Long URLs are ugly

Please, please, please do not paste the Web address (URL) for your personal fundraising site in a letter, flyer, or any other medium that people might use to type it in. Look at it -- would you want to type it in?

(Mine = http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR/Walk2008/WashingtonDC?px=3203181&pg=personal&fr_id=1430. See? Ugly.)

There is a free online tool that will assign a short URL to your long one: www.tinyurl.com. Just paste your URL in the box given on the very first page and hit a button, and you're all set. (To my knowledge, tiny URLs do not expire.)

The one drawback is that the Web address will not be very cool -- mine is http://tinyurl.com/2qqs3z. Glenda also has one that is totally meaningless. But if you put it on paper, people are much more likely to get to your site and make a donation, and that's the important part.

Remember, you can always direct people to this blog if you want to use a meaningful, recognizable URL. They can get to your personal page using the links on the right.

Hope this helps!