Comments on: Tiny URL, Big Trouble http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/ Web design news and insights since 1995 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:54:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Andy http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/#comment-42964 Andy Fri, 05 Jun 2009 02:16:24 +0000 http://www.zeldman.com/?p=949#comment-42964 We're new, and not included in the article but we think our URL shortening service http://zi.pe brings a lot of value into the short URL market. We not only shorten links, but also text, email addresses, and a photos (with upload). People get a bad taste in their mouths for short url services because they are still using the original old school ones that have little to no value. Bit.ly and TinyUrl are both out-dated and their url's are too long. One character can make or break a great twitter post... We’re new, and not included in the article but

we think our URL shortening service http://zi.pe brings a lot of value into the short URL market.

We not only shorten links, but also text, email addresses, and a photos (with upload).

People get a bad taste in their mouths for short url services because they are still using the original old school ones that have little to no value.

Bit.ly and TinyUrl are both out-dated and their url’s are too long. One character can make or break a great twitter post…

]]> By: Digg Users Email Share | World News http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/#comment-42245 Digg Users Email Share | World News Thu, 07 May 2009 12:38:45 +0000 http://www.zeldman.com/?p=949#comment-42245 [...] to post articles to Dzone.com and Scriptandstyle.com which both niche sites send me plenty of [...]Google's Digg Style Program For years, Digg has been the premier web content popularity [...] [...] to post articles to Dzone.com and Scriptandstyle.com which both niche sites send me plenty of [...]Google's Digg Style Program For years, Digg has been the premier web content popularity [...]

]]> By: Flickr: raymck's Photostream http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/#comment-42237 Flickr: raymck's Photostream Wed, 06 May 2009 20:45:40 +0000 http://www.zeldman.com/?p=949#comment-42237 <!--%kramer-ref-pre%-->[...] tried to edit a post I made on a Zeldman image to include a link made with tinyurl (Zeldman recently made a post about tinyurls on his won site). Flickr wouldn't allow me to edit the post with the tinyurl. Note from Flickr customer service [...]<!--%kramer-ref-post%--> [...] tried to edit a post I made on a Zeldman image to include a link made with tinyurl (Zeldman recently made a post about tinyurls on his won site). Flickr wouldn’t allow me to edit the post with the tinyurl. Note from Flickr customer service [...]

]]> By: Twitter / Tara Joyce: I know we all love URL sho ... http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/#comment-42048 Twitter / Tara Joyce: I know we all love URL sho ... Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:58:23 +0000 http://www.zeldman.com/?p=949#comment-42048 <!--%kramer-ref-pre%-->[...] know we all love URL shorteners but we should consider the problems they create http://www.zeldman.com/2009...half a minute ago from Nambu ElasticMind Tara [...]<!--%kramer-ref-post%--> [...] know we all love URL shorteners but we should consider the problems they create http://www.zeldman.com/2009…half a minute ago from Nambu ElasticMind Tara [...]

]]> By: bank charges | Small Initiatives http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/#comment-42011 bank charges | Small Initiatives Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:37:40 +0000 http://www.zeldman.com/?p=949#comment-42011 <!--%kramer-ref-pre%-->[...] Tiny URL, Big Trouble more [...]<!--%kramer-ref-post%--> [...] Tiny URL, Big Trouble more [...]

]]> By: Codeslinger http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/#comment-41915 Codeslinger Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:26:04 +0000 http://www.zeldman.com/?p=949#comment-41915 For as long as web designers persist in their use of absurdly long links we shall be dependent upon link shortening services. The cure is simple and the problem would vanish overnight if web designers would just pay attention to the needs of their users. Email messages impose size limits that will never change in the foreseeable future. It would require a major infrastructure change which is extremely unlikely to happen. Besides which even if we disregard the physical size limits, the fact remains that typing those links is not fun in situations where copy/paste/click is not possible. tweet??? ~= banality^3 WTBFD? interruptus maximus productivitius minmus For as long as web designers persist in their use of absurdly long links we shall be dependent upon link shortening services.

The cure is simple and the problem would vanish overnight if web designers would just pay attention to the needs of their users.

Email messages impose size limits that will never change in the foreseeable future. It would require a major infrastructure change which is extremely unlikely to happen.

Besides which even if we disregard the physical size limits, the fact remains that typing those links is not fun in situations where copy/paste/click is not possible.

tweet??? ~= banality^3 WTBFD? interruptus maximus productivitius minmus

]]> By: Dimka http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/#comment-41913 Dimka Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:11:52 +0000 http://www.zeldman.com/?p=949#comment-41913 if people want to use short URLs it means it is what people want, so if original site does not provide it (because developers are lazy and leave ugly long URLs or site is greedy and want to have better rank with spelled out URL) people will use some help. Either 3rd party like tinyURL or do it themselves. So it looks clear that surfers want it short, thus site owners should give it to the users otherwise someone will do it for them. At very least site owners should offer somewhat on the top, next to address bar a short URL. for example this page http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/#comments can still have it URL but it should be easy for me to grab a short URL that leads here if people want to use short URLs it means it is what people want, so if original site does not provide it (because developers are lazy and leave ugly long URLs or site is greedy and want to have better rank with spelled out URL) people will use some help. Either 3rd party like tinyURL or do it themselves. So it looks clear that surfers want it short, thus site owners should give it to the users otherwise someone will do it for them.
At very least site owners should offer somewhat on the top, next to address bar a short URL.
for example this page
http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/#comments
can still have it URL but it should be easy for me to grab a short URL that leads here

]]> By: anon http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/#comment-41907 anon Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:55:25 +0000 http://www.zeldman.com/?p=949#comment-41907 What about feedburner? What about feedburner?

]]> By: My Abbreviated Self | Bb RealTech http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/#comment-41872 My Abbreviated Self | Bb RealTech Mon, 20 Apr 2009 06:34:25 +0000 http://www.zeldman.com/?p=949#comment-41872 <!--%kramer-ref-pre%-->[...] Zeldman: Tiny URL Big Trouble [...]<!--%kramer-ref-post%--> [...] Zeldman: Tiny URL Big Trouble [...]

]]> By: Five Minute Argument http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/#comment-41858 Five Minute Argument Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:50:28 +0000 http://www.zeldman.com/?p=949#comment-41858 Fixing twitter's handling of URLs definitely seems like the right solution here. There's a good mechanism for linking, and it doesn't involve exposing the URL; it involves meaningful, useful link text. "Link" is not that. (More at my URL) Fixing twitter’s handling of URLs definitely seems like the right solution here. There’s a good mechanism for linking, and it doesn’t involve exposing the URL; it involves meaningful, useful link text. “Link” is not that. (More at my URL)

]]> By: Call center Outsourcing http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/#comment-41857 Call center Outsourcing Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:40:21 +0000 http://www.zeldman.com/?p=949#comment-41857 Short URLS are usefull and important in deliverying the desired results. i agree with the Author for the short URL. John Short URLS are usefull and important in deliverying the desired results. i agree with the Author for the short URL.
John

]]> By: akatsuki http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/#comment-41832 akatsuki Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:14:22 +0000 http://www.zeldman.com/?p=949#comment-41832 maybe, as web designers, it is enough to admit that ridiculously long urls are the problem and that they need to be short. That having a url like "2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/" is something that most people don't care about and that "tiny-url" or something would be sufficient... URLs are ridiculously clumsy as an address anyway... maybe, as web designers, it is enough to admit that ridiculously long urls are the problem and that they need to be short. That having a url like “2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/” is something that most people don’t care about and that “tiny-url” or something would be sufficient… URLs are ridiculously clumsy as an address anyway…

]]> By: Benjamin Jancewicz http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/#comment-41675 Benjamin Jancewicz Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:00:03 +0000 http://www.zeldman.com/?p=949#comment-41675 All very true, but fortunately with Google Apps, you can now make shortlinks tied to your very own domain. This is mine: http://links.zerflin.com/ All very true, but fortunately with Google Apps, you can now make shortlinks tied to your very own domain.
This is mine: http://links.zerflin.com/

]]> By: Do you use URL shorteners? Maybe you should reconsider http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/#comment-41429 Do you use URL shorteners? Maybe you should reconsider Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:36:23 +0000 http://www.zeldman.com/?p=949#comment-41429 <!--%kramer-ref-pre%-->[...] you should reconsider Wednesday April 15, 2009 I read this article on Jeffrey Zeldman Presents: Tiny URL, Big Trouble. And it came at an interesting time for me, because I had just received an editorial reminder from [...]<!--%kramer-ref-post%--> [...] you should reconsider Wednesday April 15, 2009 I read this article on Jeffrey Zeldman Presents: Tiny URL, Big Trouble. And it came at an interesting time for me, because I had just received an editorial reminder from [...]

]]> By: Hugo Tremblay http://www.zeldman.com/2009/04/14/tiny-url-big-trouble/#comment-41318 Hugo Tremblay Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:24:25 +0000 http://www.zeldman.com/?p=949#comment-41318 @Chris: off the top of my head, just replacing the anchor text in a tweet wouldn't work, the url being part of the characters count. If the total count, including any url you post (and any @name, for that matter), does not exceed 140 chars, then the url won't be shortened. If it does, Twitter will tinyurl-ize it. Adding placeholder text (e.g. "link") would in fact add overhead, and therefore be counterproductive. Some Twitter clients, like the Twitterfox FF extension I use, automatically scans tinyurls and puts the full url in a tooltip. Given the short lifespan of a tweet, I find that acceptable and useful. In any other context, I find url shortening short-sighted and powerfully irritating. @Chris: off the top of my head, just replacing the anchor text in a tweet wouldn’t work, the url being part of the characters count. If the total count, including any url you post (and any @name, for that matter), does not exceed 140 chars, then the url won’t be shortened. If it does, Twitter will tinyurl-ize it. Adding placeholder text (e.g. “link”) would in fact add overhead, and therefore be counterproductive.

Some Twitter clients, like the Twitterfox FF extension I use, automatically scans tinyurls and puts the full url in a tooltip. Given the short lifespan of a tweet, I find that acceptable and useful. In any other context, I find url shortening short-sighted and powerfully irritating.

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