[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4Cast #156: URL shorteners

[Bobbi Galvin]

*OPLIN 4Cast #156: URL shorteners*
December 11, 2009


  /4casting technologies that could have an impact on public libraries./

Every character counts these days, so a little help from a link 
shortening service is a must.  But are there other benefits to using a 
link shortener?

-- Add your link anywhere - even in tiny spaces. In a pocket, on a 
business card, even a napkin!

-- Because shortened links are really redirects, the link will never expire.

-- If the link is easy to remember, it will be easy to use.

    * Top 5 URL Shorteners and How They Help You
      <http://www.friedbeef.com/top-5-url-shorteners-and-how-they-help-you/>
    * URL Shorteners: Which Shortening Service Should You Use?
      <http://searchengineland.com/analysis-which-url-shortening-service-should-you-use-17204>

Archiving these short URLs is another matter.  How long do they last?  
Who is responsible for their upkeep?

    * Where do Short URLs Go When They Die?
      <http://www.readwriteweb.com/readwritestart/2009/12/where-do-short-urls-die.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+readwriteweb+%28ReadWriteWeb%29&utm_content=Google+Reader>
    * Archiving Web Shortcuts: Internet Archive Launches 301Works.Org
      <http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/NewsBreaks/Archiving-Web-Shortcuts-Internet-Archive-Launches-WorksOrg-60049.asp>

*/Cool fact from the 4Cast:/*
 From Search Engine Land Blog: "A URL shortening service does a '301 
redirect' to the full URL. That number stands for the code a web server 
issues to a browser (or search engine) when a URL is requested.

A 301 redirect says that the URL requested (the short URL) has 
'permanently' moved to the long address. Since it's a permanent 
redirect, search engines finding links to the short URLs will credit all 
those links to the long URL."

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-- 
Bobbi Galvin
OPLIN Customer Relations & Support
P: 1-888-966-7546
www.oplin.org

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