Shortlink for Contributions

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
Certain multimedia platforms, such as X (formerly Twitter), limit the number of characters allowed in a post. This character restriction makes it difficult for users to share long URLs, such as those generated when sharing contributions or proposals. Long URLs take up valuable space and can discourage sharing, especially on platforms where brevity is important.

Describe the solution you'd like
To encourage more seamless sharing of contributions, we propose implementing short links for resources. In the "Share resource" modal, there would be an option to generate or retrieve a short link for any resource, simplifying the sharing process. For example, a long URL like
Bulk-block participants when spam accounts have been registered
could be transformed into something much shorter, such as
https://meta.decidim.org/l/32423.

This functionality is already partially integrated into Decidim via #9383, which introduced short links, but its usage has been so far limited to exporting meetings. Extending this functionality to cover shared resources would streamline the user experience and enhance resource visibility across character-limited platforms.

Describe alternatives you've considered

1. Third-Party URL Shorteners: Users could manually use third-party services like Bitly or TinyURL to shorten links, but this adds extra steps and reliance on external services.

2. Manual URL Shortening: Manually creating shortened versions of URLs using custom logic in the system, but this would require more effort than using the already existing feature within Decidim.

3. No Short Links: Simply not using shortened links, but this could limit the visibility of contributions on platforms with character limits and impact user experience.

Additional context
Shortening links for contributions would enhance user interaction on social media platforms and improve content sharing. This feature would be particularly useful when trying to share resources in character-restricted environments. Screenshots or UI mockups of how the short link could appear in the "share resource" modal can be added as the design develops.

Does this issue could impact on users private data?
No, this feature does not involve any private user data. It simply affects the way URLs are presented when sharing resources.

Funded by
European Commission