Page 46 - Payout Magazine Online Volume 8.1

hat is a URL Shortener? How exactly can I use it to increase my
wproductivity and appeal to my superiors at work? These are
frequent questions asked by those who, admittedly, may not have the
most knowledge about the internet. Fortunately, whether you are brand
For now, just understand that it adds, potentially unnecessarily, to the
new to the internet or a programming ace, this guide will comprehensively
length of a URL>
explain exactly what a URL Shortener is, and when the most apt times
are to use them. Don’t get caught not knowing your short URL etiquette!
A host name is the name of the site or domain that a webpage uses.
These generally look like “www.CompanyName.com”. Common endings
The Basics
to these include .gov, .org, .edu, or .net. Normally, the CompanyName
To start with the basics, what is a URL? URL is actually an acronym for in the address will be something that accurately describes the type of
something called a Uniform Resource Locator. They are broken down site that is being reached. For example, you wouldn’t expect “www.
into three basic parts: A protocol, a host name, and a file index.
oranges.com” to bring you to a webpage about apples! But beware, this
is not always the case. Sometimes, addresses can be misleading and are
A protocol, like for example http, is instructions telling a computer
how to communicate with the internet and with what method it should something that should be looked out for and best avoided if possible.
extract the information about the webpage that is being accessed. The
scope of what this process entails is beyond the scope of this article. Finally, a file index can follow the host name in an URL. While it is not
always required, it generally occurs whenever a particular page is being
accessed within a certain companies webpage domain. For example,
“www.oranges.com/antioxidants” may bring you to a page about
antioxidants in orange juice within the whole domain of oranges.com

URL Shorteners:

Another Tool

for a Web Savvy

Worker

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