Wait! Looking to Twitter your Flickr? Click here!
Several weeks ago I noticed tweets with links that used the Flic.kr as the URL base. My first thought was that there was a Flickr service at Flic.kr that would shorten my Flickr url or better yet, allow me to post a photo to both Twitter and Flickr at the same time. That’s not what you find at Flic.kr but a few short weeks later 1 the problem has been solved.
The Twitter to Flickr thing has been worked out. Great. But what about a short URL from a Flickr photo to Twitter? That’s where flic.kr comes in. Not quite seamless, but accessible enough for those willing to invest in the integrity of the internet (more on that in a minute).
Want a short URL for your Flickr photo without using a 3rd part service? Here is how!
Flickr publishes a short URL for every photo via the tag. View the source of the page you want to send people to and look for
<link rev="canonical" type="text/html" href="http://flic.kr/p/6uYrJN" >
Grab the value of the href and you’re good to go!
OK, I can hear the non-technical people hating on the idea of viewing the page source. Like I said, it isn’t seamless. This is where you can give Flickr a pat on the back for using the tag though. Go to: RevCanonical and paste in the URL of the photo you want a short url for and it will look up the link for you!
The whole process is still NOT seamless, but it’s only a matter of time before Flickr or a 3rd party makes it so. Until then, hardcore Flickr users can take advantage of these methods – while making the internet a safer place!
Further Reading and Resources
- RevCanonical
- Chris Shiflett – Save the Internet with rev=”canonical”
- Unweary – The Security Implications of URL Shortening Services
- Joshua Schachter’s post on url shorteners
- Flickr URL shortening information
- Twitter your Flickr
Footnotes
1 Flickr has done well to adapt to Twitter shaking things up. Twitpic may have the lead, but it lacks the depth and appeal that Flickr does long term – IMO.
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Check out http://www.flickr.com/services/api/misc.urls.html for further information.