Links in posts to mumsnet site sections

[popehilarious]

Noticed a few posts mentioning things like alcohol and reviews and they'd had links added to relevant sections of the mumsnet site. Wondered if this was an automatic thing. I used to see it in the Guardian and it would drive me mad!

I might even go to which?, thanks autocorrect....

These links can be really inappropriate. Someone is at the end of their tether with their teenage DD and the post is linking to vacuum cleaner reviews. It's ridiculous.

It's gross and makes me resolve never ever to click on those links. Stop it.

Well I like them but I have always been a bit unusual

It's really fucking annoying MNHQ. I already use an ad blocker, now I can't turn these off. Plus, I originally assumed it was something that the OP had chosen to link to.

Hello everyone - thanks for your comments. This feature is being worked on & we'll be back in touch shortly with an update.

Take it away.

PLEASE

I knew what that was going to be, Teacake but I still clicked on it

The links look absolutely ridiculous at best, insensitive at worst. Even the most forgiving site user is going to be irritated by them after a short while and stop clicking through.

saucery Its the only clicky link that MN should approve!

So are people just going to misspell things or capitalize letters?

Teacake

It's dire.

MNHQ please either get rid or make them optional.
So intrusive and also I don't want to post things that become adverts. It's horrid please make it go

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/2845367-Skimlinks-on-Talk

We've been here before and it didn't go down well!

Surely if you're going to try to introduce something many users previously disliked, the least you could do is take into account their feedback and suggestions?

2 years ago people asked for the following, and 2 years later people are repeating their requests.

SealSong Tue 07-Feb-17 08:39:26 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?

RockNRollNerd Sat 11-Feb-17 13:50:53 Will you be using them on the more 'sensitive' groups... I'm uncomfortable with the idea that they would appear on threads in areas such as bereavement, relationships etc.

Thread from last time

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/2845367-Skimlinks-on-Talk

Not the only time it's been trialled.

The problem is not only do MN get income from links but that people posting have zero control over if they're advertising something - which could well be inappropriate, out of context and hurtful last time I remember on a thread something was taken out of context causing a lot of issues for posters as people were blamed for being delibrately malicious when they weren't.

Putting them only on certain boards won't work either as people post about subjects all over MN e.g. AIBU or chat for traffic. MN can't rely on something like bereavement for example only being discussed in bereavement.

X-post, apologies!!

I don't even see what the point of this is.

So, on the two year old thread when this was last tried, @JustineMumsnet said this (screenshot)

I'm at a loss to understand why this has been rolled out again without any obvious consideration given to the issues raised previously.

Test:

local paper

I don't even see what the point of this is

Well it’s revenue isn’t it? MN is recommending based on the merits of the product being better than others on the market they’re recommending those who pay them to recommend. It’s a slightly less abrasive way of advertising the alternative being off site links.

I’m not opposed to MN making money, they don’t claim to be anything other than a business at heart but this is a particularly naff and intrusive way of doing it.

I really don’t like it either. If I want to look at a pushchair I can bloody well look it up myself! Don’t need you linking it for me. Most people posting for advice want back and forth conversations and real life experiences not some generic Mumsnet article full of the same old shite.

No, it isn't revenue. I understand the old "skim links" version as that linked to external sites and it attracted income. Linking to internal sites doesn't actually create any income at all, especially as the links are irrelevant if not in a shopping/recommendation thread.

It's really annoying on the style and beauty board - the poster says something like ' I bought some trousers in Zara' and you think the poster has embedded a link to the trousers she bought, but you get taken to 'Mumsnet recommends' or something.

As shown in my post! Really irritating.