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Original poster

Hello MNHQ - a question about automatic links please?

288 replies

rhondajean · 02/10/2012 22:52

Seems that quite a few of us are now having names of online shops come up as automatic links.

Eg(and fingers crossed these work!

Argos
Next
Marks and spencers
Wilkes
Toys r us

Can you confirm if this is a new addition to MN or are we all infected with something nasty?

Thankoo! Grin

OP posts:
Asmywhimsytakesme · 03/10/2012 23:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Empusa · 03/10/2012 23:41

Thinking about the list of advertisers are they ones that MN would normally work with? Has anyone checked that Nestle works?

Valpollicella · 03/10/2012 23:35

I hate the fact that Wonga come up autolinked (sometimes)

Given that these people ate just about legal loan sharks, with a bajillion % interest and also the fact they seem to be piss poor in their fraud dept (people who never took out loams are being hounde)

Is thete any way of filtering these ? Cos Id bet Ds's piggy bank on the fact you wouldnt carry an ad from them

CouthyMowWearingOrange · 03/10/2012 23:27
CouthyMowWearingOrange · 03/10/2012 23:26

I'm on the mobile site (not the App) and I can see the links on here. And I DID unintentionally link when I typed cuntingiphone without the cunting in front. And I can't even SEE that on the App. Angry

MaryZed · 03/10/2012 23:20

I know

Earlier non-capitalisation worked, now it doesn't. They must have fixed it during the 9 o'clock tweak.

I'm going to call it cuntingargos from now on.

And what Nagoo said.

Nagoo · 03/10/2012 23:18

Just because I know you are listening, I would like to say:

yes, I do think that it looks like you endorse the linked-to companies.

and no, I don't mind that you do it to get revenue. I'll love it the day you get that new server Grin

but again please, can we make it so that the links are differentiated from those put into posts by the poster.

Thanks
JollyToddler · 03/10/2012 23:13

Mary, your argos with no capital linked on my phone.

OhBuggerandArse · 03/10/2012 23:04

Don't like it at all. But different colours would be better than what's happening now.

Empusa · 03/10/2012 23:03

Have to say, if I was looking at joining a new forum and saw this feature, I'd decide against joining as it suggests caring more about revenue than users. Now there is nothing wrong with caring more about revenue, the problem lies with letting your users know this.

AndWhenYouGetThere · 03/10/2012 23:02

I've not got any links yet, by the way.
I'm enjoying the freedom from it, and waiting for the inevitable, but for those who got it without warning, that's pretty poor form.

If I hadn't read these threads now, when it arrived, I'd have assumed it was malware and spent ages "disinfecting" myself (which on a work laptop, in the office, is rather embarrassing!)

CouthyMowWearingOrange · 03/10/2012 23:01

Who will tell the pedants?

AndWhenYouGetThere · 03/10/2012 23:00

How about only underlining deliberate, user-intended links all the time? The affiliate links can stay only underlined when you hover?
One hyperlink colour, and you can skimread over the affiliate bits easily if you want to. They certainly need to be less attention grabbing/emphasised than poster's own links.

CouthyMowWearingOrange · 03/10/2012 23:00

I will join you in your wails, Mary. But I will be less pedantic if it means I'm not inadvertently linking!

MaryZed · 03/10/2012 22:59

I posted this on the other thread:

Apparently small letters don't make links, so argos, marks and spencer etc are ok. As is cuntingsainsburys (all one word, no capitals).

So we have a choice - use capitals correctly and link inadvertently, or give up on our inner pendants and use small letters and no spaces.

CouthyMowWearingOrange · 03/10/2012 22:54

Or an acronym for those that dislike the use of 'cunting' on MN - maybe NPLT (Not Purposely Linked To) before a company name?

Can come up with a myriad of ways to get around this. Just wish I didn't have to.

I left an epilepsy support forum I had used for 6 years when they did this. I am aggrieved that MNHQ have done this. It will affect the free-flow of posts on here.

RandallPinkFloyd · 03/10/2012 22:53

Ah, just wondered.

I use adblocker so can't see any but just wondered if I could "make" them IYSWIM!

eBay ?

THEMardy · 03/10/2012 22:50

SWMNBN

TSSDNCOP

Sparklingbrook · 03/10/2012 22:49

No Randall it didn't. Tesco.

CouthyMowWearingOrange · 03/10/2012 22:49

I've just worked out one way of avoiding it. Just type cuntingtalktalk or cuntingsainsbury's without the correct capitalisation.

Which irritates the pedant in me, but not as much as the automatic linkys do.

Bet their algorithm hasn't been designed to deal with THAT one! Grin

Sparklingbrook · 03/10/2012 22:48

Phew

Sparklingbrook · 03/10/2012 22:48

Annabel Karmel

THEMardy · 03/10/2012 22:47

PerUna
Per Una

THEMardy · 03/10/2012 22:46

No that wasn't going to happen, was it?

THEMardy · 03/10/2012 22:46

Gina Ford