Strange code for a web link in subscriber email

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  richspop · Member · Jul 30, 2026 at 10:59 pm

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  I’m a subscriber to new posts on my own blog. On the latest post (https://thingschange.blog/2026/07/30/yaldhurst-car-museum-new-zealand/) the email I received contained the following extract:

  “The somewhat disappointing website (http://thingschange.blog?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=a84e36e73a6111fa865a1050200506e16780ec869d0dde5a2a0cd06cec2fdc9a&blog_id=59137628&post_id=44773&user_id=27091444&subs_id=373738339&signature=ac1e1bf7662cc696504b7cd158fb304d&email_name=new-post&user_email=(email visible only to moderators and staff)&encoded_url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cueWFsZGh1cnN0bXVzZXVtLmNvLm56Lw=&email_id=1d37a39478c1722da0653d3a41e802a0) says it’s currently closed.”

  In the post itself the actual text is as follows:

  “The somewhat disappointing website (http://www.yaldhurstmuseum.co.nz) says it’s currently closed.”

  Is this normal behaviour?

  The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

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  benitoalba · Member · Jul 31, 2026 at 1:27 am

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  Hi @richspop,

  The redirect is normal, seeing the whole address may not be. WordPress.com uses it to record newsletter link clicks, and the encoded_url in yours points to https://www.yaldhurstmuseum.co.nz/.

  A formatted email should normally hide it behind the original link text, but a mail app showing the plain-text version may expose it. You can send yourself a test email and compare it in a browser-based inbox.

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  itsrahulsolanki · Staff · Jul 31, 2026 at 1:50 am

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  Thanks, @benitoalba! That’s correct.
  
  The redirect is expected behavior and is used for newsletter link tracking. The visibility of the full redirect URL depends on how the email client renders the message. If you’re still seeing something unexpected after testing in another email client, let us know. Otherwise, we’ll consider this resolved.

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  richspop · Member · Jul 31, 2026 at 8:56 am

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  OK. Thank you for the explanations. Notifications of new posts are sent to my secondary email address which uses a Zoho client. A web search brought up the following regarding links in Zoho messages:

  <quote>Zoho Mail frequently has issues with how links are displayed in emails. Users have reported that:

  • Links appear as long, unattractive strings instead of clean, clickable hyperlinks.
  • This can lead to emails looking unprofessional, which is a concern for many businesses.<endquote>

  I don’t take much notice of the new-post email notification which is probably why I haven’t noticed the issue before.

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  temyperez · Staff · Jul 31, 2026 at 5:10 pm

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  Thanks for following up and sharing that extra context! That definitely explains why the tracking URL was rendered in full rather than formatted neatly behind the link text.

  Since everything makes sense now, I’ll mark this topic as resolved. Please feel free to start a new thread if anything else comes up in the future.

  Have a wonderful day!