What’s Hidden Behind a Bitly Link?

Bitly is a convenient URL shortener that Ive used for numerous years. There is an easy way to rapidly determine whats behind a Bitly URL without really clicking on the link. When you add the “+” the URL will redirect to Bitly instead of to whatever the original URL was.

This post initially appeared on FreeTech4Teachers.com. If you see it in other places, it has actually been utilized without permission. Websites that frequently steal my (Richard Byrnes) work include CloudComputin, TodayHeadline, and 711Web.

Regrettably, not all Bitly users are using them for excellent reasons. Some individuals use them to hide dubious links. There is an easy way to rapidly 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 instead of to whatever the initial URL was. That will then show you the Bitly page on which the reduced URL is hosted and will show you what the initial link was..
You can attempt this technique 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 recent 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 produced the reduced URL..
View this short video to see how you can use the “+” trick to find out whats hidden behind a Bitly link..

Bitly is a helpful URL shortener that Ive used for numerous years. As a registered user I can develop custom-made, shortened URLs that individuals can in fact spell. I use these whenever I require to share a link to a Canva or Google Slides presentation since the default URLs offered by those services are always long and incoherent..

Applications for Education.
Structure excellent digital citizenship and cyber security abilities is something that everyone need to be helping our trainees do. Revealing them little suggestions like this one to prevent clicking on suspicious links is among the manner ins which we can help our trainees build their digital citizenship and cyber security skills.

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