A question about that "tiny url"

[seemslikeadream]

I think that's the right word. I'm trying to post a DU link somewhere and it's not working because it has a smiley face in it. Would that tiny thing work and how is it done?

Thanks so much

SLaD

[Berserker]

1. Sure tiny URL

works but some computer users shy away from links posted with it because it don't tell the user were they are going.

[salvorhardin]

2. How-To

It's really easy to use.

Go to this site: http://tinyurl.com, paste or type the URL you want to encode into the edit box there and click the 'Make Tiny URL!' button. That will give you a tinyURL to use.

You can add a button to your browser's toolbar too make it even easier: http://tinyurl.com/#toolbar

There's also a TinyURL extension for Firefox.
http://www.roundtwo.com/product/tinyurl

As the other poster noted, the problem with TinyURL is that it doesn't give the person clicking the link any indication of where they're going. However, if you have a URL that DU chokes on, it's a good solution and you can always put the domain or name of the place after the TinyURL as a show of good faith.

Tip: You can have TinyURL set a cookie on your machine that will take you to a preview of the page you're being redirected to with a tinyURL instead of directly to the site.
http://tinyurl.com/preview.php

[RoyGBiv]

3. They work fine ...

Berserker's note about some people not trusting them should be noted, however. I'd personally follow a link you posted masked as a TinyURL because I know who you are in the context of DU, as do many others I'm certain. Just something to consider.

As far as how it's done, just copy the URL from your address bar or wherever it is, go to tinyurl.com, paste it in the field provided, hit the Make TinyURL button, and copy the resulting tiny link from the page that displays. If you use Firefox, there's also an extension that allows you to do all this with the click of a button, and the tinyURL is copied into your clipboard so you can post it where you want.

For your problem on DU specifically, you could check the box at the bottom of the message entry window that says "Check if you DO NOT wish to use emoticon icons in your message." That will prevent the smiley in the URL from being turned into a smiley when the message is posted. Most web-based discussion forums have an option like this.

[FormerDittoHead]

4. Craigslist bans tinyurl's

Just to advise that there ARE places which don't accept tinyurl.com urls

Reason is because they can lead to nasty places, and Craigslist is kinda 'freewheeling'...

[salvorhardin]

5. There are also alternatives to TinyURL

That do essentially the same thing. Whole gaggle of them here: http://www.lights.com/weblogs/shorterurls.html

I like the BigLnk service which allows you to specify the last part of the URL: http://biglnk.com

For instance, I made a URL to redirect to this DU discussion: http://biglnk.com/DUtinyURLthread

One concern I have with TinyURL and their work-alikes is how long will their redirection service be there to translate your shortened URLs into your original URLs?