You have probably noticed one thing in google plus that pfifile id is different from Facebook: the URL is obnoxiously long. Unlike with Facebook, there is currently no official way to shorten your Google+ URL (which looks like “https://plus.google.com/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX/”) with a “vanity URL” like Facebook offers. This can be annoying for a multitude of reasons, including sharing your URL on Twitter where character limits can impact what else you can include in your tweet beside your Google+ URL. The Google+ profile URL is also just ugly. If you had a Google Profile before Google Plus was unveiled, you may have the option to direct users to your profile using the formation http://profiles.google.com/YOURGOOGLEUSERNAME. If you did not set up a Google Profile prior to Google Plus, this option is currently unavailable. As a result you may want to create a Short URL for your Google Plus Profile until Google offers the option to create a “vanity” URL.
If you want to shorten your Google+ URL, there are several solutions to create a short URL. One option is the unofficial solution Gplus.to, where you just type in your desired nickname and your Google+ ID. However, gplus.to is, as I mentioned, not an official service of Google. As one Google Plus user pointed out, the URL gplus.to is actually from Turkey, and they are one of the top 10 countries for phishing and scam related issues. As a result, you could possibly be driving “driving traffic and providing a lot of link love across the web to what could be, in the future, a phishing or scam related website looking to grab your private information.” Additionally, the URL could be redirected elsewhere at any point away from your Google Plus profile. While this is indeed a gimmicky option, it is not ideal as it could compromise the security and integrity of your Google Plus profile.
A better option would be to set up a Bit.ly account – which is free – and create a custom short URL that directs friends and family to your profile. Simply go to https://bitly.com/ and paste in your Google Plus profile URL , and then click the customize button. Then, save this link and share it whenever you want to direct friends and family to your Google plus profile. (You can always use a generic Bit.ly URL, too.) Alternately, you can set up your own domain or short domain name to forward friends to your Google Plus profile. These are all safe, tried, and true methods of directing users to another URL, including your Google Plus profile, which do not put your personal information and data at risk.
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