will post a 'clean' link saying affiliate links aren't allowed yet the original link was clean -  it's just MSE  eg https://www.appleyardflowers.com/

I noticed this using the swagbucks thread, change the settings in your profile to untick the skimlinks box stops it (I think the default on the old forum was off but that has not carried through to the new forum)

I think they have set this up the wrong way round - instead of registered members turning it on if they want them and anyone not logged in getting them - they have reversed that and have registered members needing to opt out while anyone not logged in doesn't get them (I tried incognito to see what happens)

Here's an interesting one; I untick Show Skimlinks, click Save and get an error message Usernames must be 3-20 characters and consist of letters, numbers, and underscores. My username has a dash in it (allowed in previous forum software), however I cannot edit it since it is greyed out and therefore cannot modify the profile. Hmmm...

gdmoney

bluesooz said:

I've noticed that MSE are now adding affiliate links - so although the link on here looks clean, there is a lot of affiliate stuff on the url of the page you go to.  I note that occasionally someone will post a 'clean' link saying affiliate links aren't allowed yet the original link was clean -  it's just MSE  eg https://www.appleyardflowers.com/

Thanks for the info bluesooz. I have been adding clean links without realising MSE was putting in the affiliate stuff - even after I posted a supposedly clean link.

One-Eye

pate-ci0 said:

Here's an interesting one; I untick Show Skimlinks, click Save and get an error message Usernames must be 3-20 characters and consist of letters, numbers, and underscores. My username has a dash in it (allowed in previous forum software), however I cannot edit it since it is greyed out and therefore cannot modify the profile. Hmmm...

Of course - I hit the same block. I have reported in Site Feedback.