How to detect if people remove your footerlink on a free custom style?

[dreamache]

I'm starting to design custom vbulletin styles and I want to know if there are any 100% full proof, or near full proof, methods of detecting people who have removed your footer link from the style?

I offer them / design them for free, because the value I gain from them is by having footer links placed within the skin and it's a requirement that they do not remove those footer links in exchange for downloading the skin. However, I know that there are a certain % of those who do remove the footer links. I want to know how to find out who these people are.

Any assistance on this issue would be appreciated. Thanks!

[markbolyard]

Sent you a PM.

[chick]

You know I thought about this myself. Why not have it in just in the code source. I mean many forums run multiple hacks and cannot have every hack credit left in the footer or it would look pretty crowded and ugly, or better yet maybe a mod should be created as a credits page. I like that idea, credits page link could say for example: Coding Credits or something else.

[Opserty]

You can't, you can easily view PHP source code (unless encoded with something like Ioncube or Zend encoder - however that would place requirements on the server which would need to have a decoder/parser installed on it), therefore any method you put in place could be easily mimicked or just removed completely.

You'd have to just keep track of who has used it and then check up on them.

[Boofo]

Originally Posted by markbolyard

Sent you a PM.

I would be interested in the answer to this also.

[dreamache]

Originally Posted by chick

You know I thought about this myself. Why not have it in just in the code source. I mean many forums run multiple hacks and cannot have every hack credit left in the footer or it would look pretty crowded and ugly, or better yet maybe a mod should be created as a credits page. I like that idea, credits page link could say for example: Coding Credits or something else.

While you're right about some forums having excessive "hack credits", most are fine... and having a coding credits page would not be worth it.. the entire reason most people create styles and hacks, is for the SEO value gained in having their link at the bottom of every page in a forum's footer. That equates to thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of 1-way backlinks.

--------------- Added [DATE]1209647073[/DATE] at [TIME]1209647073[/TIME] ---------------

And here's another question, let's say if you *do* know a particular forum is using your skin, but has since removed your footer link. What action can you take to ensure they either (a) add the link back, or (b) do not use your skin? Would sending a C&D letter to them help? And then notifying their host? Don't want to sound like a nazi but I'm just curious..

[markbolyard]

Like I mentioned in my PM to you, you have to look at it from the positive aspect. Most people that use your style will gladly keep the link in, or a least offer to pay to have it removed. Those sites that use them and remove the link, most likely are warez / porn / or sites in general that you don't want to be associated with anyway.

If you use the method I described, you will find that you can keep tabs on who's using it, and as far as trying to have the link added back, or the style removed... you can sent them a C&D, you can go after their host, but most of the time you will find that it doesn't help. Some of these sites host themselves on a home server so there is no host to report to. And the time a effort you put into tracking people down and taking legal action far outweighs the cost of what would be valued as a $200 vBulletin skin. (Not like your going to be producing styles that would sell for high $$$ on a freebie site for giveaway).

That's the downside to the vBulletin templating system. It's not files being uploaded to their server that you can encode with zend or ioncube. They are within the database, and often times need to be updated / modified, so encoded styles would not benefit the end user.

You just have to have faith that people will appreciate the work you put into it, and leave the link intact. I think (hope) for the most part, those here at vb.org are these types of people.

Last of all, anything you encode or protect in some manor to prevent others from modifying it, removing links, etc... can be undone. Almost like saying your site is unhackable... where there is a will, there's a way. So don't put to much time into worrying about it, and look at the positive benefits you will get but providing free themes. You are not only going to build backlinks, but you will gain appreciation of those that use your styles, and that may lead to future work and a good reputation for yourself

[dreamache]

markbolyard, all points valid. But since I'm new to this, I came across a certain site which is using my skin, and they've removed the footer link, it's not a warez or porn forum, it's a quite *big* gaming forum - so since I saw this, it made me wonder just how prevalent this really is (but fortunately according to you at least, it's not so much)


update: i've contacted the webmaster and he's adding it back. whew

[markbolyard]

Well, that would be the other instance. A large forum with high traffic not wanting to give you free advertising. Well, he is a member here.

Personally, it would be nice to have a forum category dedicated to this type of topic to protect people... but thats just my opinion.

Anyway, have you contacted them? Any response? If not I would contact them and try to negotiate a branding free charge, and if that doesn't work, and you really want to persue it, I would follow what everyone has already mentioned and see where you get. I'm not too sure the folks here at .org, or at .com will be able to provide you with any assistance.

[chick]

wow they have an exclusive listing of harmony.com for sale for a reserved bid of $5million, woo. I thought that was a dating site? No?
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Well if it were my skin and hey I have no skinning talent nor any coding ability, I wouldn't care about the actual 'footer' link (they are ugy) but I would care about my name remaining in the code.

I guess I explained the CREDITS thing wrong, I meant it all the credits, with links could look like this, I just looked at vbmodders site which is very nice (wish I had talent) anyway, see what I mean..