Does Your Link Stink?

Today I'm going to be talking about all the fun ways to jazz up your site links in social media.  Because no one really wants to type in a link the size of a Tolstoy novel.

QR Codes

I don't know why, but QR codes have not really caught on with me.  I admit they make sense for translating something physical into something digital - say if you wanted to create a business card that had a QR code for your website on the back so people could go directly there without the possibility of typing in the address wrong.  I just have never really bothered with them until now.

I made this nifty hot pink QR code for my blog using the nifty BeQRius service.

The service allows you to customize the look, shape, and color of your QR code (hence the hot pink) so that you can make it unique for your brand.  They also allow you to track usage of the QR code so you can get statistics on how effective certain advertisements are.  Most of these services are not free, mind you, but if you were running a business (or starting an aggressive marketing campaign at your library) this service might be worth investing in.

Bitly

Another service that used to do QR codes (but no longer, apparently) is Bitly.  But their main service is link shortening, which is AWESOME for Twitter.  It can take a link like this:

http://www.architecturaldigest.com/architecture/2013-11/most-beautiful-libraries-trinity-college-mushashino-bodleian-sainte-genevieve-article/_jcr_content/par/cn_contentwell/par-main/cn_pagination_container/cn_image.size.libraries-22-st-florian-monastery.jpg

and turn it into this:

http://archdg.st/1J2unwH

Which one helps you with your 140 character limit?

Some links, such as the Architectural Digest link above, even get their own branded Bitly link that resembles their company URL, but the majority get the generic bit.ly link.

Picture Links

But while we're talking about links, did you know you can turn a picture INTO a link on your blog?

Click the picture!

Simply upload or paste the picture into your blog editing form, highlight it, and then click the "Link" button at the top of your editor.  You can add in the URL just as you would for a link behind text.

Yay for linking!