Print-friendlyTiny URLS Suck - Beware of Them
I'm seeing a growing use of Tiny URLs. You've seen them. They look funky, like this: http://ow.ly/jvsdsTw. I think they suck, because you lose three key advantages to good links: security, findability and context. This is just a short rant on why I they are a pet peeve of mine.
Loss of Deductive Security for the Reader -
One of the things a URL has in it, even ones with long and barely readable query strings attached to them, is the fact that one can at least decipher the primary domain of the address. Things may get cloudy for most people right after the .com/.net/.org with things they don't understand (?asfsd=3232?safsad...), but as far as security goes, they will probably be able to determine the domain they are being directed too. (Not for certain, of course, since the link text and the HREF can be totally different.) Not so with tiny urls. This link could be pointing to anywhere and even the most schooled in the web cannot deduct where they are being sent. Great, especially in today's world rife with phfishing, injection and trojan attacks. And all to save a few characters...
No Wayfinding Mechanism / Horrible for Findability -
URLs should be descriptive about the content they present. It's good for findability, but also for wayfinding or finding your way from one url to another. I'll let the wayfinding slide a bit here with tiny urls because of what they meant to do (mostly be shared), but they suck for being findable as well. What does "http://ow.ssly/jvTw" mean to you? They can't be remembered, and provide no information regarding the content they contain. Their lack of findability, along with the previous point, means no one will ever remember them either...
Loss of All Context for the Reader -
I write a fair amount - directing users to resources, telling what's available on the web, and such. I always try to use descriptive title text for my links. It helps build context for the reader. One can certainly do that with Tiny URLs too, but if not, their link text means absolutely nothing in the course of any story/post, etc. where it resides. The reader and the link loses all context in the discussion.
I'm seeing these more and more now. Beware. You could be landing anywhere by following one. But don't worry if you don't, you won't remember them anyway, and you'll certainly never be able to find it again either.
