# Link in archived thread links directly to goatse **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 5, 2014, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558 "2014-09-05T05:37:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [September 8, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/21 "2014-09-08T20:58:55Z")
I’ll mention to management. Apparently Vigilink was added to the board a few years ago in another attempt to monetize the board. It’s not been an issue until recently and no one seems to know why. But I’ll inquire. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/22 "2014-09-08T22:33:32Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > **Dex** had the same problem in another thread. It seems the only sure way, other than the nuclear option, is to surround it with spoiler tags. I would have thought simply deleting the link would be something to try before deleting the entire thread. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/23 "2014-09-09T04:28:27Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > I’ll mention to management. Apparently Vigilink was added to the board a few years ago in another attempt to monetize the board. It’s not been an issue until recently and no one seems to know why. But I’ll inquire. Well, originally it didn’t create links like this. It was more of a tracker for existing links. They would collect information about what links were most popular, and pay you a couple cents for the privilege. I assume they sell the information. My best guess is that people started busting up links to try and get around Viglink tracking them, and so they added a feature to force those to still be links, so they could be tracked. This makes sense if the site itself wants to keep making money from even broken links posted by users. But that should be mean the site should have the ability to opt out, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/24 "2014-09-09T05:50:25Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > I think the only way to break a link where viglink won’t fix it is to add spaces to break it into pieces. Sticking it in a spoiler box will at least put it behind a second click. [noparse]Perhaps another way is to break the link into pieces, each enclosed in its own pair of [nopars]…[/nopars] tags (with “noparse” spelled correctly, of course). Thus, for example: [nopars][http://dog](http://dog)[/nopars][nopars][gie.freeshell.org/pict[/nopars][nopars]ures/home03.jpg[/nopars][/noparse]](http://gie.freeshell.org/pict%5B/nopars%5D%5Bnopars%5Dures/home03.jpg%5B/nopars%5D%5B/noparse%5D) Test to see if that even works at all: [noparse][http://dog](http://dog)[/noparse][noparse][gie.freeshell.org/pict[/noparse][noparse]ures/home03.jpg[/noparse]](http://gie.freeshell.org/pict%5B/noparse%5D%5Bnoparse%5Dures/home03.jpg%5B/noparse%5D) Even if this works, its a PITA to do. Results, upon preview: Yes, the link is successfully broken, but can be cut-and-pasted if you really really want to go there. WWVD? (What would Viglink do?) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/25 "2014-09-09T11:35:31Z")
Maybe it worked on preview, but that’s a live link now. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/26 "2014-09-09T12:18:31Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > **engineer\_comp\_geek** edited it again after your post, so it shouldn’t link to anywhere now. Have the mods considered, oh, I don’t know, _deleting_ the damned thing? Do we really need a theoretically non-working link to a goatse site? Or replace it with [Link to goatse site removed because, hey, google it yourself. At home. With the blinds closed] ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/27 "2014-09-09T12:36:57Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > My best guess is that people started busting up links to try and get around Viglink tracking them, and so they added a feature to force those to still be links, so they could be tracked. Possibly, but it may just be a case that someone thought it would be a useful feature. You have a link tracker, make links active. Motivation is still “non-clickable links don’t direct through us for us to track”. > [@Senegoid](#): > > Perhaps another way is to break the link into pieces, each enclosed in its own pair of [nopars]…[/nopars] tags (with “noparse” spelled correctly, of course). Thus, for example: Given that viglink was ignoring noparse tags already, I can’t see how it would work. But I’m not reactivating it to check. > [@spinky](#): > > I would have thought simply deleting the link would be something to try before deleting the entire thread. Probably. > [@TubaDiva](#): > > I’ll mention to management. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/28 "2014-09-09T13:12:12Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Perhaps another way is to break the link into pieces, each enclosed in its own pair of [nopars]…[/nopars] tags (with “noparse” spelled correctly, of course). Thus, for example: Totally apropos of nothing but noparse tags work stacked so if you want to show how you did a bit of coding with noparse, simply wrap the code in noparse itself [noparse][noparse]link goes here[/noparse][/noparse] Aaand I no longer see noparse as a word. It’s nop arse now. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/29 "2014-09-09T15:58:19Z")
Adblock, people, adblock. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/30 "2014-09-09T16:08:09Z")
I have adblock and it wasn’t doing anything about viglink. I had to use ghostery for that. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/31 "2014-09-09T17:09:51Z")
I posted this in the other thread: TEST WITH THREE DOTS: [http://boards.straightdope](http://boards.straightdope)…com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=320298 EDIT: Seems to work broke link when it got to the extra dots. Sane with commas. TEST WITH EXTRA SLASHES AFTER http lead-in: http:///boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=320298 EDIT: LInk still “fixed” TEST WITH EXTRA SLASHES LATER IN URL: > **[Beginner's Guide to Glossary of Terms on Straight Dope Message Boards](https://boards.straightdope.com//sdmb//showthread.php?t=320298)** > > There are a number of terms commonly used on the Straight Dope Message Boards, that are basically “in-jokes” or references. There are several threads listing such, I have tried to compile them all into one post here. If anyone has additions or... EDIT: Link still “fixed” TEST WITH DROPPING LEADIN: > **[Beginner's Guide to Glossary of Terms on Straight Dope Message Boards](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=320298)** > > There are a number of terms commonly used on the Straight Dope Message Boards, that are basically “in-jokes” or references. There are several threads listing such, I have tried to compile them all into one post here. If anyone has additions or... EDIT: Link still “fixed” My best guess for now: use “spoiler” tags for NSFW links, and we’ll just ride with the rest… ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/32 "2014-09-09T19:16:30Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I have adblock and it wasn’t doing anything about viglink. I had to use ghostery for that. I had to go add it to adblock’s filters. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/33 "2014-09-10T02:33:28Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Totally apropos of nothing but noparse tags work stacked so if you want to show how you did a bit of coding with noparse, simply wrap the code in noparse itself > > [noparse][noparse]link goes here[/noparse][/noparse] > [@Mr. Spock](#): > > Fascinating. I wondered if that would work, but got too lazy to give it a try. Definitely a bit less of a PITA than my suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/34 "2014-09-10T10:41:24Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > Two year old thread, questions already settled in it, bumped by a spammer. When have any of these events ever warranted an entire thread being removed as opposed to just being corrected by a mod or, at the most, locked? > [@TubaDiva](#): > > Complaints about “goatse” being active in the thread regardless of how we tried to break it, so I just moved the entire thread to the cornfield. Now goatse is not an issue. I suppose that made your job as a mod a lot easier, as opposed to just fixing the links that your own adware made clickable after the fact, but didn’t the Dope once have this thing about not erasing history? There are thousands of threads that will have the same problem so are you planning to delete them all? Among other things that particular thread answered a question about board policy that was being asked by a poster and could serve as a cite in the future if the same question comes up again. All the posts in it were rule-abiding at the time they were made and your own software screwed something up. Is that really a justifiable reason to break with SDMB tradition and vanish an entire thread? ---
**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:** [September 10, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/35 "2014-09-10T15:03:52Z")
This is not the first time we’ve removed a thread from view because it was a nuisance. Management reserves the right, you know. From the registration agreement: > **[SDMB registration agreement as of 12/21/2014](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=650726)** > > The agreement below spells out the rules by which SDMB users are expected to abide. The purpose of the present revision is to add the language in bold: “If we tell you to refrain from behavior that we regard as uncivil, \*\*or that in our view... > [@](#): > > \*\*We reserve the right to delete any message for any or no reason whatsoever. \*\* This is not a common thing but sometimes it does happen. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/36 "2014-09-10T15:05:10Z")
Hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/37 "2014-09-10T22:33:21Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > Complaints about “goatse” being active in the thread regardless of how we tried to break it, so I just moved the entire thread to the cornfield. Now goatse is not an issue. Speak for yourself. I’ll bet that poor bastard has some serious incontinence issues nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/38 "2014-09-10T22:44:28Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > Now goatse is not an issue. Unless you count the 27 other threads that have the same thing in them. Of course [http://www.goatse.cx/](http://www.goatse.cx/) now only has a video of a lawyer explaining no more image, due to the Christmas Island courts, and then he advertises some bitcoin type scam. So it’s all good for the moment. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/39 "2014-09-10T22:45:48Z")
Oh wait. Evidence [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=8695368&postcount=23](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=8695368&postcount=23) How about Tubgirl? Should those all be sent to the cornfield too? ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558/40 "2014-09-10T23:27:10Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > This is not the first time we’ve removed a thread from view because it was a nuisance. > > Management reserves the right, you know. > > From the registration agreement: > > [SDMB registration agreement as of 12/21/2014 - About This Message Board - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=650726) > > This is not a common thing but sometimes it does happen. I never suggested that the board doesn’t have the right to remove threads, just that in this case you seem to be completely missing the point about what you believe makes it a ‘nuisance’ - it is your own ad software that created a problem years after the thread was posted. Deleting it removes all those totally legal, non ‘nuisance’ posts from the SDMB record, while demonstrating an inexplicable refusal to acknowledge or address the real problem, which will come up again and again however many legitimate threads you choose to disappear in the future. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-in-archived-thread-links-directly-to-goatse/697558.md?page=3)