[Closed] Skim links on the forum

[img] [/img]
^ my opinion on the links not what BB said (which I tend to agree with).

They're getting right on my [url= https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=blue+tits&safe=off&biw=1366&bih=643&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjym9S5iYbLAhXGuRQKHZ6kBqAQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=SeJzkXl89Om25M%3A ]tits[/url], plus it's further developing my suspicious chip.

Why would you need P users reactions? Assume they would never need to see them

To see their views on them too. Everyone has a right to have an opinion.

To see their views on them too. Everyone has a right to have an opinion.

They also had the right to be informed that a service they are paying for will temporarily be suspended to a degree.

I'm going to offer up you close down Grit.CX as thats all but dead, that'll save a whole load of wasted cash on someones idea of it being the next big thing and squeezed a business case around "we'll get 1bn hits a week, and sell the Adv space to Tudor Watches or Bra/underwear chains" which seems to be your advertisers of choice these days.

[img] [/img]

Not seen any. Yet. Can't say I agree with them, but if they are needed to keep the forum going then I guess they will have to stay.

How do you generate revenue, from clicks on the Skimlinks presumably? Correct me if I'm wrong Mark, but you're not getting objective feedback from revenue because people are clicking on them unknowingly as the forum is now full of genuine links along with these [s]spam[/s] embedded links. If you want objective feedback you need to make them more obvious. As is people are all being tricked into clicking them.

It's a massive no from me. I actively avoid clicking them on other sites, to not be able to do so here is stupid.

To the people not seeing them, there's one in this thread! The MacBook SSD reference above, i presumed it'd be a link to the thread, it's not, it's a (broken) John Lewis link.

Edit: there you go, there it is again.

Seems like you forum customers are pretty low on the list,just under MONEY MONEY MONEY 🙂

It's a difficult job in what is a crowded market where everyone is fighting for a slice of the cake. Whoever find a reasonable solution is going to be a very rich person. On a personal level i feel that any site that feels it has to force revenue streams onto users/customers hasn't thought too hard about the problem.
As a case study I think the Bond movies is a good marker. There was a huge furore recently about product placement, but it has been going on for years, just look at a few Roger Moore era films. Connery on the other hand promoted product in a far more subtle way and made Rolex into the watch that people wanted.
Customers/users are not stupid and shouldn't be treated so, money making isn't easy. Quality in a crowded market where price is key isn't easy.
Good luck.

Well I've jumped in a [url= http://goo.gl/forms/ZtPSz1UvGd ]created a poll[/url] to judge the reaction.
Feel free to contribute.

Thumbs down from me. Though I can't really get as worked up about it as some have, seems to me the linking is so damn clumsy it's usually pretty obvious when its machine inserted (based on what I see on other sites, not seen many here). So it just looks s***.

Can it be configured to add what it considers to be relevant links underneath a post so it is clear they are ads, and doesn't disrupt the flow of the post?

i presumed it'd be a link to the thread, it's not, it's a (broken) John Lewis link.

I nearly made it a link to the thread, but laziness got the better of me. However the thought occurs that it can't add a link to something that's already a link, so is the solution to link-ify entire posts? I can mention macbook SSDs as much as I like then... :-)[/url]

Well I've jumped in a created a poll to judge the reaction.
Feel free to contribute.

I can see nothing wrong with a poll that allows multiple votes.

Maybe use [url= http://strawpoll.me/ ]strawpoll.me[/url] instead?

The other side, of course, is that it could stop lazy linking when you're forced to make it clear that you're directing readers to a linked page.

Nope still not seen here 🙂 It must be my naughty extensions causing it 😀

Allow us to vote on whether they should be allowed or not. And if allowed, make them only available on the non P profile and in a different colour as mentioned.

Oh dear, people seem to be getting their P in a twist. It's almost as if the high and mighty think a little letter gives them a rights or ownership of the site.

To be fair though, I pay a sub that goes towards paying for the upkeep of the site, as I find it a useful site so believe in assisting it. I've paid my cash, so why should I have to subsidise it further for you freeloaders 😉 ?

Not a fan at all, already been caught out a couple of times this morning before I spotted this thread. Thought the first was random, after the 2nd I started checking antivirus and chrome extensions.

Can understand looking to get revenue from non-subscribers, but surely "P" users shouldn't also be getting stung?

As an aside the two I clicked were both broken links, which only makes the whole thing even more annoying!

To be fair though, I pay a sub that goes towards paying for the upkeep of the site, as I find it a useful site so believe in assisting it. I've paid my cash

It's almost as if the high and mighty think a little letter gives them a rights or ownership of the site.

Can someone show this impertinent oik the door?

😀

Stato...Shhhh! You'll get all us non-Ps thrown out of the executive lounge!

Stato...Shhhh! You'll get all us non-Ps thrown out of the executive lounge!

To the outhouse you oiks!!!!

I'm no fan of skimlinks even on ad funded sites. They're just plain annoying and don't make me buy anything from said linked site, though I guess you make money from the click anyway.

However if for non 'P' folk it's seen as required either to generate money from the links or to push them into a sub, then I can live with that.

As a 'P'... [u]no[/u]! I'm paying for no ads. Risk losing subscriptions with these forced on premier folk.

Just encountered my first one of these cunningly 'hidden' in a thread with a load of genuine links.

Irritating on a practical level and definitely detracts from the user experience.

And really don't like it on an ethical level. Treating users as a commodity is one thing, rubbing our noses in it is quite another.

You know you can just run a plug in and never see a skim link (unless you're on Android, in which case you sold your soul to the Advertising Devil a long time ago).

They make the place feel a bit cheap, tbh.
And it feels deceitful.

Happy to contribute with the 'P', it's a great deal, but this is really off-putting.

How many skim link clicks = 1 subscription?

I'm going to offer up you close down Grit.CX as thats all but dead, that'll save a whole load of wasted cash on someones idea of it being the next big thing and squeezed a business case around "we'll get 1bn hits a week, and sell the Adv space to Tudor Watches or Bra/underwear chains" which seems to be your advertisers of choice these days.

Ain't that the truth!
I've just had a look on the Grit site and as much as I liked the couple of magazines I've read I can't bring myself to subscribe to it as I can't see it being around much longer.
Someone really ought to put that site out of it's misery and close it down.

Mark - I doubt 48 hours is sufficient to get a full idea of the "click revenue":

1. Once people start to realise there are "spam" links everywhere they will stop clicking them.
2. Once people get p-d off at the imposition of these links in their posts they will use the forum less.
3. If you impose these on P members they are less likely to renew = lower revenue. [I'm a lapsed P member who didn't bother to renew as my computer doesn't remember me and therefore I have to login all the time to get the benefit which doesn't suit browsing]
4. If you put enough in visitors may actually fall, and so other ad revenue will fall too.

FWIW experimenting on your content generators is not great form.

I thought I wasn't seeing skimlinks and that the M@cb00k S5D link above was a failed attempt by the poster to link to that thread, but it seems that I am.

From what I've seen here they're incredibly annoying and I'll either be obscuring brand names or not posting at all while they're switched on.

It's butchered the classifieds. 😀

I'm changing my "auto subscription" off.

[img] [/img]

I still haven't seen any auto links on here.

They seem to have everyone riled up! Where the hell are they ?

I've clicked on a few already, some accidentally, some to see if they were what I thought. A few hours test will give a massively distorted impression of the long term revenue - I for one would just stop clicking all links. I also think it makes the site seem like a cheapass spamfest, and don't believe that it can possibly be a good idea overall. I doubt I'd cancel my subscription or flounce off, but I would think "bunch of cock" quite often.

Seems as though this isn't going down too well!

Knowing the folks at STW, they'll no doubt take our feedback into account. The idea that they're money-grabbing is a bit much though, TBH. Comments like this one, for example:

Seems like you forum customers are pretty low on the list,just under MONEY MONEY MONEY

Firstly many of the forum users aren't "customers" as they don't pay STW anything (Premier folk and subscribers obviously an exception here).

Secondly I'm pretty sure that the STW team, one and all, could earn far more money doing other things, if that's what they were into. But they're also not a charity and they're perfectly entitled to try to make their business (more) profitable.

There seem to be a huge number of posts on here about things being money-grabbing or overpriced (whether that's labour charges in bike shops, or this, or other examples) and then similarly a lot of posts about employment or contractual stuff where people feel they're being underpaid, or that others should demand more. Does anyone see that there might be a link?

Another thumbs down - as others have said it is dishonest, making me look like I endorse something I don't endorse.

Firstly many of the forum users aren't "customers" as they don't pay STW anything

Not this again? Forum users are product sold to advertisers, not customers or consumers.

I'm a P. I don't like it. Even if it was obvious, double underline or different colour, it'd still be annoying.

Not seeing any myself using android chrome. No adblock or anything as I understand the need of sites to make money. However, anything that looks like an endorsement from a poster needs different formatting if it is actually a ad. Also, if I was a P and still seeing ads despite paying not to I would be quite vexed.

I thought it was just me! 🙁

I wondered why regular posters had suddenly started putting links to random shite in their posts.

At least make these links appear different to legitimate links (colour, double underline, or whatever).

Even if it was obvious, double underline or different colour, it'd still be annoying.

You know you can just run a plug in and never see a skim link

That doesn't help Mark build a sustainable business though.

Hmmm...not seen one yet on STW, but hate them on other sites.
Would cut down on my use of the site, and depending on whether it became annoying I might cancel my membership.

I still haven't seen any auto links on here.

They seem to have everyone riled up! Where the hell are they ?

You probably have. Have you seen users linking to places to buy products that they mention? If so, that's probably a skim link, though there's no way of knowing which I why people are annoyed.

Edit: or maybe not as the one further up this thread has now disappeared...

nteresting point about the Classifieds as Skim Links will be doing something we, the users, are forbidden to do; refer to sites where products can be found at better/competitive prices to that being advertised here.

I stopped using Crash.net because of the intrusive links, pop-ups and banner ads. Don't miss the site and will actively avoid any sites using this. Would expect this was switched off for Premier subscribers in the same way as the ads and if not I'll go elsewhere and probably cancel subscription.

It's odd but on mobile Firefox i haven't seen any of these links.

I usually run ABP in 'allow some non-intrusive advertising' mode. When I saw these links appear last night I thought I had picked up some malware or something. Now I have unchecked the 'allow some non-intrusive advertising' option so don't see any ads at all now, including these spam links. So in your quest for more advertising revenue, from me anyway you've ended up going from some to none.