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Re: Possibly malicious links; was: Re: The Top 10 Best Technical Documentation Sites of 2010
Subject:Re: Possibly malicious links; was: Re: The Top 10 Best Technical Documentation Sites of 2010 From:Tony Chung <tonyc -at- tonychung -dot- ca> To:TECHWR-L Writing <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Sat, 3 Jul 2010 01:20:58 -0700
Usually links to malicious sites won't be supported by proper context,
or text that makes sense. I'm personally fond of some URL shortening
services. My favourite right now is "Cligs" http://cli.gs , who
recently have upgraded their service a lot since they were acquired.
Some of the benefits of Cli.gs:
1) Create memorable short names: The problem with URL shortening
services is that they all default to random-looking path names. After
you set up an account with the service, you can modify the short names
of the URLs to make more sense. You can edit the "clig" multiple
times, but only the current version of the "clig" will be active.
For example:
a) Before I went to the Dallas STC summit, I created a Google Maps
mashup of sites near the hotel (inspired by the STC Secretary's map of
all the Starbucks). I gave the link the short name http://cli.gs/stc10map
b) If you've ever used the TeamViewer remote desktop, you know how
amazing it is to find a product this good that you can use for free.
Technically, it's only free for personal use. Since I only use it to
help my friends and family I don't pay a cent. TeamViewer doesn't need
to be installed on most systems in order to run support. Simply ask
your friend to download and run the Quick Support package. Each of the
following short URLs is easier to speak over the phone than
Download page: http://cli.gs/tvd - for users to choose the download
version for their platform
Mac users: http://cli.gs/tvm - direct to quick support DMG file
Windows users: http://cli.gs/tvw - direct to quick support EXE file
2) Track the number of humans who used the URL: Sometimes it's fun to
set up a short name and see how many people use it. For instance,
there are over 141 recorded human hits to the STC area map at http://cli.gs/stc10map, and 80 for the people who visited PayPal to
donate toward my espresso habit at http://cli.gs/tc6
3) Cli.gs gives a full link preview before opening the page: This is a
new feature added only recently. They recognized security is a
concern, and provide that extra layer of hand holding.
My summary is that I can use short tags to help me remember sites for
my own use, and to share with others. I'm not stuck with the random
character strings (I recommend avoiding them at all costs), and am
really enjoying this service.
Part of me still wonders how they can do this for free.
Gain access to everything you need to create and publish information
through multiple channels. Your choice of authoring (and import)
formats with virtually any output. Try Doc-To-Help free for 30-days. http://www.doctohelp.com/
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