[IRCA] Unwieldy web site links

["W. Curt Deegan" <WWWR@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Web links related to a story or posting are often important.  Everyone 
would prefer the convenience of having  the links provided, rather than 
have to ferret them out.  Unfortunately, some web links given in IRCA list 
email posts and in the IRCA DX Monitor newsletter are unwieldy at 
best.  This is no one's fault, just the nature of links and their formulation.

 From a printed newsletter these long links are inconvenient and error 
prone to re-type.

Long links, even when provided in emails can be a problem.  The links could 
be broken into un-clickable pieces by the server or client formatting 
process.  Plus, not all email clients even support clicking on links.  An 
alternative in these circumstances is Cut & Paste.  However, this can also 
introduce problems.  Extraneous blanks are often inserted in multi-line 
selections during the operation, resulting in invalid links that fail.

A good example is the link given for Bruce Portzer's Annual DX 
Get-Together.  Reproduced in DXM the last few issues, this link is 
necessarily long because of the way MapQuest inquiries are formed.

There is a better way and it's called TinyURL.  A long, near impossible to 
transcribe link is converted into a URL like this: http://tinyurl.com/9opyc

Far easier to transcribe, this much simpler URL works just like Bruce's 
given link: 
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?searchtype=address&country=US&addtohistory=&searchtab=home&formtype=address&popflag=0&latitude=&longitude=&name=&phone=&level=&cat=&address=6546+19th+avenue+NE&city=&state=&zipcode=98115

The compact URLs never expire so once one is created it can be passed on 
and saved just as any other link.  And it's FREE!  Go to: http://tinyurl.com/


Curt
-------
W. Curt Deegan
Boca Raton, (southeast) FL


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