Hi Angelika, Thank you for the link and explanation. It appears that yesterday the problem was not the link Gordon sent but my internet provider as both links are working fine today. I realized since I didn't get an error message that the problem somehow was with me prompting the request for the actual website so I could see if it would open. Hope you enjoy your day Eleanor In a message dated 8/23/2010 5:35:33 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, rootsweb@roberts.co.uk writes: I'm not Gordon, but...: The link Gordon posted is a URL shortening service. There are several sites like this, the best-known one perhaps being tinyurl.com. Another one that I sometimes use is ta.gg What these services basically do is turn a long link into a short one. The problem with long links (like the ones produced from a Google search, for example) is that they get broken up into several lines when you include them in an email. (They may well appear as one looong line when you compose your email, but depending on what mailers your recipients use chances are that long line will have been broken up into several lines when the email is opened at the other end) So - to avoid this you use these shortening services, like url.ie, tinyurl.com or ta.gg Instead of pasting your long link straight into your email you go to one of these sites, paste it in the box, click on "truncate" (or whatever the button might say - I am looking at url.ie at the moment) and... voila, out comes a much shorter link that you can paste into an email without risking broken lines. So, for example... I have just typed lancashire genealogy into Google and got this link: http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&source=hp&q=lancashire+genealogy&aq=f&aqi=g3g -m5&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=26aec8f63e2836fe I have now pasted this into url.ie and got this http://url.ie/79ej which will take you to the same Google search. As Gordon said, a very useful service! Angelika Preulet@aol.com wrote: > Hi Gordon, > > This doesn't take me anywhere but to a search engine, I even tried adding > www. before it. Could you tell me the name of the site? I was wondering > how you got the shortened versions you send. > > When I send something I add the hyperlink (is that the correct word) which > is underlined so folks can just click on it but it doesn't seem to go > through on this message board and instead is translated. > > Thanks > Eleanor > > > In a message dated 8/22/2010 4:38:47 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, > gordon.w.evans@btinternet.com writes: > > Listers wishing to post url's with ridiculously-long extensions may > perhaps > be interested in the free 'shortening' service offered by this site :- > > http://url.ie/ > > I use it regularly myself and haven't so far experienced any problems. > > Regards > Gordon > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ENG-MERSEYSIDE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the > subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ENG-MERSEYSIDE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ENG-MERSEYSIDE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message