Hello MNHQ - a question about automatic links please?

[rhondajean]

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!

I would happily pay a yearly fee. But not if the intention behind this (not to mention the availability problems of the site, which goes offline more regularly than any other I visit) was to induce me to do so.

I also find it hard to believe MN did not consider whether the links would be regarded as endorsement. This has been poorly handled.

I would pay too. Might not be enough, but I would. I guess not everyone would and that causes problems.

I do understand you need revenue. But there are other ways.

actually, that would lose you traffic

All right, now that truly is weird. Borden does NOT link on my computer. Is that because I am in a different country? Or is it because I run MN CLassic? Or any other random variation?

Most peculiar.

Unless MNHQ do the links in a different colour there is scope for shenanigans. Like this link to Sainsburys

eBay

Boden

Argos

Hmm. Mary your one is underlined.

Sainsburys
sainsburys

Oh. My phone underlines things. Have I not noticed underlining before?

Excellent Chops.

May I add: mumsnet

Surely it should be Mumsnet

Very clever Trills [approving]

We could have some fun with this .

Netmums

Norty Trills!

I will Mis-spell everything. I do not want my words turning into links. If I want to link I will link. If I don't, I will make sure I don't. It would be better if mnhq focussed on making it easier to link rather than this automatic shit.

It's bad enough the bloody iPad insisting on typing something other that what i actually put, for example the capital letter on the first line of my post, without this bollocks as well.

Yuk. Now I can see and click (not going to though) on the linkys in the Jeffing App. FFS.

I don't like it, and whilst I'm willing to accept that it might be necessary to replace creaking servers raise revenue there are some issues and I agree with others that:

I first thought it was malware.

Whilst affiliate links have the potential to be confused by user added ones it does look like endorsement. Links should therefore be different - a different colour would be fine. As others have demonstrated something that can't be user manipulated ;)

MN should have control over what words will be linked to, how hard would it be for a list of companies to be linked to to be approved? Only companies that you would accept advertising from should be on the list.

I also feel that it is wrong that the adverts are appearing on old threads written before we knew that this would happen. Now we know we can take steps to avoid but that isn't possible with old threads.

I have reinstated my adblocking for MN - previously I was happy to see adverts on MN as I felt that those shown were carefully considered and appropriate. The problem remains however that although I can't see it others may think I am linking when I am not.

I think it looks like the poster has linked to the site, and that they intended to do so. Which misrepresents the poster.

I also think there should have been some notice given that this was/is being introduced? Perhaps a note at the bottom in the section that tells you how to do links, something like "autolinks for brand names may self-complete"?

But once you're aware of it all you have to do is start doing A r g o s or whatever workaround to stop it working on new posts. Retrofitting it to old posts is vair naughty though. IMO.

why do some keywords link, and others not?

I am confused.

I don't like it, but accept the mney-making potential. I would prefer random links in a different colour.

Very clever trills!

Actually the more I think about it, I'd rather PAY a yearly fee to have an advert free MN

You can have an advert free mumsnet by installing adblocker. I have just disabled mine to see what you are all talking about, because with it enabled, I can't see the links.

ooh do u have a link please?

Download google chrome, Chops, and then go to their tools thingy. It's great - and they have a Facebook-demand-blocker-thingy [technical term] as well.

Hello. Just to let you know that Justine has posted this morning about this here.

But, in essence, we're going to take these links off for a while now and have a re-think about it. Thanks for all your input.