“I have given others Online Architecture’s name for really good reasons; they do a superb job at listening to what clients want. They don’t dictate. When I recommend them it’s usually to someone who doesn’t want a dash off website -- when it’s someone who wants quality.”
SEARCH
Indianapolis Website Design – Cool Tools: bit.ly
Posted in: Blog, Tech Tips by admin on July 30, 2010
From time to time we at Online Architecture will share “Cool Tools” that can help improve productivity or just aid in simplifying your online experience. Today’s tool is bit.ly (http://bit.ly/) a website that takes the hassle out of sending web links to others while providing meaningful statistics.
Have you ever tried to send a friend or colleague a long url for an interesting story you read online, only to find out they could not open it because the link didn’t translate on their end? Have you received an email and experienced the same? Using bit.ly you can take that long url, shorten it, and share it with others. Let’s see it in action.
Here is the link to a CNN story titled “Rise of the renting class”.
http://money.cnn.com/2010/07/28/real_estate/housing_debate_rent-vs-buy.fortune/index.htm
Using bit.ly, here is the same link to the story, only much shorter.
http://bit.ly/apPzPH
The bit.ly link is considerably shorter, making it easier to use anywhere you choose. It is particularly ideal for Facebook and Twitter posts, where space comes at a premium.
But bit.ly doesn’t just shorten links, with a free account it also offers users a chance to archive all bit.ly links you create and mine valuable data. You can track how many times a bit.ly link that you have distributed is clicked, as well as when links are used in Twitter, and whether Facebook users “like” a link. Even more valuable, links generated in bit.ly are unique, and they never expire.
Whether you’re looking for an easy way to send long urls, or your desire is to better track how effective your communications efforts may be, bit.ly is a valuable, and cool, tool.
