It's best just to post the URL to the site's mainpage, otherwise it may link to an article you wrote, include your registration/member ID number, etc, giving away your alternate username.
Looking at the other aspect of it, providing a link to your profile, posts, etc usually won't let them see your private registration information (anything that's not in your public profile) because most sites rely on cookies. However, if the site relies on session IDs in the URL, such as www.website.domain/username/edit_profile/sessionID=0123456789, then it may be possible that giving them the link would grant them access to view and even edit your personal/private information. Again, all the more reason to keep the URL simple.
Finally the spam rule depends on the context. Some general things I suggest include:
* Don't include links to personal/favorite sites in your signature.
* Don't link to a site if it's unrelated to the topic being discussed.
* Don't post a question or guide elsewhere and then link to it. Instead, post the content without the link.
* Watch how frequently you link to a specific site.
You may also want to review this article concerning proper netiquette, which covers more than just linking. Personally, I wouldn't see a problem with the links in this case since it goes directly to being able to provide a detailed answer.
Hope this helps,
John
Joining communities using Mashable, MyBlogLog, and others seems to involve providing many URL?s. As someone who is new to this, I wonder, is there something I should know about safeguarding my identity?
You may have several different usernames with the various sites you are listing. Apparently some community sites display all of these usernames when they list communities you have joined.
Trying to keep this simple, so that I get the point, I am not clear on whether or not what I see displayed on a site I have logged into is the same information others may see about me. Some sites indicate that certain information is only displayed to you.
If I use the URL from a site I am logged into, when I am listing my communities on another site, does that create a link that only goes to the generic home page, or am I supposed to edit the link I provide so that it is simply community.com/ - as opposed to something like community.com/myusername , etc.
Even if I did not state this in the best terms, I think the question is clear enough to allow you to help me get the general idea. If you think this would be something I might post to another forum that might be more appropriate, please make a suggestion.
I was recently advised by a professional blogger that including a link to a blog in a comment is considered to be spam. I am trying to learn an ethical approach and do what?s appropriate. So, I?m not including any links here.
Chowhound
Comic Vine
GameFAQs
GameSpot
Giant Bomb
TechRepublic