Attn: Myspace spammers and promoters!

Let me introduce you to the vast MySpace conspiracy known as msplinks.

Not such a conspiracy, in fact, but an interesting development over at MySpace (yes, them again) that suggests they are now tracking embedded content and links in MySpace comments. It’s something that widget developers and MySpace layout providers spotted this week. It’s unlikely to be related to the MySpace-Photobucket conflict, but it does have implications for them and all widget/add-on developers.

Msplinks.com is owned by Mark Monitor, the fraud prevention service (Socialham spotted that first), and it’s now being used to filter outgoing links posted in MySpace comments. Links are converted to a long url string like www.msplinks.com/F4FfG5Ff$ to aid tracking - Photobucket photos, for instance, will no longer link directly to Photobucket.com, but instead link indirectly through a msplinks URL. The fact that it’s being applied to comments suggests that they want to crack down on comment spammers in particular. The formatting is applied to all future links (not backdated) and will also prevent comment forms being used for SEO.

If you’re familiar with the way that Twitter converts long URLs to TinyURLs, then this is similar. Except that it’s the opposite of MySpace’s own treatment of TinyURLs - those URL shortening services are blocked on MySpace in an attempt to prevent blocked widgets and links from reappearing. It’s been that way for some time.

So what? Well, MySpace is clearly clamping down on outgoing links, and comment spammers will probably be the first to fall. Legitimate providers: MySpace is watching you.

Source: http://mashable.com/category/myspace

 

But will it do anything to stop the comments that don't even bother using hyperlinks?

 

Or embeds.