URL-Shortening Service With A Twist

I like those URL-shortening services. Actually, as really long URLs become more prevalent they're almost a necessity to pass around. But one big disadvantage of URL-shortening services is that you can't tell what the URL is for -- nothing gives you a clue.

But Snipurl ( http://snipurl.com/index.php ) allows you to personalize the shortened URL you get back. Here's how it works. Enter the URL to be shortened in the box on the main screen. Now, look on the right side of the screen and enter the "nickname" of the URL -- for example, if you were to shorten an URL of a story about Yahoo, maybe you'd enter the nickname Yahoo.

If you try to enter an nickname that's already been used, you'll get a warning note and a request to try a different nickname. Since the nicknames can be between 6 and 20 characters long, you have lots of different choices. So if you wanted to link to a PR Newswire story about journalists honored on postage stamps, you could use the nickname of journaliststamps and get the Snipurl of http://snurl.com/journaliststam ps .

You can also register for a free account here. Free registration means you can view a list of the URLs you snipped and e-mail them, edit them, or visit their Web site. Another handy URL-shortening tool; worth a look.

Posted to Internet-Tools