I guess it really depends on your definition of URL shortening and I'm happy to admit that maybe mine is the one that less used. Shortening 1 = using a shorter

I guess it really depends on your definition of URL shortening and I'm happy to admit that maybe mine is the one that less used. Shortening 1 = using a shorter/different domain with a shortened path that maps to a longer domain/path Shortening 2 = using the same domain with a shortened path that maps to a longer path. If #2 isn't considering "URL Shortening" then I guess I rest my case as I agree that nothing good comes from #1. Of course #2 is still a problem if you have long-lived urls and you don't maintain their integrity. The way we use them is for short-term one-time/short-term login links so it's even less of an issue, no one is bookmarking them/saving them and for sure they are in reference papers somewhere.