New Gen Research

For those times when a link is just too big, TinyURL.com to the rescue.

In the research world no work is without its sources. While the need to report this underlying information is not in question the way in which we can do so is. Through the use of a hyperlink, authors can now directly connect the reader with underlying source information. This has huge practical implications for academic communication as single works become interactive resources connecting the reader to a potential wealth of information. I would suggest searching PubMed if you wanted some examples.

It’s important to keep in mind that a hyperlink can’t do everything. So much of our communication still exists in paper form. From presentation handouts to print newsletters and journals there are still many things that cannot be linked directly. Adding links to paper handouts is useful but sometimes the links can be too long for the reader to accurately type into their web browser.

TinyURL is not new, the copyright goes back to 2002. But the site has been increasingly relevant since popular sites like twitter create an online environment where space is at a premium. Using the site is incredibly simple and free. You enter the link you would like to shorten, click a button, and you are given a new link to use.

Here is an example using this blog article’s link.

Current Link (86 Characters): http://newgenresearch.wordpress.com/2009/04/22/reducing-your-link-size-with-tinyurlcom

New Link (25 Characters): http://tinyurl.com/c84n6e

If you would like the link to be a little more personal or memorable you can suggest a custom alias, if it is available TinyURL will give it to you. Here is an example using the same article (28 Characters): http://tinyurl.com/ReduceLink

So the next time you go to paste a 3 line long link into your presentation handouts head to TinyURL.com first. The audience will thank you for it later.