Not strictly speaking diy

[Mary Fisher]

but please don't berude.

I keep seeing urls beginning 'tinyurl'.

How does one do that?

Mary

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

You cu'n'paste the URL into the box.

[ARWadsworth]

[Mary Fisher]

Thank you, I'll look into that tomorrow.

If I'm still here :-)

Off to bed now.

Mary

[Andy Hall]

Go to

You can download a link for your browser from there. Then in future, you navigate to where you want to go then press the link button. You will end up on a Tinyurl page with the compressed URL shown. However, the URL is also conveniently copied to your clipboard, so you can just paste directly into the news article.

It generally works OK, but will fail on URLs related to user sessions that time out.

[Bob Eager]

??

[Andy Burns]

[Lobster]

When quoting tinyurl links, I always include both it and the 'raw' link, because if the tinyurl link does fail for whatever reason, the recipient still has a sporting chance of tracking it down if they are minded to, by eyeballing the long 'raw' link. many folk don't like clicking on tinurl links for fear of something nasty at the other end - providing the recipient knows/trusts me, the full version offers some reassurance that the link is kosher.

Actually, I've found the tinyurl service really useful for compressing long links not just in emails and usenet posts but for many other uses too - eg dictating a link over the phone; copying one down by hand to pass on to someone; and including in a newspaper small ad (to enable inclusion of a substantial 'web' version of the ad, or a photo).

David

[Harry Bloomfield]

Mary Fisher was thinking very hard :

It is one of the means to translate a long URL into a short one. You just go to

and paste the long URL into the box, click the button and it gives you a short URL which you can use in doucuments or newsgroup postings. You can even add a tinyurl button to your browser to automate the process.

Following a tinyurl carries the risk that you have no means of knowing just where the link might take you.

[Douglas de Lacey]

If that really worries you, use the otherwise equivalent

This begins by telling you where you are going to be directed to, and gives you time to cancel. Douglas de Lacey

[Lobster]

So does tinyurl actually, if you use the "preview feature" on the home page.

David

[Mary Fisher]

Right, I'vegot the ideanow, thanks to (almost) all.

Next question:

How can I send a picture as a tinyurl or makeashorterlink? Do I have to put it into my website as its own unique file?

If so I'm going to call a grandson to advise - I'm not too hot on manipulating that!

No - he's not a six year old, when he was I taught him about computing. Now that he's 21 he knows more than I do. About some things.

Mary

[Derek ^]

Yes, they only do what they say on the tin. IE Make URL's shorter. The (long) URL and the website it points to has to exist to start with.

If you've only got a few pictures to share then

will give you a bit of free webspace with a choice of simple background templates, and even has a javascript upload tool they will download to your computer so you can publish your pics in a tolerably polished way, free of charge in 15 mins.

Alternatively

will give you a free photogallery to display your pictures, people you invite may look at them, run them as a slideshow, and more besides, or even order them as prints on Kodak paper for a few coppers. They will also have a web URL so you could disseminate the address on usenet should you so choose.

Yahoo does the same as it happens and IIRC their prints are a copper or so cheaper, start here:

HTH

DG

[Nick]

Go to here and upload your picture:

will stay hosted there for a few weeks, or indefinitely if someone looks at it every week or two.