Short URLs for Students - Simplify Link Sharing in School Reports and Presentations

When giving a class presentation or working on a group project, you might paste the URL of a website you used as a reference onto your slides. But what if a URL like this showed up on your slide?

https://www.soumu.go.jp/johotsusintokei/whitepaper/ja/r05/html/nd248110.html

It's too long to read, and typing it by hand is a hassle. The people watching your presentation might think "I'll check that later," but they won't feel like writing down that URL. It's a waste when you've found great information but can't get it across to your audience.

With a short URL, you can condense a long URL into something compact. If the URL above became something like "https://miji.be/abc123," it would look clean on a slide and be easy enough to type by hand.

For presentation slides, just shorten your reference URLs before pasting them in, and your slides will look neater. Your audience will be more likely to think "I'll visit that later," which helps your presentation get its content across.

Another option is to convert your short URL into a QR code.

If you print a QR code on a handout or poster, people can just scan it with their phone camera to open the page. You can use this on school festival posters, research presentation materials, club activity flyers, field trip booklets, and the like.

Making a QR code is easy. Search for "QR code generator" and you'll find free tools. Just enter your short URL and a QR code image is generated instantly. Download the image and paste it into Word or PowerPoint, and you're done.

One tip: don't make the QR code too small. For printed materials, make it at least 2cm x 2cm so it's easy to scan.

When doing group research, you may want to say "Check out this site!" and share a link. But if you send a long URL through chat or a messaging app, it might get cut off or make things look messy.

Shorten the URL first, and your message stays clean. Some URL shortening services let you see how many people clicked the link, and click counts offer clues about whether your group members opened it.

When sharing multiple links, it's helpful to add a short note with each short URL. For example: "Statistics: https://miji.be/abc123" or "Reference article: https://miji.be/def456." Labeling what each link is makes it easier to find them later too.

When listing URLs in a report or paper's reference section, long URLs can wrap across lines and become hard to read. Including a short URL alongside the original makes it easier for your teacher or reader to access.

Example format:

• Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Information and Communications White Paper" https://www.soumu.go.jp/... (short: https://miji.be/abc123)

Listing both the original URL and the short URL like this is the polite approach. The original URL shows which site it's from, while the short URL makes it easy to actually visit - each serves a different purpose.

Short URLs are handy, but there are a few things to be careful about.

• In formal reports, include the original URL too. If the shortening service shuts down someday, the short link will stop working
• Use a trustworthy URL shortening service. It's safer to avoid services you've never heard of
• Don't blindly click short URLs created by others. The destination might not be safe, so be cautious with short URLs from people you don't know

• Paste short URLs on slides for a cleaner look
• Put QR codes on handouts so people can access links easily from their phones
• In group work, add a note with each short URL for smoother link sharing
• In reports, list both the original URL and the short URL
• When using short URLs, keep manners and safety in mind

With these small tricks, your presentations and reports become easier to get across. You may find a chance to use them in your next class.