ShrinkLink F.A.Q.
What is ShrinkLink ?
Some web addresses (URLs) can be very long and complicated.
ShrinkLink is a URL shortening service which creates a much shorter link, making it easy to remember and pass on to others. This link will not break in emails and never expires.
It can take a long web link, such as this ..
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=restaurants+in+Paris &jsv=130d&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=11.093698,28.300781&ie=UTF8 &latlng=48873350,2300277,10131054141350714504&ei=Ji3mSMCFI4y0ogOitLjgBg &sig2=rjDISqgPI_m2ZFtQujfFuA&cd=5
and shorten it to something much more manageable, such as this ..
So, what is the advantage of that .. ?
ShrinkLinks ensures your links are always short, easier to type, copy & paste and always clickable !
A ShrinkLink is a simpler way to link to often-sought or difficult to remember pages. They are much easier to copy and paste, write down, and remember than their equivalent long URL.
ShrinkLinks don’t take up so much space in emails, so they will not break in an email (because they are not long enough to ‘wrap around’ at the right hand edge and cause a line break).
Shorter links are ideal for forum posts, blogs, and other sites which might not handle long URLs properly because of text wrapping, (which makes links unclickable).
Short links are also easier to use with web social networking sites like facebook, micro blogging such as Twitter, IM (instant messaging) applications, to send using Mobile phones, and to write down on paper or publish in magazines, journals, etc.
Another advantage is that redirected shortened links can help hide the real URLs of affiliate links from visitors to your site (yes, its true, some people will not click on links if they think they are affiliate links !)
Why use ShrinkLink ?
There are a number of other URL shortening sites out there, but we think ShrinkLink is better looking and easier to use than many. We also offer a couple of other nifty features such as Friendly Names to personalise links and a Link Tracking feature, so you can see exactly how many click-throughs the link got and how many people on that mailing list / blog actually follow the links you post; great if you need to track your link popularity !
Do you have a Bookmarklet for one-click shrinking ?
Yes, please see our Bookmarklet page that describes what this is and how to easily set it up.
What kinds of URL’s will work ?
Virtually any kind of standard web link should work with ShrinkLink, but please see our terms of use about spam links, adult and other illegal sites.
How long does a ShrinkLink last ?
A ShrinkLink should never expire. We do no plan to remove shortened URLs, as long as they are created in accordance with our terms of use. As such we expect them to last as long as the website is available, excepting technical issues or other difficulties beyond our control.
Is it really Free ? Is registration required ?
Yes, ShrinkLink is totally free, and no user account registration is required.
You can start using it right now !
I keep hearing about ‘URL’s but what exactly ARE they ?
Ah, just in case you didn’t know, URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator
For all intents and purposes, this basically means a web page link, such as this :
www.anyonlineshop.com/products?category=surfboards