Like Bit.ly and other URL shortening services, Google has their own which can be found at Goo.gl. Google has also provided a plugin for Chrome which allows you to easily shorten a website's URL and copy it with a few simple clicks but I've noticed a trend occurring over the past few months when I try to share content of Facebook using shortened URLs from Google's service.
To make a long story short, it seems Facebook is 'detecting' URLs from Google's URL shortening service as spam or unsafe content.
Some potential reasons why Facebook could be blocking these URLs
There very well may be a legitimate reason for Facebook to block URLs coming from Goo.gl. It's possible that a large number of spammers are using the shortening service to create links to spammy websites or they're being used in spammy campaigns.
The problem with Facebook taking this stance against Goo.gl is that not all links created using this service are spam and of course the other services Facebook is allowing links from like Bit.ly are still displaying properly. Do spammers use Bit.ly in their campaigns? Of course they do. So why are links from Goo.gl being banned?
Where I've tried sharing Goo.gl URLs on Facebook
Because I manage quite a few Facebook pages, for myself and my clients, I use Facebook's URL shortening service quite a bit. I've used it in private messages, personal status updates and on Facebook Page status updates.
Occasionally these links get through but lately, the majority of them have been banned. Frankly, I'm the farthest from a spammer and all my links go to legitimate websites. I actually manage a Facebook page for one of Canada's government agencies and I use Goo.gl to shorten URLs linking to their government website, of which we can safely assume is not un-safe for browsing and definitely doesn't take part in spamming techniques.
What can you do if this happens to you?
If you find you aren't able to share shortened URLs through Goo.gl too, the easiest thing to do is try another service. You might also want to use the link you will see in the notification window that pops up to notify you that the classification of your link as spam or potentially harmful is wrong. Hopefully Facebook fixes this bug.
Feel free to leave your comments below.
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