Tiny URLs

[Bowlie]

In Big Al's horsey thread starting here he gives a couple of links that have been tinified?

While I trust Al, I'm a little leery of these links because there are no visual clues about where that link is going to lead? Is there anyway of seeing the real URL without clicking on it? I suppose that defeats the purpose but ...

[StuartR]

I never follow tiny URL links, because I can't see where they point

[DaveA]

I to, dislike any link that has been "Masked" as I want to know where I am being taken.

Some site have these "Masked" links to files that download and fix your system.

[BobH]

Does that reluctance include links like this? Eileen's Lounge


I always thought that it was polite to remove the rather inane explicit path designation on-screen and provide a more readable link title.

Mea culpa!

[mbarron]

Does that reluctance include links like this? Eileen's Lounge


I always thought that it was polite to remove the rather inane explicit path designation on-screen and provide a more readable link title.

Mea culpa!

I agree that it is polite to shorten them. In my opinion, your method is the preferred way to shorten them. I can do a mouse over and see where your link is pointing. With tinyURL, there is no indication where you are being taken.

[PaulB]

Does that reluctance include links like this? Eileen's Lounge

Trust, but verify. That is the issue here. You are, as you say, being polite by providing the link above. I trust that you are sending me to Eileen's Lounge and I can verify that by looking at the address in my browser's status bar. You are indeed sending me there.

You could just as easily have sent me to Eileen's Lounge, but I can catch that.

With the TinyURL type link, you will be redirected to another site. I can only verify that I am going to TinyURL. I cannot determine or verify where I will be redirected.

In Al's case, you are redirected to a legitimate site.

[BobH]

Now I'm wondering what I'm missing.

I'm using Firefox 3.6.10. When I hover my mouse over the hotlink I see nothing other than what was there before. Nothing changes in the browser address bar and nothing pops up as the mouse floats over. Right clicking gives a menu but doesn't display the explicit URL.

Is there a setting in Firefox that will change the behavior? Or something in the mouse settings in CP?

Curious minds and all that.

[StuartR]

This is what I see in Firefox 3.6.10 when I hover over the inappropriate Eileen's Lounge link above.

[wasbit]

FYI
There is a preview for TinyURL which allows you to see where the link leads
- http://tinyurl.com/preview.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[PaulB]

Is there a setting in Firefox that will change the behavior?

Select 'View' in the menu bar and make sure there is a check mark next to 'Status Bar'.

[PaulB]

FYI
There is a preview for TinyURL which allows you to see where the link leads
- http://tinyurl.com/preview.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cool! I did not know that.

[Sundog]

Another approach for a global display of link info in context is to use the great Web Developers Toolbar Add-on for Firefox, and click Information > Display Link Details:

ViewAllLinkInfo.JPG

[Bigaldoc]

For the edification of all, I have edited the reference post to remove the TinyURL links that were making some of you nervous. For the record I usually use the Fx addon called CopyURL pointed out by Leif a long time ago. But sometimes I get carried away...

[John Gray]

There is also a Firefox extension/add-on which will display the URL addresses behind TinyURLs, bit.ly, and so on, and anything else that comes under the category of Alt Text... Popup ALT Attribute. Been using it for years!

[Sundog]

There is also a Firefox extension/add-on which will display the URL addresses behind TinyURLs, bit.ly, and so on, and anything else that comes under the category of Alt Text... Popup ALT Attribute. Been using it for years!

Good tip! Thanks, John. Will add it to my Firefox.

[Leif]

There is also a Firefox extension/add-on which will display the URL addresses behind TinyURLs, bit.ly, and so on, and anything else that comes under the category of Alt Text... Popup ALT Attribute. Been using it for years!

I've have the same add-on - but I can't for the life of me see how it displays the ultimate URL behind a TinyURL...