Link added by VigLink

Don't know when VDr started doing this but I just notice that advertisement links are added to key words in posts.

I understand that this the site needsto make money and I absolutely have no problem with this. But I don't agree/like how it is implemented. The little bubble that says "Link added by VigLink" only show up when you hoover the mouse point on the link long enough, so it's easy to miss it and a user will think that it's a link the poster puts in referring to the hardware/software being discussed. I was confused by this a few times not knowing why the poster links to a eBay item that is not directly related to the discussion on hand! Then I see links added to my own posts which leads to the realization of this VgiLink thingy.

I am babbling here but do you know what I mean? It's not clear to the readers that the links are just ad. On most other sites that I know of, they do the job differently - the links show uo as small pop-ups and they are very obvious to the readers that they are ad. Is it something you guys can reconfigure VgiLink to do?

This is not happening to me. Can you post a screen capture of a recent thread where this occurs on your system?

Sometimes, the links take a while to show up (turning blue and underlined) - maybe that's why pages here are slower to load. Here is the screenshot (the link takes me to an eBay sales) - it is in this thread http://discussions.virtualdr.com/sho...SPONDING/page2

OK, I do see some of those on this thread.

I've emailed the people upstairs.. IT is kind of weird.

VigLinks is something new we are trying. We have another intellitext system we use on our other sites that is set up differently. I agree with some of the comments -- these links need to be a bit more obvious, plus the eBay links are.... odd.

I'll discuss this with the appropriate people internally.

Brad!

Thank you both for listening and taking care of this.

Update:

I am seeing more and more of the eBay links, as well as some Amazon and some other links. Also, at least twice, I have had the browser switch to one of these links even though I did not click on it.

Example:

http://discussions.virtualdr.com/sho...45#post1424445

I've noticed nothing mentioned above. Went to the Example link and it was completely normal. Wonder if it could have anything to do with a Browser setting or Add On.

dneilson -

That is interesting. In my post #8 above (and this post), the eBay and Amazon words have links to those sites for me on the computer I am using now.

Do you have any ad-blocker software installed or in use?

What browser are you using?
I am using Internet Explorer 9 on this computer.

I just re-checked Post #8---no links. I'm using Firefox 20.0, checked my Add On's and there are no Ad Blockers listed. I think there was at one time but it disappeared with a Firefox update (can't remember which one).

I do not see these links. A couple of Viglink sites are in the MVPS HOSTS.zip file.
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
which I use.

On Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit (with all updates) I only see VigLinks in IE, not in Firefox or Chrome. (May be because of the Adblock Plus add-on in those two).

http://www.SpywareDrGuide.com/Virtua...k_W7U64_01.gif
(Click image for larger view)



On Windows XP Pro 32-bit (with all updates) I don't see anything in Firefox, IE or Chrome. (And there is no Adblock Plus add-on for IE):

http://www.SpywareDrGuide.com/Virtua...k_XPP32_01.gif
(Click image for larger view)

I see the links on the following systems:

Windows 7 Enterprise, IE9

Windows XP Pro, IE8 and Firefox

Windows 7 Pro, IE8

I see the links on XP with IE 8 and FF 13...

Adding:

127.0.0.1 api.viglink.com

to the HOSTS file hides VigLinks in IE, Firefox, Chrome and SeaMonkey.

The Adblock Plus add-on for Firefox, Chrome and SeaMonkey also hides VigLinks.

VigLink also appears to prevent you from copying the url for other links posted. You just get garbage instead. Not good.