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

Heres a video overview of how to see whats behind a TinyURL without really clicking on the link.

This post initially appeared on FreeTech4Teachers.com. If you see it elsewhere, it has been used without approval. Websites that routinely take my (Richard Byrnes) work consist of CloudComputin, TodayHeadline, and 711Web.

The trick is to include “+” to the end of the Bitly URL to see whats behind it without clicking on it. A couple of individuals 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 approval.

Last week I composed
an article about how to see whats hidden behind a Bitly reduced URL without actually clicking the link. The technique is to include “+” to the end of the Bitly URL to see whats behind it without clicking on it. If the that worked with other URL shortening services, a couple of individuals emailed me to ask. The response is it deals with
TinyURLs..

The technique is to add a “+” to the end of any TinyURL address in order to arrive at a safe TinyURL page that reveals what the original link was that got reduced. You can then decide if you wish to click through to the location or not.
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 adding a “+” at the end of that TinyURL will take you to the page where you can see the initial link without clicking on it.

Applications for EducationAs I wrote last week, building great digital citizenship and cyber security abilities is something that all of us must be assisting our students do. Showing them little suggestions like this one to avoid clicking on suspicious links is one of the ways that we can help our students build their digital citizenship and cyber safety abilities.