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Links Changing/Not Working

  1. limecello
    Member

    This happens every so often, with no indication of why/what is causing it. I don't do anything different from post to post. Generally it doesn't happen, but it has enough that I'm asking about it here.

    I've tried deleting the post, or widget, etc, and starting fresh, but it doesn't help.

    I have a link to insert, either with text or an image, and for some reason wordpress changes it once I save the post.
    Say I post a picture and link it to google, or just say the link is "here" - to google.

    My site then makes the url "http://limecello.wordpress.com/www.google.com" => but when I check the html it shows the proper thing, e.g.

    Any idea what is causing that/why?

    Thanks!

    The blog I need help with is limecello.wordpress.com.

  2. timethief
    Member

    Hello there,
    Please see:
    links pages and posts
    links text widgets

    This is the general format of a link:
    General link model:
    <a href="URL HERE">Highlighted anchor text here</a>

    You type the anchor text in first. Then you use your mouse to highlight the anchor text ie. to "select" it. Then you click the link icon and the pop-up box appears for you to type the URL etc. into. Do note that the practice of using "here" as anchor text is not a good one at all. The best practice is to use meaningful anchor text such as the exact title and/or keywords in the title in the article you are linking to.

  3. limecello
    Member

    Timethief - thanks, I know how to do links. I tried to explain it above- I insert multiple links into every post. It's this random issue that occurs.

    >.< Ugh - the original post stripped what I did.

    I tried to say - it looks normal with the "a hred" etc "www.google.com" target="_blank" BECOMES "limecello.wordpress.www.google.com"

    Obviously the latter isn't good, and I want to know what makes it happen/what I can do to fix it. There's no changing the html because it looks normal - but the actual live post (or even preview) obviously brings back a 404 message

    (Does that make sense now?)

    Thanks

  4. timethief
    Member

    I'll flag this thread for Staff attention as I don't know how to help you.

  5. auxclass
    Member

    You should also review the Terms of service before your ad campaign gets too far along.

  6. limecello
    Member

    auxclass - First, thanks for your concern. I haven't started ads or anything yet.

    Next, I'm not sure what you're alluding to? I've read the TOS and don't see where/how I'd violate that? Do you mind clarifying please?

    Unless you're saying that the images/links I'd post are like the spambots?

  7. timethief
    Member

    @limecello
    It's important to know that no blogger initiated advertising, retailing or reselling the work or products created or services provided by anyone other than yourself is allowed on free hosted wordpress.COM blogs. E-commerce transactions via shopping carts and the like cannot be conducted on free blogs from and being free hosted by WordPress.com.
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/advertising/
    http://en.wordpress.com/types-of-blogs/
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/affiliate-links/
    http://en.wordpress.com/tos/
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/suspended-blogs/

    If these realities are deal breakers for you then you can hire a web host and set up your own self hosted WordPress.org install from http://wordpress.org/
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/

    ~~auxcalss
    Good afternoon. :)

  8. limecello
    Member

    timethief and auxclass - thank you for the links.

    I'm going to ask wordpress directly - I'm not doing anything like what's mentioned in the advertising link like adsense, etc, but I can see how the terminology itself can raise flags.

    I do want to clarify it's not AdSense, Yahoo, Chitika, TextLinkAds or anything like that.

  9. auxclass
    Member

    Morning @TT - the OP should thank you for your great links - might improve the life of their blog.

    Take care & have a nice afternoon

  10. auxclass
    Member

    I have seen a lot of blogs suspended for trying to run their own ads that they sold.

  11. limecello
    Member

    auxclass and TT - I did say thank you for the links. I've also contacted WordPress directly about that the TOS - none of which I'm violating because I'm not allowing third party advertising.

    But none of that answers my original question about the links being changed.

  12. limecello
    Member

    auxclass - thanks for the warning.

    I do want to note I HAVEN'T started selling ads or anything yet - what's in the post & sidebar is only an example, and there was no monetary exchange for that to be posted.

    I appreciate the heads up. I've been looking for and considering a hosted site, and what I hear back from TPTB will finalize that decision.

    But I do still need/want the link issue resolved.

  13. timethief
    Member

    But none of that answers my original question about the links being changed.

    We Volunteers don't have backend access to blogs. I have flagged this thread for Staff attention and they will be answering you when they get to this thread.

    P.S. When it comes to links being changed by the software that's what happens when one posts affiliate links and/or any other links that aren't allowed.

  14. absurdoldbird
    Member

    @limecello - click this WordPress.com support document to learn the probable reason why your links have been changed.

  15. timethief
    Member

    Excuse me but I already provided that link above when I posted here > http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/links-changingnot-working?replies=14#post-880275

  16. limecello
    Member

    TT - I'm not posting an affiliate link

    Believe me - I've read all the TOS and various pages carefully before starting any of this - I know most affiliate links don't work, other than amazon ones, and a potential few others.

    I'm trying to post a link to a very innocuous, non-advertising website, like google.com. And wordpress is changing it, for no reason, to add "limecello.wordpress/www"

    If it were an affiliate link, the link would be changed to the wordpress page, and it wouldn't come back with a 404 message.

  17. absurdoldbird
    Member

    @TT - please read this:
    http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/gay-porn-on-wordpress?replies=10#post-880318

  18. jackiedana
    Staff

    @limecello can you post a couple examples of the links you wanted to include on your blog? Not the HTML code, just the actual URLs. That might end the speculation and allow us to solve the issue for you.

    Alternately if you have a post in mind where the link has actually changed, please post a link to that post to make troubleshooting a lot easier.

    Thanks!

  19. limecello
    Member

    @Jackie,

    :\ unfortunately I don't remember all the older ones, sorry. Sometimes it's other people's wordpress sites.

    Two I do remember as as follows:

    One was another wordpress blog http://sonomalass.wordpress.com/

    And most recently, I was trying to link to vksykes.com, but it kept being changed to "limecello.wordpress/www.vksykes.com" for some reason - I didn't do anything different. (I use the visual editor and insert links.) In the html the link shows as it should.

  20. jackiedana
    Staff

    Unfortunately that's still not enough information to go on. :(

    Do you have a blog post (published, or draft) where this has happened?

  21. limecello
    Member

    @Jackie,

    It's happening right now in my draft post "Look What VK Sykes Made!"

    I noticed if I add "http://www." instead of "www..." it resolves the issue here- but even that doesn't always solve it. Unfortunately even doing that sometimes doesn't work, but I don't have an example for that.

    :\ Sorry I don't have more examples at the moment.

  22. raincoaster
    Member

    Well, for what it's worth, ALL links must start with http.

  23. limecello
    Member

    @raincoaster,

    Heh. I know - that was my mistake in this case, but I'm saying it still happens even if/when it's "http://www.sitename.com" - I just don't have an example of it right now.

  24. jackiedana
    Staff

    I took a look at the post you mentioned, "Look what VK Sykes made".

    You start the link with <a href="www.vksykes.com" ... (deleting the rest of the line here)

    Like raincoaster said, this is incorrect HTML code. You must start a link as follows:

    <a href="http://www.vksykes.com" ...

    You must start all links with http:// in order for them to work.

    Otherwise, I see nothing else odd in that post.

  25. limecello
    Member

    @jackie,

    I checked the email I copy/pasted it from - is there anything that might cause WP to strip code? (I'm not sure if that's the proper terminology.) What I copied and pasted had the "http://"

    It also happens when I try to copy/paste other things - embedding video, other widgets, etc.

    (Also thanks for all your help!)

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