I'm currently working on improving my url shortener http://smaii.com I'm wondering what you guys prefer for a url shortener redirection: Splash Page: Safer: User is able to view a quick preview before visiting the page. That way you cannot shorten some gore, or nasty stuff and post it all over facebook. Redirection Bar: Redirection bar is neat because it takes you to the page right away, but theres a black bar at the top of the page which can be removed. Or is it better to have instant redirection, similar to that of bitly? What do you think.
Take a look at some of the more popular link shorteners and see what they do "right" and try to take inspiration from them - obviously it works for them, however, there are many different link shorteners and as such, people may decide to stick to the "well known" ones. (I would personally).
Thanks for the replies. Although I did not ask what url shortener you used. I asked what method of redirection you prefer. Did you guys read the thread? @thecodingdude Thank you. Yea, it seems bit.ly in goo.gl are the two url shorteners used in this thread. Those url shorteners redirect to page instantly. Maybe I should do that as well...
Well, yes. But the other methods of redirection have benefits to them as well. Anyways thank you for your reply sir. So far I think you're the only person who actually read the thread.
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I have an account over at bit.ly, the are good ad their links seem to stay for much much much longer than anyone else.
Pinterest doesn't allow bit.ly or tinyurl. PinnedURL is a link shortener and URL redirect service with click tracking and allows you to include an alias. It works pretty well. http://pinnedurl.com
Yes, but did you see what I mentioned about tinyurl and bit.ly. It may be of concern for some people. Just saying...
You can easily use Twitter for the same purpose. They shorten your URL by default anyway, so why not. Plus, Twitter is here to stay. A lot of url shortening services spring up and die within a month.
I use bit.ly or goo.gl for shortening my links personally, however, I like your idea of having a small preview/splash page to see a small preview of the content coming up so you're not scared or repulsed. The preview shouldn't last longer than a few seconds, though.
I guess it depends on personal preference. Of course there are pros and cons for both. bit.ly is simple and easy to use, not much hassle. a small preview would be able to entice people and invoke their curiosity in what you are doing, but you need to be able to capture attention and have a good call to action. .