OVERVIEW
Target audience: McGill Short Link Creators
A McGill-branded short link is a URL at "mcgill.ca/x/" followed by a string of random characters, e.g., mcgill.ca/x/Zkd. Eligible members of the McGill community can create this type of link using a tool in the Web Management System (WMS) called the McGill URL Shortener.
A short link redirects users to a longer URL. The random letters and numbers are unique for each short link and they are randomly generated by the McGill URL Shortener.
Although short links can be created through third-party services (e.g., bit.ly, ow.ly, etc.), they are not recommended because they contain external domains that can resemble phishing attempts that trick users into visiting malicious websites. A McGill-branded short link guarantees users that they are clicking through to secure, trusted, and reputable content.
In this article:
Use cases
McGill short links are meant to be used for communication purposes that serve McGill's business needs. They are ideally suited for digital communications and in some cases, print publications. Short links are especially useful in situations where the number of characters is restricted or space is limited. Another benefit of short links is that they typically allow Short Link Creators to track the number of clicks to see how much activity is being generated and determine the effectiveness of the short link. McGill short links are recommended for:
- social media services (e.g., Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.)
- text messages (SMS)
- Instant Messaging (IM)
- newsletters
- emails
- promotional material
- staff business cards
How short links can be created
Occasional basis
A McGill short link is a type of permanent redirect and it is possible to have a McGill-branded short link created by request if needed on occasion. Requests can be made by submitting the Request for URL redirect webform and selecting the option for a randomly-generated short link. With this method, the requestor does not have access to view usage statistics or to make edits to the destination URL.
Regular basis
If a position at McGill requires that an individual be responsible for overseeing communications on a regular basis and that person would benefit from managing their own short links, it is possible to register for the Short Link Creator role that will give you self-service access to the McGill URL Shortener. If the registration is approved, the Short Link Creator will have permissions to:
- create random short links
- view short links
- edit short links
- delete short links
- view statistics to see the number of clicks generated per link
Criteria for self-service access to the McGill URL Shortener
No WMS training is required but in order to register for self-service access to manage McGill short links, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Must be a member of the McGill community as any of the following:
- Staff
- Student
- Faculty
- Must have a role as an individual responsible for communications, a social media commentator, or an office administrator who needs to communicate with a broader audience
- No resource accounts are permitted to register for the service
NOTE:
Registered users of the McGill URL Shortener must abide by McGill University's policy for Responsible Use of McGill IT Resources.
Access the URL Shortener
- The URL Shortener is located at mcgill.ca/x
- Login using the Log in (site maintenance) link at the bottom of the footer and enter a McGill Username and Password
Create a new short link
- Fill in the field labelled Enter a long URL to make short with the long URL that needs to be shortened
- In the field labelled Add a note (optional) it can be useful to annotate the purpose of each short link, especially if statistics will be monitored for multiple links while tracking various campaigns
- Click the Shrink it! button
- A short URL will be displayed under Your short URL was created
Optional:
- Click the Copy button and the short link will be copied to the clipboard to be pasted where needed
- Click Create a Twitter message with this URL to be brought to Twitter where the link is pasted into a tweet that is ready to be posted once logged in
Note: The Copy and Twitter options are only available when the short link is first created. If either option is skipped at this stage, then manually copy-paste the short link from the dashboard later as needed.
Create multiple short links from the same long URL
- After creating the first new short link, return to the Home page of the URL Shortener at mcgill.ca/x
- Fill in the field labelled Enter a long URL to make short with the same long URL that needs to be shortened
- Fill in the field labelled Add a note (optional)
- Click the Shrink it! button
- A list of short URLs that already exist for the same long URL will be displayed
- To generate a different short link with this long URL, click Create a new short URL
- Your short URL was created will display a new and unique short link
Access a dashboard with a list of all short links
- Go to the Home page of the URL Shortener at mcgill.ca/x
- A table will be presented that lists for each of the short links:
Edit a short link
- Go to the Home page of the URL Shortener at mcgill.ca/x to access the dashboard
- Click edit for the short link that requires updating
- Edit the destination as needed
- Edit the note as needed
- Click Submit
Delete a short link
- Go to the Home page of the URL Shortener at mcgill.ca/x to access the dashboard
- Click delete for the short link that should be removed
- The message "Are you sure you want to delete and deactivate this URL?" will be displayed
- Click the Confirm button
- The message "URL has been deactivated" will be displayed
- The short link is no longer listed in the dashboard
Note: Once a short link is deleted, its unique string of random characters and numbers is no longer available for future use.
