Restore Vanity URLs

BigRed · August 8, 2013

Request: A flexible vanity URL redirect option. Facilitates the building of customer-friendly URLs that are shorter and more memorable than standard SM URLs, and are non-case-sensitive. This was available in the legacy system via jfriend's javascript customization #11.

Benefits:

Preserves the value of all legacy vanity URLs -- thus avoiding broken links, the need to reprint business cards and other promotional materials, the disruption of customer relationships, etc.
Easier on the customer (easier to remember, fewer letters to type, etc.)
Stronger protection against dead-link potential from future folder reorganization
This might even serve to mitigate the results of the unfortunate case-sensitive URL design, at least in the short run. A much more flexible and professional approach than the 404-message workaround.

thenickdude · August 8, 2013

Facilitates the building of customer-friendly URLs that are shorter and more memorable

In what sense are these URLs shorter or more memorable than creating a page in your root? A page created there has a URL like http://www.sherlockphotography.org/MyPage

BigRed · August 8, 2013

Lamah wrote: »

In what sense are these URLs shorter or more memorable than creating a page in your root? A page created there has a URL like http://www.sherlockphotography.org/MyPage

They're for galleries. Granted, with the "Custom URL" element in new galleries, URLs are much less geeky. But don't they still require at least one folder name in the path (like the legacy system requires a category)? And with now more levels available, those URLs are going to get longer. Also, it's hard to remember caps.

I see you're only using one folder level for galleries. But for example, you could have:
http://www.sherlockphotography.org/plants
instead of
http://www.sherlockphotography.org/Flowers/Plants-and-flowers

thenickdude · August 9, 2013

But don't they still require at least one folder name in the path?

No:

http://www.sherlockphotography.org/Private

What SmugMug needs to add is just automatically finding pages case-insensitively if the page doesn't exist with the exact caps the user entered.

BigRed · August 9, 2013

BigRed wrote: »

They're for galleries. Granted, with the "Custom URL" element in new galleries, URLs are much less geeky. But don't they still require at least one folder name in the path (like the legacy system requires a category)? And with now more levels available, those URLs are going to get longer.
[SNIP]

Lamah wrote: »

No:
http://www.sherlockphotography.org/Private
[SNIP]

Thanks, that's good to know. But I'm not seeing it as a viable solution, to drive a site's public gallery organizational hierarchy by putting all "vanity URL galleries" at the root level. Am I missing something?

paulbrock · August 9, 2013

BigRed wrote: »

Thanks, that's good to know. But I'm not seeing it as a viable solution, to drive a site's public gallery organizational hierarchy by putting all "vanity URL galleries" at the root level. Am I missing something?

you're quite right. I use it for some pages, e.g.

http://www.paulbrockphotography.co.uk/About

and till they broke it

http://www.paulbrockphotography.co.ku/Contact

but ideally I'd sooner have them with the same url, but tucked away in a Folder.

I'll also add to the feature request that vanity urls should be available in all lowercase.

pbandj · August 9, 2013

I agree that it would be helpful to choose a URL for galleries that isn't dependent on the folder structure. I'd like to take the opportunity to reorganize my site into a different hierarchy for my own purposes, but don't feel like I can do it now because all of my old links will be broken.

thenickdude · August 9, 2013

Your old links can find your galleries in their new locations automatically, so long as the old URL ends in the AlbumID_AlbumKey format (like 1589555_dKh4).

pbandj · August 10, 2013

Lamah wrote: »

Your old links can find your galleries in their new locations automatically, so long as the old URL ends in the AlbumID_AlbumKey format (like 1589555_dKh4).

Yeah, but like many people, I have been sending out the "friendly" links...that don't have the key on them (they're easier for people to type and they look nicer, but I'm now finding out the downside. So if I move the galleries around or add organizational levels, those old links won't work.

So I'd still like the ability to assign a "friendly" URL of my choice to a gallery (or page) that is not strictly tied to the internal organizational structure of my site.

spider-t · August 16, 2013

How I use Vanity URLs (or used to)
Thanks for this discussion. I'm going to put my vote in for vanity URLs and just let you know how I use them in case there is an alternative that make sense.

I have a handful of larger clients who have me out to do shoots for a number of times per year and I have been working for some of them for almost 10 years. I use my site more as a business portfolio site and keep all of my clients images in unlisted galleries.

Each large client has their own folder under a "clients" folder, and I create a smugmug Event that essentially mirrors that folder. So I can deliver a single link to the client and they can access all their unlisted galleries from there.

And for these types of clients, I create a vanity URL that takes them to their Event page. Event links are ugly and hard to type in. My smaller clients that don't ask so much of me get bit.ly links to their events so I don't clog up my code. But my really big clients get the vanity url as I think it makes me look a more professional and like I am personally taking care of their digital assets for them.

So I'd like to be able to do that again. As it is, I have had to send my clients their Event links so they can get back to their pictures as a temporary measure.

There's my plug. Thanks!!
Trish

dwterry · August 19, 2013

Yes. Either restore the Javascript method we were using to create vanity URLs or else build the capability right into Smugmug. This is the #1 feature that is keeping me stuck in limbo. The moment I "reveal" the new smugmug, all of my past customers, who have had their weddings and other events set up with a customized URL (which I handed out to them on business cards - customized for each event), will no longer be able to find their images. That simply will not do.

dwterry · September 24, 2013

Stick in limbo-land - can't go forward, can't go backward. Either build in vanity url capability or give us at least a limited javascript capability.

linyangchen · November 8, 2013

One way to temporarily get around this problem might be to set up an URL auto-redirect by creating a new page at the vanity URL and using html code to redirect it to the gallery of interest. Haven't tested it so not sure if it works. Of course it isn't as good as a true vanity URL, which I hope gets restored asap.

linyangchen · November 10, 2013

linyangchen wrote: »

One way to temporarily get around this problem might be to set up an URL auto-redirect by creating a new page at the vanity URL and using html code to redirect it to the gallery of interest. Haven't tested it so not sure if it works. Of course it isn't as good as a true vanity URL, which I hope gets restored asap.

Just tried it. Unfortunately it seems that I could not modify the <head> tag where the auto-redirect code should be inserted, so it doesn't work. Now I have to get my customers to manual redirect themselves, as the old link has been published in a book. :cry

Why don't they let us have javascript just like before, which will solve multiple problems? Perhaps they need time to sort out their own side of things before giving us write permission? It may be a little counterintuitive, but I tend to feel that the more control and less trouble of this kind we have over our websites, the more likely we are to tell others how awesome SmugMug is and get them new customers. <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/mwink.gif" border="0" alt="" >

dwterry · November 10, 2013

That's exactly the problem I have. I wish they would provide a solution. If not javascript, then at least a redirect table.

linyangchen wrote: »

Now I have to get my customers to manual redirect themselves, as the old link has been published in a book. :cry

SamirD · November 17, 2013

linyangchen wrote: »

Just tried it. Unfortunately it seems that I could not modify the <head> tag where the auto-redirect code should be inserted, so it doesn't work. Now I have to get my customers to manual redirect themselves, as the old link has been published in a book. :cry

Why don't they let us have javascript just like before, which will solve multiple problems? Perhaps they need time to sort out their own side of things before giving us write permission? It may be a little counterintuitive, but I tend to feel that the more control and less trouble of this kind we have over our websites, the more likely we are to tell others how awesome SmugMug is and get them new customers. <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/mwink.gif" border="0" alt="" >

If you can change the html on the page to redirect to another one, then you probably can put one of those generic 'click here if you are not redirected in 5 seconds', knowing full well they won't be redirected. <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/rolleyes1.gif" border="0" alt="" > People will click the link without thinking twice about it. <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/thumb.gif" border="0" alt="" >

Restore Vanity URLs

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