A URL like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AxwaszFbDw can be shortened to: http://tinyurl.com/7u72nb

The most popular URL shortener is probably TinyURL. In 2009, Twitter replaced TinyURL with Bit.ly as its default shortener of links longer than 26 characters. There are dozens of services to choose from. A 2008 Mashable article collected over 90 URL shortening services. By the way, WordPress even offers its own “Get Shortlink” feature for your blog posts.

There are a few ways to shorten a long URL:

1. Visit an online site, like TinyURL; enter your long URL to receive a shortened version
2. Install a browser add-on, like the Shorten URL for Firefox (up to version 3.5), or Tiny’s toolbar
3. Install short URL software on your machine

Problems

Due to spam and other concerns, some websites (including Craigslist, MySpace and Yahoo) ban the use of certain shortened URLs. Another problem with sending short URLs is that the recipient (if they are not familiar with the short URL service) may consider the link a phishing attempt and not visit your link. Personally, I like to know the site I’m visiting. So unless I really trust the sender, to protect myself, I won’t click on an abbreviated URL from a third-party service.

Solutions

When pasting a long URL in an email, sometimes the URL breaks on to 2 lines. When the recipient clicks on the link, the URL may be cutoff – resulting in an error page. You can often prevent this by wrapping long URLs in angle brackets, like <http://www.marketingbymarlow.com/messenger/index.php/2010/06/short-urls/>.

Short URL services

• Bit.ly
• tinyurl.com
• www.shorturl.com

Resources

• Geeks.com Looks at URL Shorteners
• Wikipedia: URL Shortening

Pawstruck (paw-struck) adjective: an immediate intense affection for a cat or dog.
noun: 1. a pet publication; 2. an animal welfare fundraising event; 3. an animal-related advertising campaign.

Jen and I found this affectionate cat climbing around our house. We were immediately pawstruck. We fed her for a few nights, considering pet adoption.

Our neighbor Kirsten suggested posting a Found Pet notice on the West Seattle Blog. Within a day, the cat and her owner were joyfully reunited.

So, I purchased the domain, www.PawStruck.com in memory of our favorite temporary guest. I’m not certain where I’ll find a home for this one yet, but I’m sure it’ll be love at first bite.

Another nonprofit client converted from a WordPress.com standard theme to a self-hosted WordPress theme skinned to match their existing brand ID.

Unfortunately, GoDaddy’s navigation and site usability is a nightmare. And I grow tired of the constant ‘would-you-like-fries-with-that’ sales approach. Plus, I’m not a big fan of corporations with politically conservative leanings.

In 2009, the Go Daddy Group spent $538,000 on lobbying. In 2008, the Group contributed $37,200 to the Republican Party (vs. $250 to the Democratic Party). Source: OpenSecrets.org.

While I’m all for individuals making their own political choices, I do not like paying vendors to use my money to further their personal agendas.

I’ll keep looking for a truly neutral domain registrar (where’s the Working Assets progressive registrar that donates to nonprofits?). Meanwhile, clients can register new domain names at my Registry Rocket account (a service of eNom, based locally in Bellevue, Washington).

I recommend purchasing/renewing domains for two years to help with search engine optimization.

The Digital Eve listserv recently compiled some other recommended domain registrars – including:  Dotster and Hover.

For information about GoDaddy’s poor customer service, visit nodaddy.com.