Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Site stuff

Join our Innovation Panel to try new features early and help make Mumsnet better.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

MNHQ

Skimlinks on Talk

462 replies

AmyGMumsnet · 03/02/2017 18:54

Hi folks,

Some of you might have spotted a few more links in discussions across the site - this is because we're testing out a programme called Skimlinks, which auto-converts some of your brand mentions into links.

This makes it easier for you to have a look at products that other MNers happen to mention on the boards, and, if you decide to make a purchase from one of these links, Mumsnet benefits from a small commission.

Thanks all - let us know if you experience any issues that you think might be related.

MNHQ

OP posts:
Thread gallery
12
WhyPost · 15/02/2017 20:47

HOW TO OPT OUT OF SKIMLINKS

Can someone who knows what they are doing confirm whether you can opt out of 'skimlinks' using THIS OP-out Skimlinks cookie or can you use THIS your-online-choices UK

Do they work with iOS?
Thanks

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 15/02/2017 21:01

No skimlinks on the mobile site....

olderthanyouthink · 15/02/2017 21:38

WhyPost
On that first link with my ad blocker on I get:

"Your current Skimlinks cookie status:
Disabled

For information and FAQs on the Skimlinks Optimization Cookie, please see the End-user Privacy Policy »
It appears that you have 3rd party cookies disabled on your browser. This means the Skimlinks optimization cookie is inactive.

You do not need to take further action at this time."

With my ad blocker off i get:

"Your current Skimlinks cookie status:

skimresources.com:

redirectingat.com:

For information and FAQs on the Skimlinks Optimization Cookie, please see the End-user Privacy Policy »
Change your status:

Opt-in | Opt-out"

I click opt out and... Its says I've opted out, I can see the cookie that says I've opted out but I still get skimlinks Sad (I forgot how awful MN is without ad blocker btw)

I shall play around with it though and report back if i make progress.

tribpot · 15/02/2017 21:58

Skimlinks were trialled on The Motley Fool many years ago and were hated. They were, however, double underlined in green to distinguish them properly from links inserted by posters - the lighter blue is utterly lame.

Several posters adopted a disclaimer which they added to every post to indicate that all links added had been done so without their consent and that they in no way endorsed the products and companies linked to.

SwedishEdith · 15/02/2017 22:08

If I put 'Sainsbury's' it won't link? What 'about Sainsbury's'?

SwedishEdith · 15/02/2017 22:11

Just experimenting here. So Sainsbury's = link, 'Sainsbury's' = no link, 'Sainsbury's but with words after the name' = ???

SwedishEdith · 15/02/2017 22:14

'Oh, so if you put quote marks around your whole post it will stop Sainsbury's becoming an link'?

Or only if the quote mark is next to the word 'Sainsbury's itself'?

SwedishEdith · 15/02/2017 22:15

The latter. Grin

SealSong · 15/02/2017 22:24

MNHQ thank you for changing the colour of skimlinks links but it is not enough of a change, it looks almost the same blue. It;s impossible to tell the difference between a skimlink and a user generated link visually. Can you make it a totally different colour eg green??

WhyPost · 15/02/2017 22:36

olderthanyouthink

I've also tried blocking the go.redirectingat.com and go.skimresources.com websites that redirect you from the link word to the desired website by using the block list in the settings>>general>>restrictions but it doesn't work. (Possibly because I don't know what I'm doing 😂 )

It's annoying that the adblock app doesn't stop them.

There must be a way to stop them.......

WhyPost · 15/02/2017 22:43

BTW MNHQ. I agree with the earlier poster that although the skimlinks are a different colour to the regular links they are still too similar and it's still too easy to mistakenly clink a skimlink. I don't know if this was deliberate or not but if you want to make it obvious that they are advertising then they need to be a different colour.

Thanks.

olderthanyouthink · 15/02/2017 22:50

AAAHHHHH HHHAAAAA

The opt out thing ended up being a bust. I guess the opt out cookie wasn't being checked.

Then I realised, I can use my adblock to blacklist the script! BUT, I couldn't get the damn thing to block so I took to google and lo and behold I found this:
"AdBlock Plus said Skimlinks has qualified to be on the AdBlock Plus whitelist and pays to have the links intact, at least for AdBlock Plus users, so the publisher can track the sale and get credit for it." Genuine link to article.

So now I've gone nuclear and disabled the "Allow some non-intrusive advertising" option (never bothered me before skimlinks started lighting up MN), NO MORE SKIMLINKS..

PS MNHQ light blue wasn't different enough, especially if they aren't next to a normal link, how about red with a thick border so there's no mistaking them.

olderthanyouthink · 15/02/2017 22:51

@WhyPost see my latest post (quick before MNHQ delete it!!!!)

WhyPost · 15/02/2017 22:56

So now I've gone nuclear and disabled the "Allow some non-intrusive advertising" option (never bothered me before skimlinks started lighting up MN), NO MORE SKIMLINKS
olderthanyouthink
I'd already disabled the "Allow some non-intrusive advertising" option but I am still getting the ruddy skimlinks. I've turned it off and on again Wink

I only allow cookies from the website I'm currently visiting. I know I could have more control if I allowed cookies but then I have to allow cookies.... grrr so frustrating. That Adblock whitelist is REALLY irritating. Ive got on well with Adblock plu but I'm going to look and see if there is a better option.

olderthanyouthink · 15/02/2017 23:38

WhyPost
I've got AB and ABP. I was fiddling with the ABP settings, I took out all my attempts at custom filters and toggling the "non-intrusive" think is all i need.

I've still got the opt out cookie that was set on the link you gave earlier too.

olderthanyouthink · 15/02/2017 23:40

Just checked AB on its own and disabling that option works.

Odd that its not working for you

WhyPost · 15/02/2017 23:52

Now I've logged myself out on my iPad and can't log back in 😂. I'm posting from my phone! . I thought clearing out all my cookies was a good idea..... Angry

I'll get there, eventually

olderthanyouthink · 15/02/2017 23:57

WhyPost oh no! I never clear all my cookies anymore, just select ones from select domains or the ones from the past day/week. Someone at work did it to my laptop and I couldn't do anything because I was locked out of so much, too ages to put right. Blush

WhyPost · 16/02/2017 00:07

I'm really good at keeping track of my passwords and log in details (all different and complex passwords plus lots of unique emails etc - 😇)

I can log into other site just not mumsnet. I hope that Justines not banned me 😂

WhyPost · 16/02/2017 00:19

I'm back in and I think that I've got rid of Skimlinks. Phew. 😁

WhyPost · 16/02/2017 01:00

No, I was wrong. Skimlinks is still working and is still ANNOYING me. 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡

WhyPost · 16/02/2017 01:03

Scrap that..... it is working. I'd just forgotten that I'd turned off Adblock Plus. 😬

All good...

olderthanyouthink · 16/02/2017 09:20

WhyPost HAHAHAHA, at least you got there in the end 😂.

I'm pretty bad with passwords, though I do know better so at work my passwords are like "fiw9Ueo2hd;(JS". No one remembers those though.

MNHQ
AmyMumsnet · 16/02/2017 10:17

Hi folks,

Changing the auto-links to light blue was the quickest way to differentiate them from other links, but we'll get Tech back on the case and see if we can choose a more obvious colour.

tribpot · 16/02/2017 13:46

You've got a skimwords-link class in your CSS and the colour is set to #1899ee. It would have been just as easy to choose a different colour.

Swipe left for the next trending thread