Understanding URL Shorteners
Both Facebook and Google launched URL shorteners, Fb.me and Goo.gl . Now Google subsidiary YouTube has joined the URL shortening bandwagon. If you're not familiar with the need to shorten URL's or links, there are several reasons to use URL shortening:
Avoid URL garbling: Web developers tend to pass descriptive attributes in the URL which may result in a URL that is very lengthy and challenging to remember. Taking a URL that is hundreds of characters long can make the URL garbled. Then a short URL is useful to copy on an e-mail message or a forum post.
Use the smallest space possible: On Twitter or instant message status even a 60 character long URL can be too long. A URL shortener can make short URLs such as http://br.st/74 (15 characters), http://tinyurl.com/gf65th (25 characters), http://ni2.in/j (15 characters), http://tr.im/o65Tg (18 characters). In Twitter http://www can be replaced by www and 7 fewer characters can be used.
Reading aloud: Some shortening services, such as socuteurl.com, generate URLs that are human-readable.
Manipulating visitors: URL shortening is a special kind of URL redirection, which is sometimes used in pranks, phishing, or affiliate hiding. For example tinyurl.com/ha56k0k redirects to goatse.cx in a prank. More recently, some of these services (br.st in particular) have started filtering all shortened links through services like Google Safe Browsing.
Get familiar with the most commonly used URL shorteners, and you won't miss out on some great links that others are posting. http://www.toprankblog.com/2009/01/11-best-url-shortening-services-vote-your-favorite/ or http://bit.ly/YsTt
*Note: Keep and eye out for Facebook Click Jacking. Not sure what that is? No problem, check out an explanation on Mashable: http://mashable.com/2009/12/22/facebook-clickjacking/
Understanding URL Shorteners
Both Facebook and Google launched URL shorteners, Fb.me and Goo.gl . Now Google subsidiary YouTube has joined the URL shortening bandwagon. If you're not familiar with the need to shorten URL's or links, there are several reasons to use URL shortening:
Avoid URL garbling: Web developers tend to pass descriptive attributes in the URL which may result in a URL that is very lengthy and challenging to remember. Taking a URL that is hundreds of characters long can make the URL garbled. Then a short URL is useful to copy on an e-mail message or a forum post.
Use the smallest space possible: On Twitter or instant message status even a 60 character long URL can be too long. A URL shortener can make short URLs such as http://br.st/74 (15 characters), http://tinyurl.com/gf65th (25 characters), http://ni2.in/j (15 characters), http://tr.im/o65Tg (18 characters). In Twitter http://www can be replaced by www and 7 fewer characters can be used.
Reading aloud: Some shortening services, such as socuteurl.com, generate URLs that are human-readable.
Manipulating visitors: URL shortening is a special kind of URL redirection, which is sometimes used in pranks, phishing, or affiliate hiding. For example tinyurl.com/ha56k0k redirects to goatse.cx in a prank. More recently, some of these services (br.st in particular) have started filtering all shortened links through services like Google Safe Browsing.
Get familiar with the most commonly used URL shorteners, and you won't miss out on some great links that others are posting. http://www.toprankblog.com/2009/01/11-best-url-shortening-services-vote-your-favorite/ or http://bit.ly/YsTt
*Note: Keep and eye out for Facebook Click Jacking. Not sure what that is? No problem, check out an explanation on Mashable: http://mashable.com/2009/12/22/facebook-clickjacking/
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