6 URL Shorteners For Every Occasion

Thanks to Twitter, the number of URL shorteners have exploded.  You would think that all these services would do the same thing – shorten urls, but surprisingly each of the tools listed below have their own unique features and selling points.

The Twitter Specific  – Tweetburner

TweetBurner is a url shortening service built just for Twitter.   The sites popularity has dwindled since others have played catchup and have added Twitter integration.    Tweetburner turns urls into a “twurl.nl” link.

The Stataholic – Cli.gs

If you want to see how people are sharing and interacting with your links, then cli.gs is for you.  Not only does cli.gs track clickthroughs, but will also show you which Twitter accounts, Friendfeeds and Blogs your link appears on.  Geo location stats are also shown.

The Fastest – Digg

Shortening URL’s using the uber popular social news site Digg.com, doesn’t require you to visit their site, use a bookmarklet or install any software.  All that’s required is putting “digg.com/” in front of any URL in your address bar.  Top marks go to Digg for innovating in this crowded space.

I now submit all my stories to Digg using this method.

The unsafe for work option – NSFW.in

If you want to warn people about possibly unsafe for work content, before its too late, NSFW.in will do just that.  Not only does the url give users a big clue as to the type of content, but a warning message will be displayed before the user clicks through to the actual link.

The Shortest – u.nu

If you’re obsessed with all things tiny, then u.nu will be the url shortener for you.  Although other sites have popped up which now offer just as short url’s, u.nu was the first to take the “shortest” crown.   Plus is kinda catchy.

The DIY option – awe.sm

So you’ve tried all the others, but nothing suits.  Why not start your own! You could purchase a script and host it on your own servers (a solid option) but you can also now purchase a hosted solution.  Awe.sm is a hosted url shortener which not only shortens url’s on a domain of your choosing, but also gives you some pretty decent tracking stats.

What are your favorite url shorteners?

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