Help

Only users with a Unity ID and password may login to the Go Links service and create links.

• Faculty and staff at NC State can login and create custom links.
• Students can create randomized Go Links, but cannot create Go Links with custom URL text.
• Guest users can visit links, but cannot manage or create links.

If you are unsure if you should use a certain word or phrase as your Go Link, then please check with the Go Links administrators before creating or publicizing that link.

If you create a link that violates university policy, or should officially point to a target other than the one you specified, you will be required to change or remove the link. Please note that even if the link has already been published, it is still subject to review.

Absolutely. You can generate a QR code for your Go Link by adding .qr to the end of your Go Link. For example:
go.ncsu.edu/google
go.ncsu.edu/google.qr

You can use a QR code the same way you use your tranditional Go Link URL; the QR Code will always point to the target URL specified for the Go Link. You are free to use the QR code on printed materials, in emails, and other media formats.

"Modifiers" are pieces of text that you can add to the end of your Go Link identified after a colon.

For example:
go.ncsu.edu/google (no modifier)
go.ncsu.edu/google:twitter (modifier = twitter)

Use modifiers to enhance the statistics you are collecting for a single link. For example, instead of having to create multiple Go Links for multiple marketing campaigns, just create one Go Link, and then use modifiers for the different mediums you are using.
go.ncsu.edu/your-news-article:twitter go.ncsu.edu/your-news-article:facebook go.ncsu.edu/your-news-article:bulkmail go.ncsu.edu/your-news-article:poster

Detailed modifier names are allowed, if preferred, such as;
go.ncsu.edu/your-news-article:Twitter-Your-News-Article-Statistics

You do not have to set up modifiers ahead of time. Simply add them to any Go Link at any time. The statistics will be recorded for the overall total for the Go Link's hits (modifier or not), and specifically for each time a modifier is used.

It is important to note that only the first modifier will be acknowledged. For example, if you had go.ncsu.edu/google:twitter:facebook, the statistics will be recorded as if "twitter:facebook" is a single modifier. You will not get separate statistics for Facebook and for Twitter in that example.

Go Links leverages both Google's Safe Browsing API and Phishtank in order to identify unsafe web resources. Examples of unsafe web resources are social engineering sites (phishing and deceptive sites), and sites that host malware or unwanted software.

Any URL identified as unsafe is not permitted for use as a Go Link.

A Go Link that points to a redirected URL, including other shortlink services (bit.ly, TinyURL) is not recommended. Google actively blocks emails that include Go Links with multiple redirects. Additionally, by combining the Go Links service with other link shortening services, you increase the risk that your Go Link can be compromised and used maliciously.

Yes! Users with the appropriate permissions can generate personal access tokens that will allow them to make requests. Review the API Documentation for more information.

If you are concerned about the usage of a particular Go Link, you should first try and contact the link owner. To do this, simply search for the link in the directory, click the link (using the left-hand column) to view its details, and click the red Contact Link Owner button.

If you feel the Go Link is being abused, report the Go Link using the red Report button on the top right-hand corner of the page.

Basic hit count information for Go Links, as well as hit counts for any modifiers used, are tracked by the Go Links service and available in your Link Details.

If you wish to obtain more specific information about the activity your Go Link is receiving, including time-series data, refer to our Google Analytics dashboard, using the "View Statistics" button in your Link Details. There, you can leverage Google's tools to drill down to find the information you need.

Sharing access to your links is the best way to ensure they don't become orphaned in the future. If you leave the university, you will want to ensure that someone else can still maintain your Go Links.

To share your link, you can either provide the unity id or google group you want to share when first creating your link. If your link is already created, simply scroll to the "Sharing" section of your link's page and click "Share with..."

Sharing your link grants the same level of access to the user(s) that you have.

Tags are a useful way to organize your links into similar groupings. Tags are strictly personal - no one else can see your tags or manage them. You can assign an existing tag to a link via the link creation page. You can also do this by scrolling to the "Tags" area of your link's page and clicking "Add Tag". From here, you may create a new tag or assign an existing one.

You can view links associated with a tag via the "My Tags" page, and selecting a specific tag to view. Collective hit counts are provided here as well.

Collective usage analytics for the links contained within a tag can be accessed via the tag page.