link shortener
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link shortener (AKA URL shortener) is a service or software that creates a shortlink (typically for any link) for use in space constrained contexts like SMS, Twitter, and other posting sites & software with post length limitations.
IndieWeb Examples
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None so far.
Silo Examples
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See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/URL_shortening#Notable_services for a list that does not need to be replicated here (unless there is some IndieWeb-specific use, past bad experience and/or criticism).
If we create a local page (on this wiki) for a particular centralized silo link shortener, add it here:
- goo.gl
- ...
Dead Examples
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The following popular link shortener domains/services used by publications or silos have ceased functioning and thus broken numerous links across the web and social media.
Defunct 3rd party short-link services listed alphabetically:
- ars.to — was an Ars Technica branded shortdomain wrapper around bitly which stopped working mid-2015
- repair: swap the "ars.to" domain in the link with "j.mp" and keep the rest of the URL
- tr.im - see https://microformats.org/wiki/tr.im for a few repairs
- twtmore
- wl.gs
- ...
Might find some more here:
- https://wiki.archiveteam.org/index.php/URLTeam/unsorted:
… lists of URL shorteners that have not yet been checked or deduplicated …
Articles
Articles about link shorteners in particular, most recent first:
- 2021-06-10 UK Government Communication Service: Link shorteners: the long and short of why you shouldn’t use them
Third party link-shortening tools can add unnecessary steps to your processes, create accessibility issues, threaten user privacy and undermine user trust – with no benefit to you as communicators.
How about we nip using them in the bud?
- ~2017? Snipli, a url shortener website, press release: Snipli Released Report Surrounding Myth on Shortened URL Links (original link http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/3224661 redirects to home)
- 2016-04-20 Forbes: 5 Reasons You Should Stop Shortening URLs
Emphasis added to note research and concerns were regarding link shortener services in particular.A recent paper by Cornell Tech researcher Vitaly Shmatikov and independent researcher Martin Georgiev demonstrated that shortening URLs can have serious privacy consequences. Because shortened URLs are so short, they are vulnerable to brute-force scanning, meaning that attackers can guess multiple shortened URLs and read all of the working ones. The researchers looked at Microsoft OneDrive and Google maps URLs shortened using bit.ly
Criticism
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Encourages link fragility
Link shortener services run by third parties have been criticized for worsening link fragility since historically many (most?) end up shutting down, and thus breaking all short links they created.
- See also: shortlink#Worsens_link_fragility and incorporate link shortener service specific criticism inline here.
Brainstorming
Services
Link shortening services that are not in active use by anyone in the community. Check them out and if you like them add yourself to the IndieWeb Examples section accordingly.
- w3id — a shortener, that like purl.org, places a high priority on maintaining permanence / longevity.
- ...