Bitly is a convenient URL shortener that Ive used for several years. As a signed up user I can produce custom-made, reduced URLs that people can really spell. I utilize these whenever I need to share a link to a Canva or Google Slides discussion since the default URLs supplied by those services are constantly long and incoherent..

Not all Bitly users are using them for great reasons. Some people utilize them to hide dubious links. There is a simple way to quickly identify whats behind a Bitly URL without really clicking on the link. The trick is to just include a “+” to the end of any Bitly URL. When you add the “+” the URL will redirect to Bitly rather of to whatever the original URL was. That will then show you the Bitly page on which the shortened URL is hosted and will reveal you what the original link was..
You can attempt this trick with a URL that I recently reduced. Bit.ly/ THWTAPRIL will lead you straight to a copy of the slides that I utilized in my current Intro to Teaching History With Technology webinar. Bit.ly/ THWTAPRIL+ will lead you to the Bitly page where you can see my initial presentation URL and see when I developed the reduced URL..
View this brief video to see how you can use the “+” trick to learn whats hidden behind a Bitly link..

As I do every year, Im taking today as a break from publishing new post and will be republishing some of the most popular posts of the year. Heres one from April.

This post initially appeared on FreeTech4Teachers.com. If you see it in other places, it has been used without approval.

Applications for Education.
Structure excellent digital citizenship and cyber safety skills is something that everybody need to be helping our students do. Revealing them little suggestions like this one to avoid clicking suspicious links is one of the manner ins which we can help our students construct their digital citizenship and cyber security abilities.

If you wish to attempt this with a TinyURL, tinyurl.com/emkns9a8 will lead you to the page for the Practical Ed Tech Virtual Summer Camp, however including a “+” at the end of that TinyURL will take you to the page where you can see the initial link without clicking it.

Bitly is a convenient URL shortener that Ive used for lots of years. There is an easy method to quickly determine whats behind a Bitly URL without really clicking on the link. The trick is to simply add a “+” to the end of any Bitly URL. When you add the “+” the URL will redirect to Bitly instead of to whatever the initial URL was.

Heres a video introduction of how to see whats behind a TinyURL without actually clicking the link.