URL Shorteners
Have you seen web address that look like http://bit.ly/gXhUcO or http://tiny.cc/ky8qr and wondered what they mean?
These are examples of URLs (web addresses) that have been "shortened" --in this case by the services bit.ly and tiny.cc-- to make them more manageable. Both of the above URLs actually direct you the article you're reading right now. (Try it if you like.)
These services are used because full-length URLS can be ugly and long. The growing appeal of Internet sites like Twitter make this particularly important because users want to share links but a tweet can only contain 140 characters (numbers, letters, etc.) and some URLs are at least that long.
For example, a map of downtown New Port Richey, FL
can be found here:
but this same map can also be accessed at
Isn't is easy to see the appeal of URL shortening?
However, there is an inherent danger in following a link like this: You don't know what you're clicking on! Because you can't view the real website address before you click, you don't really know what site you're visiting. Hackers have already used this fact to prey on unsuspecting Twitter users by posting URL-shortened links that seem appealing but which really lead to undesirable sites. The lesson for us all is to be cautious when following web links regardless of the source. As always, better safe than sorry. Never click on anything or open anything on your computer if it gives you reason to be suspicious.
