This is a big deal for Skimlinks, a UK company that invisibly rewrites links to ecommerce sites into links that retailers pay for, usually on a sales/lead generation cost per action basis. According to Hitwise, moneysavingexpert’s forum is the ninth biggest social network in the UK. Pinterest was the 46th most popular social site in the UK at the start of this year.

Klein who is an investor and board observer at Skimlinks will be hoping that being upfront about a technology designed so it can’t be seen will avoid a backlash from users. In February, Skimlinks was dropped by Pinterest after users complained about surreptitious advertising and worries about copyright and making money.

MSE is being selective about how it is using Skimlinks and says it is implementing a custom version. The technology will alter links for anyone using the forum without registering or logging in but it can be switched off by registering. The default setting for existing logged in forum users  is off with the option to turn it on. MSE has decided not to allow users to see which links are Skimlinked by adding an asterisk to disclose as it has with affiliate links until now. It is also making a distinction between Skimlinks and Skimwords, both link services from Skimlinks, saying: 

Important: Skimlinks also has a separate Skimwords software, which is intrusive and adds links to keywords. We’re not using that software, so please don’t confuse the two.

Skimwords 'intrusive'

The consumer website has kept Skimlinks off all its financial product or ‘money’ boards. MSE site editor is Dan Plant who is a member of the Financial Services Consumer Panel. The panel was established by the FSA under FSMA to represent the interests of consumers. Plant brings to the panel ‘a strong passion for consumer protecti0n and responsibility’. That may not sit well if he works for a company that monetises links to financial products posted anonymously in a forum which welcomes users with the message ‘anyone can post please exercise caution’.

MSE has also kept Skimlinks off boards for gamblers and compers after users complained last year that any additional tracking could make them easier to spot and disqualify. From what Skimlinks CEO Alicia Navarro says about the benefits of her technology, users may be right to be wary:

‘The data and analytics that we can provide about how community members are interacting with merchant and product information can be invaluable to publishers. The insights that can be gleaned by running Skimlinks have helped thousands of our publishers understand their customer base more, understand their shopping preferences, purchase behaviours, all without infringing on their privacy or interrupting their browsing experience. Publishers can then make decisions to focus more on certain users or products or merchants, with knowledge that their community respond well to these people and products. This is how merchants benefit, aside from the fact that by helping these sites fund themselves, they are creating future sources of new customers.’

Boards where Skimlinks is being used include Discount Codes ‘n Vouchers where users share codes. It is fairly common for retailers to manage how codes issued to consumers can be redeemed through affiliate links. ASDA requires affiliates to only use voucher codes specifically issued for affiliates. Debenhams has closed its program to voucher code affiliates saying it is unable to recruit anymore. MSE has tried to address potential conflicts between it and its users’ competing commissions. The custom version it is running allows users to copy and paste links unaltered instead of clicking on them which automatically adds Skimlinks’ tracking.

If retailers do start to treat forum users any differently for having clicked through on unseen affiliate links and used codes for consumers, MSE may face a backlash. In its Q&A, it says it reserves the right to add Skimlinks to more boards. It may need to take it off boards if users who post content, unpaid, and moderators who run boards, unpaid, decide they don’t want it.

MSE is not the huge site it is today without listening to its users. Provided it continues to do so, this could be a partnership that strengthens UK companies competing in a sector dominated by the US.

#moneysavingexpert shows @Pinterest how it is done is a post from: Insiders View

Martin Lewis’ (financial journalist) Wikipedia page which has been revised several hundred times has recent edits by an IP address associated with Lewis.

IP address  93.152.127.10 has edited Lewis’ page, and the Wiki entry for moneysavingexpert.com, a site owned by Lewis, 13 times.

Smtp.tunechecker.com and mail3.moneysavingexpert.com point to 93.152.127.10. Tunechecker.com and moneysavingexpert.com use 93.152.127.10 as a mail server, according to domain search site Robtex.com.

Something odd about an IP address is a post from: Insiders View

Google revenues are still benefiting from insurance and finance – The Top Dog for online advertising.

Source: Wordstream

Finance and Insurance #1 Annual Google Spending is a post from: Insiders View

sometimes it is unclear exactly who is responsible for pointing a customer towards a certain insurance product. By extension, it is therefore unclear to whom a customer should complain if things go wrong.
FSA spokesman

Whitelabeled Comparison Sites At Risk is a post from: Insiders View

Google made 6.8 Billion Dollars on Insurance Last Year is a post from: Insiders View

Content and Infographics still SEO Royalty is a post from: Insiders View

MoneySavingExpert, a British personal finance site with 5 million readers, was forced to hand over personal details about three users calling themselves Againstjpc, GomerPyle and Ladybirds, following a London court ruling in August. The three wrote comments on the website accusing JPC Group Sales Ltd., an affiliate of a U.K. publishing company, of being a “criminal enterprise” and “a scam,” the company said in court filings.

Source: Businessweek

MoneySavingExpert Reveals Identities of its Forum Users is a post from: Insiders View

What I always think is missing from these arguments is what the law has to say about any of this.  Surprising because Arrington is a lawyer by training.

Then again he’s always been careful to say he’s not a journalist, not like his counterpart at Techcrunch Europe Mike Butcher who says he is “press”.

Here’s a stab at a definition of what editorial is legally speaking written by the advertiser’s self regulator the Advertising Standards Authority in a letter to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) during a consultation over advertising of formula milk. The FSA and ASA were arguing about who controlled messages about formula milk. They both wanted as much control as possible for different reasons.

It references European law implemented into UK law in the  Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and it addresses exactly what is marketing communication and what is editorial communication.

3.3 The FSA’s broad definition appears to capture editorial content or communications that are not disseminated and/ or paid for by the manufacturer of formula milks or their agents (e.g. an advertising agency or retailer). European law very clearly considers that what constitutes an advertisement is restricted to materials disseminated by or on behalf of a commercial (trade or professional) interest. The FSA’s definition currently appears to capture editorial content (e.g. material disseminated by journalists and TV and radio programme makers) and even communications between individuals.

The essential components according to the ASA’s interpretation of the law are:

• Marketers are prevented by law from paying for it
• It goes through the hands of an editor working for an organisation recognised as being in the business of editorial.

What do you think?

Editorial, legally speaking is a post from: Insiders View

Surely it devalues the customer? How cheap does it make them look?

More often than not, these blogs are SEO blogs that should know better!

Increase In Blogs Selling Out – Publishing Paid Content is a post from: Insiders View

The European Heath Insurance Card does offer some assistance it’s true; for example if you break your arm in Austria you can walk into a state-run hospital and have the treatment covered by the NHS in the UK. However, this card is only a fall back offering only a basic level of cover for hospital treatment. It does not cover repatriation costs, baggage, theft, or cancellation and it definitely does not cover the costs associated with being airlifted to hospital after breaking your leg on the ski slopes.

There is no reciprocal health agreement in place for the US, the land of extortionately priced medical treatment. Even simple treatment in America can spiral into the thousands and again, without insurance you won’t have any cover against loss of luggage, money or other property and you’ll get nothing if your holiday is cancelled.

Some countries don’t have health centres of the same standard as we have become used to in the UK. This could mean you end up having sub-level treatment because you can’t afford to make it to the nearest international-standard facility on your own back, or – and we aren’t sure which is worse – you get flown to a hospital that is of a high standard but that might be several hour’s away. This transportation will be incredibly costly, even in a developing nation.

The risks of travelling without insurance, especially outside of Europe and/or on a winter sport holiday simply aren’t worth taking. Insurance doesn’t need to be expensive. You can get simple single-trip cover or if you like to go on holiday regularly, an annual multi-trip policy will be more appropriate. Costs are relatively low, with some policies available for just a few Pounds a day.

There are other ways to save money too. With Santander’s travel insurance you’ll get 25% off just for applying online and you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win £1,000 of lastminute.com vouchers. Maybe an annual trip policy is better after all.

One in five Brits goes on holiday without travel insurance is a post from: Insiders View