I don’t like - http://www.tiny.cc/ because it takes a while to redirect and it has some ads on it during redirection that look inappropriate for young kids.  However I do like the fact that you can put a nickname in the custom area, but don’t like the wait time to get to the site.  

Next is http://tinyurl.com/ Let’s give this one a try -

  • I take a long address
  • Put it into the site and I get a random number, letter combo at the end
  • It redirects right away, but it doesn’t allow for a custom nickname

Ok, so after doing some more research, it seems that you should for the most part be very careful of sites that use tiny url’s because some may lead you to sites that may be offensive in nature or cause your computer to have issues.  MySpace actually banned and tiny URL’s in 2006. 

 So, I guess convenience is not always the best thing.  Tiny URL’s can be helpful, but can also lead you to a place you wouldn’t ever visit if not for the tiny URL.