URL Shorteners

Whatever your reasons for using a URL shortener, there are several services available to perform this task. For my friends who are new to URL shortening, here is a quick look at a few of  the most notable ones:

• goo.gl-I'm a HUGE Google fan, so it stands to reason that I would start with Google's own URL shortener.  As with other Google products, when you log in to your Google account, you can track your shortened URLs.

My very FAVORITE part of using goo.gl is that it automatically creates a QR code for your shortened URL!  WAY cool!

• bitly.com (formerly Bit.ly) is very popular as it is the default URL shortener used by Twitter. In the past couple of years, Bitly has added a variety of services to it's site, including "bitmarks" which works as a bookmark service. You can now also create QR codes from your bitly URLs, as well as access various user stats.

• ow.ly is a shortening service that works independently or along side Hootsuite, a social media management system. Hootsuite users rave about this product, but my social networking does not yet require such a powerful tool.  If you aggressively utilize multiple social networking sites, this might be the tool for you.

• tinyurl.com is a basic URL shortening service whose home page has a form-like structure.  This site is easy to use, but does not provide the tracking features of the previously mentioned services.

Do you have a favorite URL shortening service that I haven't mentioned? Post a comment and tell us why it is your favorite.