Add Some Shortening

Not every web URL has a neat and orderly path string. With some links you can wind up with up a ton of characters that are impossible to remember and take up way too much space on a line or lines of text. But beyond the aesthetic issues with some links is the unknown. Did someone actually click on it? So, just like pastries, when it comes to links, we want to add some shortening.

Pastries by Andrea Kirkby is licensed under CC by 2.0

Now, when it comes to shortening URLS, there are a few solutions out there. Here’s a handful of URL shortening sites available for free on the web:
Goo.gl
Ow.ly
Bit.ly
TinyURL

With these tools, you not only have the option to shorten an URL (I pronounce it as Earl) but you can also tap into some level of analytics. They can offer link tracking to count clicks. You don't have to wonder if visitors or an audience are actually interacting. I personally like Goo.gl as I can apply the analytics and create a QR code equivalent if I ever need to use that feature. Last year, I did an office scavenger hunt using QR codes and it was really fun.

But please, check these out and let me know which one you prefer to take on the job of creating an alias link.

Comments

Lunch Bytes: 05

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Lunch Bytes: 04

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Warming Up the Kitchen

I would like to extend a warm and hearty welcome to my fellow technology chefs. It's been quite some time since I've contributed to a blog, and I can't quite remember the last time I published my own. Hopefully, this Test Kitchen will provide the means to discover, experiment, and create some tasty Web 2.0 recipes for all to incorporate into their own cookbook.

Web 2.0 Test Kitchen

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