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!

Justine, how on earth could you NOT have realised that this is a form of endorsement?

I don't understand how you can run business masterclasses or whatever they are and not have considered that, when it's instinct to most of us.

I'm appalled, I really am.

and I hope that doesn't sound snarky. I am really upset about this. I want to think the best of you lot at HQ.

I'm just having a little trouble

god, i find it really awful and annoying. and makes it look like the poster has added a link on purpose. I agree a different colour would be good, if you really have to carry on MNHQ. It's very offputting and I find it strangely intrusive.

What Naoko says.

Any advertising that looks sufficiently like malware to be mistaken for it is poor advertising, and I think badly of any website that uses it.

Switch it off.

SO how does it earn revenue then?

Do we have to actually click on the links to make you any money or do people pay you just for them being there?

Arf at the sweater shop

Seventh - I don't think the Fool does. It was staggeringly unpopular when it was introduced about 10 years ago and it doesn't look like the boards are covered it in now.

This is what has slowed MN down. Isn't it.

I don't like it. I WANT links I purposely put in my post in one colour, and other links in another. I don't want to give any company free advertising - what if I'm complaining about them, or just don't like them.

And it HAS slowed MN down. In fact it keeps breaking MN.

And I don't like it.

So there.

Bargain Booze

Kwik Save

Littlewoods

Farm Foods

Poundstretcher

Cash Converters

99p Stores

Primark

Peacocks

Lidl

Aldi

Edinburgh Woollen Mill

M&Co

Greggs

Are you trying to break mumnset Mary? At least the bits that aren't already broken.

Nestle
Aptamil
SMA
Cow and Gate
Nescafe
Body Shop
Facebook
Twitter
Fruitshoot
Annabel Karmel

And I won't even KNOW I'm making these links. Because I post from my iPhone.

People might think I'm ok with it, when I'm not, and I've just typed in a hurry, and won't even see it to be able to apologise for it!

Debenhams

Co-op

Sainsbury's

Tesco

Asda

Waitrose

Marks and Spencer

Iceland

(Just seeing who they are supporting and who they aren't)

Barclays

Lloyds TSB

HSBC

Royal Bank of Scotland

NatWest

Do the MNs have the ability to prevent their own posts creating clickable links? (I think they should have, btw).

But it changes. sometimes Sains burys is a link, sometimes it's not.

Daily Mail

The Sun

Daily Record

Scotsman

Herald

Daily Star

Guardian

The Independent

The Metro

I don't like it. How will it work in the Style and Beauty threads where people mentions shops all the time and do real links, just to confusing.

I don't want to be a conduit for Advertisers. Those companies get enough chuffng money.

Worst
Idea
Ever