Make Shorter iTunes Podcast Links

I recently listed my podcast at the iTunes Store and wanted a shorter way to give out the URL. The standard link you get by right-clicking the tile is this monstrosity:

• http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=207870198

Note that the important part is the last nine characters, the iTunes numeric ID. Apple's Scott Simpson clued me in to this little-known shorter version of the URL:

• http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=207870198

That's much better, but still not very memorable. If you register at SnipURL.com, you can make even shorter links. Here's the one I came up with for the show:

• http://snipurl.com/dmitunes

And, of course, if you own your own domain, you could simply set up a page with a meta refresh, name it index.html, and place it in an appropriate subdirectory like myshow. Then your link would be http://www.yoursite.com/myshow. Here's the tag for the index.html page (substitute your ID for mine):

<META HTTP-EQUIV=REFRESH CONTENT="0; URL=http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=207870198">

If you have server access, usability experts recommend using an HTTP redirect instead of a refresh.