Because Facebook

Because Facebook automatically previews link content when you include a link in a status update, I have not seen a difference in engagement from a link that was shortened versus the full URL. Let me first say that when I include a shortened link I go the extra step to ensure that the preview information accurately depicts the content by editing it before publishing. Additionally, I personally feel it's a bit more tidy to have the small link and in most cases I find no need for including links in the *status* part of those posts because of the preview. So people wouldn't really know the difference.

With news organizations and large companies creating custom URLs for shortening content, I also believe that consumers are being conditioned to this new form of linking in some cases. For instance, when I asked my parents what site the shortened link nyti.ms directed to, they knew it was The New York Times even though they may not be avid readers of the newspaper. I realize that isn't consistent for everyone and bit.ly and tinyurl.com are still quite popular...and albeit deceiving at times too.

Would you mind sharing what data did you used to support the claim that full URLs are more engaging than the shortened variety? Thanks!
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Jeff · 1 day ago
When you post something other than a link (for example a photo) and you include a link in the description, there is no preview so the shortened URL conveys less information than a full URL.
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@amanda4bes · 15 hours ago
Hi Jeff, Yes, that's correct. What I'm trying to understand is if Annette's generalization of shortened URLs is in reference to simply that point (which is not clear) or, as it appears, if her data supports that measure across the board (in both status updates and photo captions).
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blogger15117p · 12 hours ago
This was the one piece I questioned in the article. (The other suggestions are all dead-on from my experience. I actually find that it appears amateur if a page includes a full URL in addition to the automatic preview of link content that Facebook provides. The exception is......