Why call a link shortener "LFNY"?
Well, actually... the name has nothing to do with the function 🙂.
The idea of LFNY was born in December 2024, in Nancy...
For Saint Nicholas Day, at the Frères Marchand, restaurant, we had to send SMS messages to customers who had reserved for Saint Nicholas evening.
The Marchand Brothers and Ludovic Frank had to work on this subject to provide the best possible experience for the restaurant's customers.
We created an SMS sent to customers to give them all the necessary information. However, an SMS must be short...
The problem is that the short link looked something like "UvXzaA". And we realized that nobody wants to click on a weird link like that.
That's when the idea of LFNY was born: to allow creating custom short links, easily and for free.
So, if we look at the initials of "The Marchand Brothers", it's "LFM", and Ludovic Frank, it's "LF".
NY is for Nancy, our city ❤️.
LFNY... was born like that!
What is a link shortener?
On the Internet, it's common to add parameters to links shared on social media or by message. For example, the "UTM" standard allows tracking a campaign by adding parameters such as
?utm_campaign=mon-super-sms.
The problem is that adding these parameters considerably lengthens the links...
In some cases, like SMS, where the number of characters is limited, it becomes crucial to save space. However, using campaign tags tends to lengthen URLs, which is problematic.
Link shorteners offer a solution by reducing the size of URLs. They replace the original URL with a shorter, easier-to-share version, while preserving the necessary parameters for tracking campaigns.
Why say that LFNY is a "custom" link shortener?
By default, link shorteners generate random characters in the links they produce...
Let's be honest, it's neither very aesthetic nor reassuring for the end user, who doesn't know what they're clicking on. And that can be a real problem.
With LFNY, you can choose the words or phrase you want to display in your short link. However, to prevent cyber-squatting, we impose a minimum of 5 characters by default.
And for a link with less than 5 characters?
In this case, you'll need to contact us. We want to know who you are, what your activities are, and in summary, evaluate if we can trust you.
Whether you're a company, association, or individual, we need this information to prevent abuse and ensure responsible use of our service.
But if it's free, how do you make money?
We don't directly generate revenue with LFNY. However, by using our service, you discover the "Ludovic Frank" brand. If your company needs advanced web development or consulting solutions, you'll know where to find us.
Additionally, we offer specific paid software, such as a reservation solution for restaurants that protects against no-shows. LFNY is therefore a gateway to other services in our ecosystem.
Moreover, LFNY is the little brother of LFQR, free dynamic QR Code generator.