How to post a video link but not with a big thumbnail image with the player?

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To post a YouTube video link without displaying a large thumbnail, users can utilize specific tagging methods. By using the URL tag with a different text than the actual link, such as adding a space after the URL, it prevents the thumbnail from appearing. The discussion highlights that if the text between the tags does not match the link, only the hyperlink will show. Additionally, PLAIN tags were used to demonstrate the command without triggering the link effect. Overall, the key is to ensure the display text differs from the actual URL to achieve the desired hyperlink format.
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One may want one day to make a post with a hyperlink to a YouTube video, but let it appear ONLY as a hyperlink but NOT as a big video player thumbnail image. Can we do that? How?
 
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This seems to work (it's a Veritasium video):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iSNsgj1OCLA

It seems that if you use the URL tag with the url=whatever opening tag and make the tag contents different from the URL (mine is the URL with a space after it) then you get a URL only.
 
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Or PLAIN tags:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iSNsgj1OCLA
 
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trying that same link as example to try to learn

fresh_42 said:
Or PLAIN tags:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iSNsgj1OCLA
Never mind the "trying". I see the tags around the link address. Front tag PLAIN in square brackets, end tag with the forward slash PLAIN in square brackets. That's nice. I just need to remember.
 
Ibix said:
This seems to work (it's a Veritasium video):



It seems that if you use the URL tag with the url=whatever opening tag and make the tag contents different from the URL (mine is the URL with a space after it) then you get a URL only.

I must try that now, after doing a brief web search.
<a href="">the same </a>
This either works or it does not work. Only making the post I'll know.
 
That failed. I don't know why. Do we need to use square brackets instead of bent angle brackets? That I try next.

[a href=""] the same link [/a]
 
@Ibex, I don't know how to do what you described.
 
symbolipoint said:
@Ibex, I don't know how to do what you described.
[Url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iSNsgj1OCLA]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iSNsgj1OCLA [/url]
Note the space before the [/url].
 
  • #10
Ibix said:
[Url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iSNsgj1OCLA]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iSNsgj1OCLA [/url]
Note the space before the [/url].
That looks strange because written is the same internet hyperlink address twice without a space between the two identical addresses. ... looking at that longer, I now also see the two PLAIN tags. I could take another try at this, but maybe later.
 
  • #11
I wrote [url=x]x [/url]. Note that there is no space inside the opening URL tag, but there is a space after the x between the opening tags. It appears that as long as the text between the tags is not identical to the target of the link, you get the text not the thumbnail. If you write [url=x]x[/url] you get a thumbnail (at least if x is a URL pointing to a video).

You don't need the PLAIN tags. I put them into prevent the webpage interpreting the tags - I want to show you the command, not the effect.

Demo:
[url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iSNsgj1OCLA]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iSNsgj1OCLA [/url] (with a space between the A and the open square bracket) gives you https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iSNsgj1OCLA

[url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iSNsgj1OCLA]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iSNsgj1OCLA[/url] (no space between A and open square bracket) gives you
 
  • #13
Ibix said:
I wrote x . Note that there is no space inside the opening URL tag, but there is a space after the x between the opening tags. It appears that as long as the text between the tags is not identical to the target of the link, you get the text not the thumbnail. If you write x you get a thumbnail (at least if x is a URL pointing to a video).

You don't need the PLAIN tags. I put them into prevent the webpage interpreting the tags - I want to show you the command, not the effect.
That is excellent. Only problem now is to remember that.
 
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  • #14
just a small test; the tagging model using "x" in place of a link address: x

That did not work. "x" needs to be some kind of actual hyperlink. Trying Qwant.com.
qwant.comTrying another one, the YouTube Computerphile channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/Computerphile

I must try one more. The Computerphile channel but using the word "Computerphile Channel" between the two tag ends. Computerphile Channel
 
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