Reminder - Please Shorten URL Links

[Dennis Markham]

Members, please remember to shorten those long URL's before posting them.  Links such as eBay links that are very long.

Just go to www.tinyurl.com.  It's very simple.  Cut and paste the long URL into the window, push the button and then cut and paste the new, shorter URL and include that into your forum post.

Thank you.

[Dennis Markham]

Many of the newer members may not have seen this post in the "News" category.  There was a problem recently because of an extra long link that was posted in a topic.

Please remember to shorten links, especially those that do not fit in less than one line.  Whatever program you like to use is fine.  Google has a url shortener as well as Tinyurl.

Thank you.

~Dennis

[MDK]

Doesn't simply using the URL feature in this forum work to do the same thing?

HERE

Your link can be as long as you want, and your descriptive text can be just one letter:

Z

[Dennis Markham]

Obviously you are correct, MDK!  I've never used the Forum software URL feature.  Would you mind explaining what you did using the Forum software, please?

[Owain]

You click on the button where it says "Add BB Tags" and this helps you make a clicky link.

To make Google the BBCode should look like:

Code Select Expand

[url=www.google.co.uk]Google[/url]

[paul-f]

I personally prefer MDK's solution.  When you mouse over the link, the URL is displayed in the browser's status line so readers can see where the link goes.

Many are reluctant to click on link text if the destination of the link is unknown - for security reasons.

[Dennis Markham]

I agree Paul.  I think the "in house" url conversion is much better than even the tinyurl conversion.  I have to plead ignorant.  I wasn't aware the forum software allowed for this link conversion.  Thanks Owain for education me (us).

[GG]

Majorly cool.  Especially since I've heard that Tinyurl (and presumably Google) recycle or expire those abbreviated links.  (They would necessarily have to, due to the limited number of links that any abbreviation could support at one time.)

Whereas the method used in the software on this site, doesn't actually create an abbreviated URL, it just creates an internal equivalence in its own database between the character and the URL, so it should have such a high limit that it's unlikely it would be reached. 

[deedubya3800]

eBay has shortened the addresses for item listings on their site. Regardless of what may show up when you are looking at at item on eBay, you can always give the link as http://www.ebay.com/itm/123456789012 where 123456789012 is the item number. I was so thrilled to find this out! That should be short enough to fit anywhere.

[jsowers]

It can't be said often enough... when posting something from eBay, please post a picture from the auction since the auction and pictures go away eventually. Anyone reading it a few months after the fact will just be scratching his head.

One hint on the pictures: Enlarge the picture in the auction and then right-click it and save it to your computer. The small preview pic isn't designed to save that way, but the enlarged one is. On the Mac, I think it's control-click if you don't have a right-clicker.

[AE_Collector]

It can't be said often enough... when posting something from eBay, please post a picture from the auction since the auction and pictures go away eventually.

Good reminder Jonathan and good tips on how to post the pictures. Post pictures along with the ebay links as well of course. Another requirement is good information in the subject line so that the topic is more easily found in searches.

Presently there are two "phone lamps" topics ongoing here (probably many more ancient ones as well) though one of them has a title of "new member here---sacrilage" or something like that." I for one would sure like to see the moderators step in more and fix titles and combine new topics into already existing topics on the same subject.

I much prefer to open a topic with the "new" indicator on it and discover that it is a topic started two or three years ago with several pages of reading leading up to post made in the last day or so rather than reading a brand new topic that was just discussed last month at length. Not that I don't want to read the new thoughts but I would rather that they were all in one place.

When you try to add to a topic that hasn't been posted to for something like 3 or 6 months a warning comes up asking if you are sure you want to do this. That warning needs to be changed to a "Thanks for continuing with this already existing thread" IMHO.

Terry

[MDK]

Simple enough. This is the syntax, just leave out all the spaces between the brackets.

[ url = http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/ ]Your Descriptive text here[ /url ]

and it looks like this:

Your Descriptive text here

You can make it bold so it stands out:

[ b ] [ url = http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/ ]Your Descriptive text here[ /url ] [ /b ]

Your Descriptive text here

[TelePlay]

     GLOBAL MODERATOR POST

This is just another reminder to shorten eBay links when pasting them into a topic or reply. No need to go through the hassle of converting these to Tinyurl code, just get rid of the extra eBay link characters.

A typical eBay link will look like this, and some a lot longer

Code Select Expand

https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Nest-Cam-Indoor-Security-Camera-Magnetic-360-Wall-Ceiling-Mount-Holder/233021022526?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=532529839548&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

and nothing is needed after and including the "?" so all of that alphabet soup can be deleted and the link still work. In the above example, "?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=532529839548&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649" can be deleted.

All that is needed is this part of the eBay URL code

Code Select Expand

https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Nest-Cam-Indoor-Security-Camera-Magnetic-360-Wall-Ceiling-Mount-Holder/233021022526

which will look like this in a topic or post

     https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Nest-Cam-Indoor-Security-Camera-Magnetic-360-Wall-Ceiling-Mount-Holder/233021022526

rather than this

     https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Nest-Cam-Indoor-Security-Camera-Magnetic-360-Wall-Ceiling-Mount-Holder/233021022526?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=532529839548&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

And, yes, the descriptive content can also be deleted to really shorten the code but what's the purpose in making the link and unknowm, the descriptive can be left it so it does not look like this

          https://www.ebay.com/itm/233021022526


Problem with leaving the code from the "?" on with the link is it can cause problems with the forum software.

I've been deleting this "extra" code as I run across them but would appreciate members doing it themselves to save my the time and trouble of cleaning up the links.

Thanks.

[TelePlay]

     GLOBAL MODERATOR POST

Seems my above post was ignored, not read because it was too long and detailed, or simply ignored. So, let me simplify the above post:

SHORTEN eBay LINKS OR THE POST/REPLY MAY BE DELETED

[Dan/Panther]

I had no idea we had a URL adjuster on the site.  The problem is, WHAT exactly is a BB link.
When sites are constructed they need to stop using programmers terms. Use plain English.
It's like when an error occurs you get a pop up window with hieroglyphics that mean absolutely nothing.  Don't tell me I made a Fatal error. Explain how to avoid one and how to fix the one I have. The Error messages are only understandable by programmers so why bother ? I started out in computers with a Vic 20, and still feel like a complete idiot.

D/P