When Twitter decided to start using Bit.ly as its default URL-shortener, usage exploded. But the service was able to handle the rise in usage, and has been steadily adding new features. And now other major players on the web are rewarding that reliability by also embracing it. Today on its blog, Bit.ly details a few of the new API uses and partnerships that they’ve been cooking up.
The biggest is probably Google Reader, which now makes use of Bit.ly shortened links for its new ability to send stories to Twitter. Another big one is CBS, which not uses Bit.ly to share much of its content and keeps a running list of stats here. SixApart has also added a new feature to its TypePad beta test which allows any post to also generate a Bit.ly URL. This will apparently become a part of the full product in the fall. And John Resig of Mozilla used the Bit.ly API to build a new retweet button, similar to the ones you see all over the web powered by TweetMeme, but this is independent.
Another big partnership for Bit.ly is yfrog, one of the leading Twitter picture and video services. The two are “joining forces to streamline link and media sharing on social media sites,” we’re told. Over the next few weeks, Bit.ly will apparently be adding a media upload feature on its main site using yfrog, while all media uploaded to yfrog will have Bit.ly links for sharing. This partnership should make both services even more popular on Twitter.
Bit.ly says that other new features are on the way as well in the coming weeks. We’re still waiting on its big link data aggregator to take on services like Digg.
cool story, bro
A naive question – What are the potential revenue model for a service like Bit.ly?
They have definitely redefined the url-shortening business! Congrats to bit.ly’s team!
@sriray
http://www.arktan.com
“Business” usually implies “revenue” and “paying customers”. What are they?
Bit.ly is enabling other businesses with necessary tools which were not available through other url-shortening services until recently… think b2b
Sorry. Businesses are simply enjoying the url-shortening free lunch by riding on bit.ly, as they figure out whether they should roll their own. There is no future in bit.ly. Such is the word of Sanjay.
Nice try!!!!even though bit.ly is independent, their reliability is counted by the performance of twitter..
This is awful. Other then a need to satisfy Twitter’s ridiculous 140 character limit, bit.ly has no place on the web. These services are going to be gone in five years.
You seem slow.
Yeah, I tend to get that response from “online content producers” and “technology bloggers” who have a monetary interest in hyping the latest trends without properly analyzing their value. That said, my track record analyzing web properties is almost spot on. You see I’m not slow, you are too fast.
I’m sure in 2-3 years these companies will achieve great highs, with every ad-man and social media strategist leveraging their services to overcharge and underserve their clients. However, in 5 years, those clients will figure out that the service isn’t what was pitched, that the ROI is shit, and the money will dry up. The third cycle will start to wind down, and these losers will be on the street.
Bookmark this post and come back. It may take 8 years, but you get the point.
umm… Twitter will probably be gone in 8 years and we’ll be using something entirely different…
Your anonymity reflects your credibility.
Tell us what “magic” bit.ly provides that the content owners can’t do themselves? How hard would it be for CBS to do their own shortener? That’s why bit.ly is a lame duck.
@steve agreed.
@anon If bit.ly is dead pooled in 2 years I’ll give you $500 and a hug.
I didn’t say 2 years, but I’ll take you up on your offer. Since, I’m anon, please give the $500 to charity, and the hug to a stranger.
Twitter/Microblogging -as we know it today, would be gone in a few years but would be part of something else…and all of these innovations contribute to the evolution…
@sriray
http://www.arktan.com
I love how you make a valid point and you’re shot down because you’re anonymous. Well done Steve, unable to reply properly so instead you say “You’re wrong, you’re anonymous!”.
So, okay; I’m not anonymous and I agree with “Anon”, now what?
Agreed. If anonymous comments are so bad, just make everyone register to comment.
I think bit.ly has plenty of place on the web, but saying the web is starting to embrace it isn’t true: all these big new sites using bit.ly are just making it easier to use bit.ly on Twitter… it’s still just being used on Twitter.
I agree, but if you read the article, you will notice that all of these new partnerships generally point back to sharing links on social networks – e.g., Twitter. Personally, I could care less that these companies are doing this, I’m just saying it has a valid use.
Agreed. These services are evil and busily eroding away at the web. It’s a shame to see TC giving them glowing reviews rather than focusing on sensible solutions (e.g. Wordpress generating their own short links in advance and advertising them to clients who then don’t need to generate their own).
But what about tracking you say? What does that do beyond feeding egos that don’t need to be fed? In any case this particular implementation includes tracking, no doubt in a more useful/integrated fashion than any third party service does.
Sam
Just a note that there is a typo here: Another big one is CBS, which not uses Bit.ly.. could get misleading
Bit.ly is not going anywhere! They have created a company that has the ability to expand in several different areas. We are excited for the launch of the aggregator . Twitter was Denied there “Tweet” Trademark http://www.trig...e.php?id=102057
Its funny how all the bit.ly supporters on here are promoting their own wares. You don’t want to be on the wrong side of the cool crowd if you’re hawking something, I guess.
In other news. “Times New Roman” has been busy “redefining” the Font business.
Im new to Techcrunch, how come 50% of all articles posted are about Twitter?
You must be new here.
How smart is it to rely on a Libyian TLD?
Ask Doc Brown.
Genius!
I preferred tr.im and its statistics, but it has proven too unstable to say the least.
If you’re interested in creating a URL shortener for your own web site, I recently posted a tutorial here:
http://sean-o.com/short-URL
Siegler: Some questions that never seem to be answered with respect to bit.ly
1) I hadn’t noticed that TC recently got rid of its own URL shortener until now. What was the motivation for that?
2) Isn’t there are large risk that Twitter replaces bit.ly with its own URL shortener?
3) Google’s linked post doesn’t explain using bit.ly specifically and this choice has never explained (CBS’s use is easier to justify). Are these 3rd parties interested in using bit.ly because this is the fastest way to get data w/o directly relying on Twitter?
4) Is this a tacit vote of confidence in the 301works project?
They will never take on digg. Bit-ly is an ant compared to the guys at digg.
agreed on that point. Taking on Digg will be a lot more difficult than Techcrunch is making it out to be.
Why is this news?
It has to do with Twitter, so it’s news, god damnit!!!
When is Twitter going to make URLs not count towards the character limit so we can get over this idiocy once and for all?
Actually, more realistically, when is there going to be a Twitter clone that does just that?
Having a character limit at all is ridiculous. How many people really use SMS with twitter anyhow?
am wondering the same thing sanjay the character limit makes no sense
It’s nice post,thanks
Again, it’s been said before, but these centralized url shorteners are bad. Single point of failure for millions of links. bit.ly disappears, then what happens to those links?
bit.ly
Uh oh… I wonder what Tr.im has to say about this now.
i don’t get it. why don’t big sites like google & cbs set up their own shortening service and use it instead of an external one. makes no sense to me…
if bit.ly goes down (for whatever reason), everybody starts crying again.
+1
I can see why users and marketeers would choose to use bit.ly and its like. It solves a real problem, it’s easy to use, it’s well integrated, and it’s got cool stats.
I cannot though understand why content publishers are promoting bit.ly. Setting up their own URL shortener is such a minimal effort, and the benefits – both in terms of eliminating risks and gaining new opportunities – are significant.
I actually went on and an on about this here:
“Of Breweries and URL Shorteneres” http://yaniv.go...rl-shorteneres/
I want to know a name like “tr.im” gets beaten out by a name like “bit.ly”. Tr.im is the ULTIMATE domain name for this type of service. wtf does “bitly” mean.
A welcome development. Please make life easier.
great info. keep it coming with the twitter articles.