diff --git a/web/app/assets/javascripts/jam_rest.js b/web/app/assets/javascripts/jam_rest.js
index 6fdb20c50..0a5d20c95 100644
--- a/web/app/assets/javascripts/jam_rest.js
+++ b/web/app/assets/javascripts/jam_rest.js
@@ -1478,10 +1478,10 @@
           });
         }
 
-      function validateUrlSite(url) {
+      function validateUrlSite(url, sitetype) {
           return $.ajax({
             type: "GET",
-            url: '/api/data_validation?data=' + encodeURIComponent(url),
+            url: '/api/data_validation?sitetype='+sitetype+'&data=' + encodeURIComponent(url),
             contentType: 'application/json'
           });
       }
diff --git a/web/app/assets/javascripts/url_validator.js.coffee b/web/app/assets/javascripts/url_validator.js.coffee
index de2759236..6e3ece018 100644
--- a/web/app/assets/javascripts/url_validator.js.coffee
+++ b/web/app/assets/javascripts/url_validator.js.coffee
@@ -4,11 +4,12 @@ context.JK ||= {};
 
 context.JK.UrlValidator = class UrlValidator
 
-  constructor: (input_div) ->
+  constructor: (input_div, site_type) ->
     @EVENTS = context.JK.EVENTS
     @rest = context.JK.Rest()
+    @site_type = site_type
     @input_div = input_div
-    @url_input = @input_div.find('input')
+    @data_input = @input_div.find('input')
     this.show_format_status()
     @logger = context.JK.logger
     @site_status = null
@@ -19,39 +20,36 @@ context.JK.UrlValidator = class UrlValidator
     this.renderErrors({})
     @spinner.hide()
     validator = this
-    @url_input.bind 'blur', ->
+    @data_input.bind 'blur', ->
       if validator.show_format_status()
-        validator.validate_url_site()
-    @url_input.bind 'focus', ->
+        validator.validate_site()
+    @data_input.bind 'focus', ->
       validator.show_format_status()
 
-  url_to_validate: () =>
-    url = @url_input.val()
+  data_to_validate: () =>
+    url = @data_input.val()
     if 0 < url.length
       url.substring(0,2000)
     else
       null
 
-  validate_url_format: () =>
-    regexp = /(http|https):\/\/(\w+:{0,1}\w*@)?(\S+)(:[0-9]+)?(\/|\/([\w#!:.?+=&%@!\-\/]))?/
-    regexp.test(this.url_to_validate())
-
   show_format_status: () =>
-    url = this.url_to_validate()
+    data = this.data_to_validate()
     yn = true
-    if url
-      yn = this.validate_url_format()
+    if data && 'url' == @site_type
+      regexp = /(http|https):\/\/(\w+:{0,1}\w*@)?(\S+)(:[0-9]+)?(\/|\/([\w#!:.?+=&%@!\-\/]))?/
+      yn = regexp.test(this.data_to_validate())
       if yn
         @checkmark.show()
       else
         @checkmark.hide()
     yn
 
-  validate_url_site: () =>
+  validate_site: () =>
     @site_status = null
     @spinner.show()
     @checkmark.hide()
-    @rest.validateUrlSite(this.url_to_validate())
+    @rest.validateUrlSite(this.data_to_validate(), @site_type)
       .done(this.processSiteCheck)
       .fail(this.processSiteCheckFail)
 
diff --git a/web/app/controllers/api_users_controller.rb b/web/app/controllers/api_users_controller.rb
index d30b0e5e9..f206037f2 100644
--- a/web/app/controllers/api_users_controller.rb
+++ b/web/app/controllers/api_users_controller.rb
@@ -704,8 +704,8 @@ class ApiUsersController < ApiController
       render(json: { message: "blank data #{data}" }, status: :unprocessable_entity) && return
     end
     url = nil
-    site = params[:site]
-    unless site.present?
+    site = params[:sitetype]
+    if site.blank? || 'url'==site
       url = data
     else
       url = Utils.username_url(data, site)
diff --git a/web/app/views/spikes/site_validate.html.slim b/web/app/views/spikes/site_validate.html.slim
index d55e8d336..2402e560a 100644
--- a/web/app/views/spikes/site_validate.html.slim
+++ b/web/app/views/spikes/site_validate.html.slim
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ javascript:
   var initialized = false;
   $(document).on('JAMKAZAM_READY', function(e, data) {
       setTimeout(function() {
-        window.url_validator = new JK.UrlValidator($(".url_validator#foobar_url"))
+        window.url_validator = new JK.UrlValidator($(".url_validator#foobar_url"), 'url')
         url_validator.init()
         $('#url_input_foobar').val('http://www.jamkazam.com')
       }, 1)
diff --git a/web/lib/utils.rb b/web/lib/utils.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b4e570ee5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/lib/utils.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+class Utils
+
+  def self.username_url(username, site)
+    case site
+    when 'youtube'
+      "https://www.youtube.com/c/#{username}"
+    when 'facebook'
+      "https://www.facebook.com/#{username}"
+    when 'soundcloud'
+      "https://soundcloud.com/#{username}"
+    when 'bandcamp'
+      "http://#{username}.bandcamp.com"
+    when 'fandalism'
+      "http://fandalism.com/#{username}"
+    when 'twitter'
+      "https://twitter.com/#{username}"
+    when 'reverbnation'
+      "http://www.reverbnation.com/#{username}"
+    else
+      nil
+    end
+  end
+
+  def self.url_validator(url)
+    result = `curl --output /dev/null --silent --head --fail --show-error '#{url}' 2>&1`.chomp
+    if $?.success?
+      return nil
+    else
+      result =~ /curl: \(\d+\) (.*)/
+      return "#{$1} (#{url})"
+    end
+  end
+
+end