# api.viglink.com/api/click **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 9, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/api-viglink-com-api-click/592076 "2011-08-09T13:34:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/api-viglink-com-api-click/592076/1 "2011-08-09T13:34:23Z")
The requested URL [//api.viglink.com/api/click](https://api.viglink.com/api/click) was not found on this server. is this new? external links made by posters get routed through this before it goes wherever. what does it do exactly? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/api-viglink-com-api-click/592076/2 "2011-08-09T14:48:15Z")
I’ve been getting this in the last couple of months and about 1/4 of the time the link does not load and I get the [//api.viglink](https://api.viglink) thing instead. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/api-viglink-com-api-click/592076/3 "2011-08-09T15:08:54Z")
> [@Possible illicit adware injected into SDMB posts??](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-illicit-adware-injected-into-sdmb-posts/582138/18): > > Viglink is indeed a partner of ours; we get a small commission every time you click on a link to one of their clients. The process is supposed to be more or less invisible and doesn’t load any software on your computer. It’s been around for a while now (at least a year; maybe a couple), and it’s harmless. The redirects don’t always work for me when I’m using a browser either blocking Viglink, or inside a network that doesn’t allow access to Viglink. Sometimes, I imagine, the Viglink servers fail and don’t properly redirect a link request. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/api-viglink-com-api-click/592076/4 "2011-08-09T15:11:45Z")
ah, i see. thanks. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/api-viglink-com-api-click/592076/5 "2013-02-22T12:30:55Z")
I’ve been getting this since yesterday: every time I click on a link in SDMB, two tabs open, one with the link, and another with the error message. Annoying as hell! Is this something the admins can fix, or something I have to do on my side, and if so, how? I’m using an iPad. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/api-viglink-com-api-click/592076/6 "2013-02-22T15:07:40Z")
I’ll report this. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/api-viglink-com-api-click/592076/7 "2013-02-22T15:23:54Z")
I just checked: it doesn’t happen on my regular PC, just the iPad. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/api-viglink-com-api-click/592076/8 "2013-02-22T22:09:42Z")
[There is an optout for vgilink](http://www.viglink.com/support/optout). I’ve tested it, it works. It is cookie-based, so you’ll need to either allow that specific cookie, or remember to reenable it if/when you clear your cookies. But it’s great. No more of that bullshit redirect, clickthrough money harvesting. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/api-viglink-com-api-click/592076/9 "2013-02-22T22:38:04Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > The requested URL [//api.viglink.com/api/click](https://api.viglink.com/api/click) was not found on this server. > > is this new? external links made by posters get routed through this before it goes wherever. what does it do exactly? [How VigLink Works](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0X-hQFYqGI) Video on YouTube that explains what VigLink does. Basically it monetizes blog and forum content. In other words every time someone clicks a link on the board which leads them to a site on which a purchase is made then the board gets a little taste of that purchase.