BLOG TIPS - The shortening of URLs got it's main push by Tinyurl.com a number of years back, and many others are in the URL shortening biz, from social bookmarking sites, like Digg, to mainstream media sites that now have their own shortening engines. With the web moving so fast but at only 140 characters at a time, these shortening services are helpful (especially when you're able to track your statistics). But, like many web tools, shortened links may have a negative side too, because, as the reader, you never really know where the link is directing you. With the number of scammers on line, can imagine the security risks and potential for opening up questionable material.
Some websites will try to inject malware in your system as soon as you visit it. Others will try to set special filters in your Gmail account and so on. Recently, it was reported that Digg.com changed the status of its shortened URLs so they no longer point to the source of the story or post for logged-out users, but instead direct visitors to a landing page on Digg.com (Digg fortunately has changed it's mind on this new practice). Digg's change has negative implications for bloggers, mainly the fact that readers who think they are creating a link to your content are actually just giving Digg more traffic.
If you want to be safe and secure, only click on shortened links created by someone your trust. If you must or want click on a link but don’t know if it is legitimate, use a URL unshortening tool. Give Sucuri.net a try, it will reveal the actual URL behind the link and check with Google and SiteAdvisor to make sure the website is safe to be visited. It's an extra step, but worth the protection.
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