Skimlinks on Talk

I understand the need to pay for running the site and that means some ads.

I find the current version of skimlinks annoying as it looks just like a poster's intended link. I might want to click on that but I don't want to click to find a homepage. I suppose the suggestion of a different colour would minimise their effect?

I hate threads which take over the screen. My local newspaper uses these which makes it phenomenally annoying to read on the phone, and pretty pesky on the desktop. So please don't use those!

Ah. Now I can see S ainsbury's as a blue link on the mobile site. Shoulda kept me gob shut earlier huh

we collect information on visits and sales on Skimlinks Enabled Sites, including but not limited to order value, products bought, and order identifiers

This is concerning.
So Skumlinks builds a database that collects info on the products bought, the most of the order and 'order identifiers' which I assume is order number or delivery address...

Someone has that database, finds Sanesburies, they now have a list of order numbers, products bought and cost. Wouldn't take much to use that info to scam people I'd think?

I don't mind it. It must cost a fortune to run Mumsnet, and the only way I can imagine you avoiding external ads is if you developed products of your own, such as online training in "back to work" skills or functional apps such as Go Henry where vast numbers numbers of Mumsnetters would be your target audience anyway.

I think I have seen As da already so people are getting wise. If you don't spell it exactly right or stick a gap in it doesn't work.

Sorry. Ignore me. I was just trying to figure out what would override the automatic links, I meant to press 'preview,' not 'post'.

I agree that the links should definitely be a different colour to 'normal' links, and should only be rolled out on certain boards (Chat and AIBU, for example) as I think it would be massively insensitive on many others, and could be wrongly construed as advice.

Could there also be a message that alerts posters when they're about to post a message including the trigger words, to allow them to go back and edit it if they wish, since there is no option for users to edit their own posts once posted? I think you should give people a fair chance to choose not to promote these brands if they don't want to.

Also, isn't it going to make it trickier for posters to identify when someone is just spamming with their own (non paid-for) advertising content?

Ooh if you leave the apostrophe out of Sainsbury's it doesn't pick it up.

Harrods

Sainsbury's

Sainsbury's

Sainsbury's

Sainsbo's

YY to the different colour. Then we could differentiate between the ones posters have added and the link ones MN have put in.

TBH I have only seen Asda and Sainsburys (oh and Harrods). None of which interest me.

Skimlinks state that:

we store Users’ IP addresses, from which we can determine a User’s approximate geographical location (e.g. country or region). We need this information to optimize the links that are created/monetized to suit the geography of the User, and to provide aggregate reporting to Publishers, Merchants and Advertisers on the location of users visiting Skimlinks Enabled Sites. We also use IP addresses as part of our efforts to reduce fraud and identify non-human browsing patterns.
we store information about the device that a User uses to access sites within our Publisher network, such as the browser type, browser version, and type of device. This helps us ensure we can diagnose and fix browser compatibility issues more swiftly, optimize our service to suit the preferred browsing environments, and provide aggregate reporting to Publishers, Merchants and Advertisers.
we store anonymous information, using cookies and device identifiers, about the websites within our Publisher network that Users visit, which of our links Users click on, and whether Users make a purchase. This enables us to provide Users with relevant and useful links and advertising to products and/or services in which they are likely to be interested, and to Merchants and Advertisers from whom they are likely to want to buy. Further information regarding the cookies we utilise to collect this information can be found here.
as part of the information available in standard web serving logs, we also store information about the referrer, i.e. the website page from which the User linked to the Skimlinks Enabled Site.
to provide Publishers and Merchants with the Service, we collect information on visits and sales on Skimlinks Enabled Sites, including but not limited to order value, products bought, and order identifiers. These are used to help Publishers, Merchants and Advertisers make better marketing and content creation decisions.
at no time do we know who a User is, nor do we make any attempt to try and identify a User.

Since this is "including but not limited to", can MNHQ please confirm exactly what information on users they are selling to these external companies? And again, in which part of the site's T&C or privacy policy we agreed to this on signup.

Thanks.

Yes, if the skimlinks were a different colour that would be much better.

It stops them feeling a bit, I dunno, devious.

I dunno, Justine. Skimlinks have been lurking in the background of the site for ages before the introduction of these autolinks, along with a few other ad trackers. I questioned this on the 'why is MN so slow?' thread and asked what data they are collecting.

Your privacy policy says:

Passive Information Collection

As you navigate through this site, certain anonymous information can be passively collected (that is, gathered without your actively providing the information) using various technologies, such as cookies*, clicktags, beacons and other navigational data collection (such as server logs). Your internet browser automatically transmits to this site some of this anonymous information, such as the url of the website you just came from and the IP address and the browser version your computer is currently using. Via the IP address we may also determine your rough geographical location, such as town or city.

This helps us analyse data about our site traffic, so we can improve Mumsnet and tailor it more to our members' needs. All information is anonymous and only used for operational purposes.

Clearly Skimlinks and the others are collecting passive data for reasons other than 'operational purposes', we've been to their site - it's their whole business model. Does it not count if it's a third party to whom you've given permission, rather than MN itself?

I do think this is a bad move. There have been problems with stability, speed and security which I wouldn't mind betting are down to the ads and ad-related scripts that are running and this latest development looks like the kind of thing that happens when you get a virus. It makes the site look cheap and nasty and IMO damages your brand. I think it's likely that more and more people will just start blocking ads and ad trackers altogether.

I realise MN needs to make money. Several of us have said we'd pay for an ad-free version. It could be offered as an option, then people who don't want to pay can continue to see ads. Worth a try?

I think at the very least you need to update your privacy policy.

MNHQ, if you want to go ahead with these word links, could they please be in a different colour to the links people create in their posts? That would really help avoid confusion.

Deeply dislike this advertising strategy. Makes an individual's post into an free advertisement - even if they do not in any way endorse the product. At the very least it should be made blatantly clear that this is not a link inserted by the poster themselves.

For reference for MNHQ:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2846336-Is-anyone-else-finding-the-word-sainsbury-s-as-a-link-to-the-website

And to everyone else, there's details there of what information MNHQ are selling about our usage, and also details of how you can block or opt out of this intrusion.

I'd also quite like a response to my question about whether we are to expect from now on that all clicks on this website are now hidden marketing attempts, despite not being apparent.

Could there be a pay to ensure scum bag journos don't copy and paste threads into shit rags?

Mumsnet, can you please respond to the point I raised days ago in a reported thread, and through email....

WHY are these affiliate links 'hidden' from plain sight? Usually with an affiliate link, when you hover over them, it would be obvious. Why is this being done in such a sneaky way?
And also, where in the signup process did we agree to you sharing details with marketing companies such as the content and value of our shopping purchases?

MNHQ, please rethink this decision.

People discuss a lot of moving and sensitive stuff on MN. Imagine how intrusive and just plain awful it would be to have links inserting themselves into posts about bereavement, sexual assault, seriously ill children, etc. Do you really want someone posting for a support when their premature baby has died in NICU and the thread is shoved full of links to baby clothes and baby cots and baby foods?

Just... no.

It's not on the app. Do most people access the site on a desktop??

I posted this on another thread. I didn't know they were called Sminlinks so hadn't picked up on this thread:-

You
Why does typing in names of certain companies automatically cause them to hyperlink to their websites?
Like here - Sainsburys
and here - Halfords

I appreciate MN needs revenue to survive, but actually hyperlinking on words in people's threads seems a bit much. It's like a parody of a movie where absolutely every product is brought in as sponsorship - hero drinks from cans clearly marked Coke, Budweiser; eats from MacDonalds take-away bags, visibly puts on his Nike trainers.
hmm
I don't like it.
It's tacky.

So if I keep posting that cadburys chocolate tastes like shite since kraft bought them, MN gets money and Cadburys and kraft ads will flood my screen?

I'm sure there's a flaw in your plan somewhere MNHQ.

As a pp said it looks so cheap and reminds me of porn sites with endless links everywhere. I don't like wrap ads either as a user but they don't affect my perception of the 'quality' of the site.

I agree with the poster above who said they make a site look cheap.

It reminds me of some of the clickbait sites