FrenchToast

To the readers that don't know:

Viglink, as per my understanding, is an internet text-recognition software that is paid by clients to automatically hyperlink the client's name with a link to the client's site. To my knowledge, it is uncontrollable by the text author.

(Rejoice in the irony - Viglink automatically gets hyperlinked.)

And that's fine, if I'm not signed in.

But they don't go away when I'm signed in.

This is most annoying with posts where the author manually attaches a helpful hyperlink that isn't a Viglink advertisement, because they are the same gray-blue color.

And okay, I can maybe still understand it when I'm signed in and looking at public forum text.

But a PM? I just sent a PM with a hyperlink that I manually put in. But my PM's text also included a store that shall remain nameless, and Viglink added a hyperlink to their site.

In a PM? Really? It is a PRIVATE Message, I do not expect Viglink to automatically hyperlink my text for advertising purposes and am frankly annoyed by it.

I understand the need for advertising. I understand that Viglink is an advertising company, and that Viglink is virtually in all corners of the internet these days. But again, I do not think it is suitable in threads when I am signed in, let alone in a PM.

If this is a simple preference I can turn off and just don't know, my apologies. Or maybe I'm being grumpy and it isn't anything weird.

Don't get me wrong, this is a great forum and there's a reason I subscribe. But automatically hyperlinked text in a PM for advertising? No, thank you.
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Edit: I can't pass up a chance for humor.

In an epic showing of irony, Viglink linked my signature to..... .

So, I guess it has it's benefits, and maybe I shouldn't be whining!