About the widget scanner

What is the widget scanner

The widget scanner is an automatic tool which checks the URL supplied with your Entrecard to see whether your website is displaying the Entrecard widget.

How often does my site get scanned?

At the moment the period is a bit variable, we're still testing, however it almost certainly won't be more than once every 12-24 hours.

What happens if I don't display the widget?

If you consistently fail to display the widget, your card will be removed from the category listings until it is restored. We're not trying to be mean, the problem is that when your card is displayed, people may choose to spend their credits advertising on your site, without realising that you're not displaying the widget.

I am displaying the widget! why does the scanner not detect it?

The scanner only checks the page you give in your Entrecard URL. It won't follow links, look at sub-frames or click past splash pages. As a consequence, whereever possible, you should ensure the URL you place for your Entrecard takes the clicker directly to the page containing the widget.

There are two reasons why we encourage this behaviour. The first is that it means the scanner is very simple, and that's less work for us, and less load on your blog. The second is that it is our goal to allow Entrecard users to move from blog to blog via the Entrecard widget. Ensuring that the widget is always on the page they land on helps achieve this.

I'm not displaying the widget! haha I fooled your scanner!

It's not exactly a mensa-level challenge, and it makes no real difference in the end. Most people will click through to the site before they choose to advertise - they will notice you're not running it. We're not the RIAA, we trust the majority of our users understand that running the widget is good for the network as a whole, and thus good for them.

The scanner is annoying me/failing/causing problems/a horrible idea

Let us know via the feedback system on your dashboard..or post an enraged rant on your blog and give us the URL.