How We Built adventi.st: The General Conference's Own URL Shortener

A simpler, smarter way to share links while keeping our digital tools connected to the mission of the church.

Digital Media | General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Every day, departments across the General Conference share links. They appear in emails, presentations, social media posts, newsletters, printed flyers, and QR codes at church events.

Some of these links are short and easy to remember. Others are long, complicated web addresses that are difficult to type, share, or fit neatly into a printed publication.

For years, third-party URL-shortening services such as Bitly and TinyURL have helped solve this problem. But as our digital communication needs grew, we began asking a different question:

What if the church had its own URL-shortening service, built around our needs and carrying our identity?

That question led to the creation of adventi.st, a URL-shortening platform designed to help General Conference departments share information more effectively.

Why We Wanted Our Own

Third-party URL shorteners are useful, but relying on them introduces challenges for an organization with many departments and a long-term mission.

A link created through an individual's account may become difficult to manage when that person changes roles or leaves the organization. Subscription plans can change, features may become restricted, and organizations have limited influence over the future of services they do not control.

We wanted something more sustainable.

Our vision was to create a shared service that would:

Strengthen our identity: Make shortened links recognizable as part of the Adventist Church's digital presence.
Support long-term continuity: Help departments manage and maintain links beyond individual staff members.
Encourage collaboration: Give teams a consistent way to organize and share links.
Simplify communication: Make web addresses easier to remember, print, and share.
Promote responsible stewardship: Give the organization greater control over its digital resources and the way they are managed.

Rather than adopting another subscription-based service, we explored how to build a solution tailored to the church's needs.

Why adventi.st?

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most memorable.

Take the word "Adventist," remove the final two letters, and you get "adventi.st."

It's short, recognizable, and easy to communicate.

Consider the difference between sharing a lengthy web address and a short link, such as:

adventi.st/mission

A meaningful short link can be easier to remember, more attractive on printed materials, and more recognizable to someone familiar with the Adventist Church.

The domain also gives our communications a consistent identity, whether someone encounters a link in a department newsletter, a ministry presentation, or a QR code on a poster.

The goal wasn't simply to shorten URLs. It was to create a reliable and recognizable way for the church to connect people with information.

Choosing the Right Foundation

Building a technology platform doesn't always mean starting from scratch.

Before developing adventi.First, we explored existing solutions that could provide the essential functionality while allowing us to adapt the experience to our organization's needs.

We selected YOURLS (Your Own URL Shortener), an open-source platform designed specifically for creating and managing shortened web addresses.

YOURLS offered several advantages:

An established foundation

Instead of recreating essential functionality, we could build on an existing open-source project with a history of development and community contributions.

Flexibility

Its extensible design allowed us to introduce features that would better support our departments and staff.

Greater ownership

A self-managed solution provided more flexibility in how the service could be maintained, governed, and developed over time.

Long-term adaptability

As the organization's needs evolve, the platform can evolve with them.

Choosing open-source software was also a practical decision about stewardship. It allowed us to focus our development efforts on the needs that make our organization unique rather than rebuilding functionality that already exists.

Making It Work for Our Teams

A basic URL shortener turns a long link into a shorter one.

But for an organization like the General Conference, that is only the beginning.

We wanted adventi.st to be useful for employees working across different departments, ministries, and communication activities.

That meant developing a more complete experience around the everyday work of sharing information.

1. Team Collaboration

One of the most important goals was helping departments work together.

Links used for ministry and organizational communications should remain manageable even when staffing or responsibilities change.

adventi.st supports team-oriented link management, allowing authorized staff to organize and maintain the links associated with their work.

This creates better continuity and reduces dependence on individual accounts.

A link printed in a publication today should not become difficult to maintain simply because the person who created it moves to another department.

2. Smart Links

Sometimes a single link needs to serve people on different devices.

Imagine promoting a mobile application at an event. Someone scans a QR code using an iPhone, while another person scans the same code using an Android device.

Ordinarily, those users might need different destinations.

With Smart Links, a single shortened address can direct users to the appropriate destination based on their device.

For example:

iPhone users can be directed to the Apple App Store.
Android users can be directed to Google Play.
Desktop users can be directed to a website with additional information.

This makes it possible to use one link or QR code across different communication channels.

For departments promoting mobile applications, resources, and digital initiatives, this can simplify the experience for everyone.

3. QR Codes Made Easy

QR codes have become an important part of communication, especially for conferences, meetings, presentations, and printed materials.

adventi.st makes it easier to create QR codes associated with shortened links.

Instead of using separate tools to shorten a URL and generate a QR code, employees can handle both in a single experience.

A QR code can then be used on a poster, in a PowerPoint presentation, in an event program, or on a printed resource.

The result is a simpler workflow and a more consistent experience for staff and visitors.

4. Meaningful, Readable Links

Not every shortened URL needs to be a random collection of letters and numbers.

In many situations, a meaningful link is easier to remember and communicate.

For example, a department promoting a ministry resource may prefer a recognizable word rather than an automatically generated code.

adventi.st supports readable short links when an appropriate name is available, along with automatically generated links when speed and convenience are more important.

This flexibility helps departments choose the format that works best for their audience.

5. A More Organized Experience

As more people use a shared service, the organization becomes increasingly important.

We wanted employees to have a clear, approachable way to manage links without requiring advanced technical knowledge.

The platform includes a modern management experience designed to make common tasks straightforward, including finding existing links, creating new ones, and accessing available sharing options.

The goal is simple: technology should make everyday work easier, not create another complicated process.

Building With Security and Responsibility in Mind

Introducing a shared digital service comes with responsibilities.

A URL shortener may look like a small application, but the links it manages can appear in public communications and remain in circulation for years.

That makes reliability, appropriate access, and responsible administration important considerations.

From the beginning, we treated security and long-term management as essential parts of the project.

Our approach emphasizes several principles:

Appropriate access

Staff members should have access to the capabilities and information needed for their responsibilities, with administrative functions managed separately.

Account protection

Authentication safeguards help protect access to the platform.

Responsible link management

Clear ownership and management practices help departments maintain control of their shared resources.

Ongoing maintenance

Regular review, testing, and updates are important for keeping an organizational service dependable.

Continuity

Changes to the platform are evaluated through a controlled process that prioritizes stability and the reliability of existing links.

These practices reflect a larger principle: useful technology must also be responsibly managed.

How Do We Improve the Service Without Disrupting It?

One of the unique challenges of running a URL shortener is that links can remain useful long after they are created.

Consider a QR code printed on thousands of brochures or a short address included in a presentation that will be shared for years.

Once those materials are distributed, changing the printed link may not be practical.

That means even a relatively small service needs careful planning and ongoing attention.

As adventi.As it evolves, improvements are evaluated and tested before being introduced to users. We also maintain processes for documenting changes, reviewing updates, and supporting the continued availability of the service.

Our objective is to balance innovation with stability.

We want to keep adding useful capabilities without compromising the links people already depend on.

Interested in Building Something Similar?

One of the benefits of open-source technology is that organizations can learn from projects like this and explore solutions suited to their own needs.

If your organization is considering its own URL-shortening service, here are some lessons from our experience.

Start With the Problem, Not the Technology

Before choosing software, understand why your organization needs the solution.

Are you trying to simplify communication, improve branding, strengthen ownership, support teamwork, or reduce dependence on external services?

Defining those goals will help you make better technology decisions.

Consider Established Open-Source Tools

Not every challenge requires a completely new application.

Projects such as YOURLS provide a starting point for organizations that want to explore self-managed URL shortening.

You can learn more through the official YOURLS website and its publicly available documentation.

If you decide to deploy such a platform, follow the project's current installation and security guidance rather than relying on older tutorials or example configurations.

Think Beyond the First Version

Creating a short link is straightforward. Managing thousands of links across teams and over the years requires careful consideration.

Plan for questions such as:

Who is responsible for maintaining a link?
What happens when an employee changes roles?
How should teams organize shared resources?
What policies should govern acceptable links?
How will updates and ongoing maintenance be handled?

Answering these questions early can help prevent challenges later.

Make Security Part of the Plan

Security should be considered throughout the project, not added only after the service is launched.

Work with your organization's IT and security teams to establish appropriate authentication, access controls, maintenance practices, monitoring, and recovery procedures.

The exact requirements will depend on your organization's environment and the sensitivity of the information involved.

Make It Easy for People to Use

Even a technically successful platform will have limited value if employees find it confusing.

Provide clear guidance, use familiar language, and focus on tasks people perform regularly.

A good tool should feel helpful from the first time someone uses it.

What We Learned Along the Way

Developing adventi.It reinforced several valuable lessons.

1. You Don't Always Need to Reinvent the Wheel

Using an existing open-source platform allowed us to focus on meaningful improvements rather than spending resources on recreating functionality already available elsewhere.

It was a practical approach that aligned with our goals of efficiency and stewardship.

2. Organizational Ownership Matters

Digital resources often outlive the projects or individuals who create them.

A short link may begin with one employee, but it can eventually become part of an organization's permanent communication materials.

Thinking about ownership, continuity, and team collaboration from the beginning helps protect that long-term value.

3. Small Improvements Can Make a Big Difference

Not every useful feature needs to be complicated.

Sometimes the most valuable improvements are the ones that eliminate a few unnecessary steps, make information easier to find, or reduce confusion for employees.

Listening to users and observing their everyday challenges helps identify these opportunities.

4. Reliability Is Part of the User Experience

People rarely think about a URL shortener when it works.

They scan a QR code, click a link, and arrive at the information they need.

That simplicity is the goal.

Behind every convenient link is a responsibility to keep the service useful and dependable.

5. Technology Should Support the Mission

For the General Conference, digital tools are not an end in themselves.

Their purpose is to support the work of the church, strengthen communication, and help ministries reach people more effectively.

That perspective guided the decisions behind adventi.st and continues to shape how we think about its future.

What Comes Next?

adventi.st is part of our broader effort to develop practical digital tools that serve the church's needs.

As staff members and departments use the platform, their experiences will help inform future improvements.

We will continue to look for ways to make link sharing simpler, strengthen collaboration, and support the evolving needs of digital communication.

The vision remains the same: one recognizable, dependable place for the General Conference to create, manage, and share links.

If you build your own, start small, protect it early, and write down every decision. A short link is a promise that a printed address will continue to work. Owning the server behind it is how you keep that promise.

Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it." (Habakkuk 2:2, NKJV)

That is what a short link does. It takes the message the church has to share and makes it plain enough to read at a glance, so anyone who sees it can run to it. Our work is to keep that path open.