MJ, please remove affiliate links in posts (VigLinks)

[theag]

I hate those things, it looks so cheap and spammy. Please remove them at least for insiders.

Thanks!

[AllenCrawley]

I don't see any of these links?

[theag]

depends on they keywords in the post.. they get inserted automatically

check my post This is what happens when stupid people run e-commerce shops

or here:

[klh6686]

depends on they keywords in the post.. they get inserted automatically

check my post This is what happens when stupid people run e-commerce shops

or here:

I don't see this link on your post, is it something happening in your browser?

[theag]

I don't see this link on your post, is it something happening in your browser?

Huh? Weird. Will check.

[theag]

Its not my browser. Its an addon. VigLink For Forums
I read in some other forums that it miraculously activated itself?! Weird stuff going on here

[AllenCrawley]

Okay, I swear I have never seen these links before and I'm willing to bet that those words were not linked when I first read your post. But when I clicked your link above they are now linked? Unless this is something that MJ just implemented because I would have definitely noticed.

EDIT: see my post below...

[klh6686]

Huh? Weird. Will check.

oh jeez my bad, I use adbluck plus for chrome.

I disabled it and I can see the links now.

you might want to get adblock XD.

[AllenCrawley]

Yep, I just recently set adblock to allows ads on this forum so I guess thats why I see them now.

I will say that I don't have a problem with them. Some major blogs and forums use viglink and I'm all for MJ monetizing his site to it fullest potential.

[Esquire]

I had a similar problem on my Desktop with something called "Text Enhance." Exact same thing. Malicious Adware that infects your browsers and turns text into links to spam sites.

Took me a while to figure out how to purge this (highly annoying) feature from my browsers. Norton was useless. Had to clear the cache and disable malicious add-ons.

At first I thought it was the site ... but then I realized it was only popping up when I used my desktop.

That's what the problem is. It isn't M.J.

Your browsers are infected.

[AllenCrawley]

That's what the problem is. It isn't M.J. Your browser is infected.

do you see the links? if not, do you have Adblock enable?

[theag]

That's what the problem is. It isn't M.J.

Your browsers are infected.

No, its a plugin for vbulletin.

[Eskil]

I see the link too, I think it's a forum side plugin.
By the way - how do I disable the ad banners that pop up inside posts these days, and at the top of each page? I thought Insiders could disable them but I didn't see a place where to do it.

[DennisDuty]

I don't see these links anywhere on the site. I don't have adblock and have never had adblock.

But I'd guess that if I clicked the link that activated it for everybody else I'd suddenly have it. I'll just stay away for now

[MJ DeMarco]

No, its a plugin for vbulletin.

Your browsers are infected.

It's a plugin that I recently activated as an experiment. It's been live for 3 days.

Relax, there is no infection on your browsers.

I thought Insiders could disable them but I didn't see a place where to do it.

I think your sub expired so the ads reappeared.

I hate those things, it looks so cheap and spammy. Please remove them at least for insiders.

Please allow me to finish out the experiment, if I keep them you won't see them as an insider.

[1PercentStreet]

I don't see these links and I have no adware or adblock plus.


^oh mj posted! haha

[MJ DeMarco]

I hate those things, it looks so cheap and spammy.

I disagree as long as it does not change the user experience. I wanted to test something that wouldn't be noticed for the most part and had limited, to no mouseover effects. The plugin was live for 3 days before anyone even noticed which tells me it works as being unobtrusive.

Usually a new plugin goes noticed within 3 minutes; not 3 days.

Please allow me to finish out the experiment, if I keep them you won't see them as an insider.

The "experiment" has passed and the links are probably here to stay. I will probably make a post about them later today explaining more about this decision.

However, if you are an INSIDER, your forum experience shall remain ad-free -- you are exempt from seeing these links and they should not appear as well as any other advertising that goes on around here.

So if you are an INSIDER (ad-free version) and see them, please let me know. (Some Insiders have ads active and do not mind them.)

As for the links, they simply convert common words into affiliate hyperlinks via VlG-LlNK (which I find beneficial) and unobtrusive.

For example, eBay and Amazon are great places to sell stuff! (eBay and Amazon probably will convert to links.)

[AllenCrawley]

The plugin was live for 3 days before anyone even noticed which tells me it works as being unobtrusive.

I find them unobtrusive as well and, as I mentioned earlier in the thread, I'm all for you monetizing your forum.

[liquidglass]

to the OP, personally I don't see what the problem is with the originator of the website/forum making money from it. I realize you weren't abrasive about it, but you did go to the trouble of making a thread over it.

It reminds me of the people that complain about the viacom sponsored ads on youtube. They HATE the ads, but they still want the service for free of course.

[MJ DeMarco]

to the OP, personally I don't see what the problem is with the originator of the website/forum making money from it. I realize you weren't abrasive about it, but you did go to the trouble of making a thread over it.

It reminds me of the people that complain about the viacom sponsored ads on youtube. They HATE the ads, but they still want the service for free of course.

It might be that the OP PAID $ to view the forum ad free ... and suddenly the links appeared. So he would indeed have a legit beef about seeing ads after explicitly paying not to see them.