The blog post brings up the topic of the condensed linked or “tiny URL”…
Quote:
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Use the TinyURL format for links. This makes it easier for readers to follow you links and it is a lot better to look at.
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This format has its obvious advantages where a link is sent to another person, especially e-mails, where the link may “
break when sent causing the recipient to have to cut and paste it back together” (to put it in their own words).
However, despite its advantages, it is less obvious where the link leads – if we take the example of the URL for my profile page on this forum…
Standard:
"http://www.sustainabilityforum.com/forum/members/karl.html"
Tiny:
"http://tinyurl.com/6kgbqn"
In the standard version, the recipient can easily see the website or domain to which the link is pointing (sustainabilityforum.com), but in the condensed version there is no clue (even though both links lead to the identical page). Even if the standard URL name is replaced by text (such as
My Profile), the link destination can still be seen if the reader hovers the mouse cursor over it.
While the use of the “tiny URL” format undoubtedly has advantages for certain applications, it is still important that the sender is a
trusted source, since some people may (understandably) be hesitant to click on a link where the destination cannot be seen.
So, in that sense, I don’t think these smaller URL versions can totally replace the standard ones (unless some improvements are made).
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