Affiliate links are often long, which makes them difficult to include in text e-mails. Also, many affiliates like to cloak their links.
Neil Shearing, creator of the Internet Success Spider, has created a free tool called the Desktop URL Shrinker that enables you to shrink long URLs and hide your affiliate links right from your desktop.
There are many uses of this tool. In addition to helping you as an affiliate, when it’s time to send a long URL to a friend, this tool creates a shorter version for you, so it won’t break and fail to work in your friend’s e-mail client.
As far as uses for affiliates, when you refer your newsletter readers to a product or service where you’re getting paid, it will lend credibility to your referral if you hide your hide your affiliate link?
When you’re ready to send or refer a short URL, simply start your Desktop URL Shrinker application, and in a few seconds you have a short link replacement. This new shortened link can be sent away through e-mail, in newsletters or ezines, posted on forums or in ebooks – anywhere a link can be clicked.