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!

"My concern is that you cannot distinguish between links that are put there by MNers, and links that are put there by the affiliate programme. Could they be formatted differently?"

I agree, they should be a different colour at least.

Yes please to the different colour formatting.

Strongly agree that currently it looks like the poster is endorsing the site.

I don't like it. I just endorsed a DIY chain by accident.

Another vote for automatic links looking different to links I've purposely put there.

Thank you!

Should dd have an Apple or Orange in her packed lunch?

I use the iPhone app for almost all if my MN posts. I assume if I write a post including a brand name it will create links that I can't see from my iPhone, but others using computers will see links in my posts that I can't see. That doesn't seem quite right.

Completely understand your need for revenue though.

Phew.....we can still talk about fruit

Not seeing any links at all.

I'd prefer automatic links to events/restaurants(sp? brain dead)/countries/gigs/charities/books etc

Mind you, on a book/author thread, everybodies posts would be links, but you could have direct access to said book without faffing around at waterstones.

Think of the song links hmv could've made a wad of money

Or cancer charities they'd pay???

Scientific research?? or bridesmaid shops

Benefit threads could be linked to direct gov?? shoots self

Bladdy hell, nearly gave me a heart attack seeing a link I didn't put there...that's my anxiety nice and high for the day.

Totally agree that auto links should be formatted differently

Stylecraft
Yarn shops

Different formatting though, definitly but I'd rather help generate revenue and keep mn free through auto links.

How do they work though? Income just from clicking? Income through purchase? Income just from link?

I wouldn't use argos, ebay, tesco etc but would buy wool, gig tickets, overseas travel etc.

If it's made clear on site that "green" or whatever colour links are auto links then why not? you wouldn't have to put up with adds, you'd either click or not?

I don't think it's fair to use a website like MN for free then complain when they do something pretty innocuous like this to raise revenue. They have to pay the bills somehow.

Bertha, that is a valid argument and one that is normally referenced during threads like this. We all understand that MN is not a charity, although it helps to foster many charitable endeavours like the Woolly Hugs. However, if you consider its market space on the internet, it's unlikely that a subscription-based model would make commercial sense. There are other, competing forums which are free. There's no strong trend towards paywalls at the moment; I think MN is probably constrained to offering a free-to-use site for commercial reasons as well as because they believe it is the right thing to do.

So this then begs the question of who MN's customers are. Their users or their advertisers? (Not a new question, this tension has always existed in print media as well). Given none of the three can exist without the other two the rest is a question of balance. In this case, I think MN has got it wrong. Converting links we choose to put in to make them affiliate links seems reasonable. Converting random words that may or may not intend to reference the thing the link points to, which may or may not be the user's intention, which the user may or may not wish to endorse, does not.

Bear in mind, MN may lose as much revenue as it gains from the fact that some people find links extremely hard to create (because it is done in an arcane way). A better choice of revenue generation might be to move to more standard forum software so that more people are able to create links to the things of their choice.

I think anything which will generate revenue and enable MN to buy a RUDDY GREAT BIG NEW SERVER will be a good thing.

It is not obtrusive, and is a very mild form of advertising. I think MN is rather unique in the fact that they really listen to the users when advertising a particular thing is seen as against the ethos of the board - say they asked about LoveHunny, they asked about Macdonalds, and they have removed links to that daft Doctor Review site. Also, they are not venal, look how quickly they removed advertising from News International in the aftermath of the phone hacking scandal, they removed it within hours.

So, because the owners of this site are generally good eggs I think good on them when they capitalise on a way of making money which is not really contentious to the vast majority of the users.

That said, I think it is a very good idea that it would be a different format to a link which is created by the poster. I also think a sticky thread by MNHQ saying 'this is happening now' would be good.

I don't go on other websites, so how are links created on other forums?

Why do people think links are hard to create though? It's a couple of brackets.

"I think anything which will generate revenue and enable MN to buy a RUDDY GREAT BIG NEW SERVER will be a good thing."

This. +1

Aaahh now I understand. I mentioned QVC in a post and a link appeared. I couldn't work out why.

I put it down to age and me doing links and forgetting I'd done one

This business about the privilege of using MN for free should always be balanced by the reminder that users aren't non-paying customers: they are a resource. MN have created an immensely fertile resource for advertisers, and we are it. You might as well charge coal for being in a mine!

It's not doing it now!

Oh now it has...I'm going for a lie down.

It's not arcane at all, it's extremely simple, explained at the bottom AND there's even a box to tick now to do it automatically.

It's a lot easier than some forums where you have to know the html or bbcode format to add links (although admittedly some forums have a button to press which is arguably easier)

I understand it might be difficult for somebody who is not computer literate, but surely any method would be as difficult in that case.

TBH though on other websites which use the keyword auto link thing, it looks cheap and intrusive, that's my main objection.

BTW, I use adblocker software, but it's disabled on mumsnet because the ads are always unobtrusive and I value the use of the forum and support ads as a way of supporting it.

wot Oaty said.

It is a rich interdependent seam ripe for the mining of.

Jack Wills worked for me. And I said it in a disparaging way, too
Is it a money making thing? And I stand by my question in Aibu - will we start linking to people/blogs/sites (BBC, Fail etc) automatically, or just shops?

Haha oaty that is a very good point re coal in a mine.

RIGHT MNHQ you can start paying me - my invoice is in the post.