This post originally appeared on FreeTech4Teachers.com. It has been utilized without permission if you see it somewhere else. Websites that regularly steal my (Richard Byrnes) work include CloudComputin, TodayHeadline, and 711Web.

The trick is to include a “+” to the end of any TinyURL address in order to land on a safe TinyURL page that reveals what the original link was that got shortened. If you desire to click through to the destination or not, you can then decide.
If you want to try this with a TinyURL, tinyurl.com/emkns9a8 will lead you to the page for the Practical Ed Tech Virtual Summer Camp, but including a “+” at the end of that TinyURL will take you to the page where you can see the original link without clicking it.

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

Ive attempted the “+” trick with a lot of other URL reducing tools and TinyURL is the only one besides Bitly that Ive discovered it to work with..
Whats the technique?

Recently I wrote
a blog post about how to see whats concealed behind a Bitly reduced URL without actually clicking the link. The technique is to add “+” to the end of the Bitly URL to see whats behind it without clicking it. A couple of people emailed me to ask if the that dealt with other URL shortening services. The response is it works with
TinyURLs..

Applications for EducationAs I composed last week, constructing great digital citizenship and cyber security abilities is something that everyone need to be assisting our trainees do. Showing them little tips like this one to avoid clicking on suspicious links is one of the methods that we can assist our trainees construct their digital citizenship and cyber security skills.

The technique is to add “+” to the end of the Bitly URL to see whats behind it without clicking on it. A few people emailed me to ask if the that worked with other URL reducing services. If you see it in other places, it has been utilized without permission.