Why SuperTweets won’t kill URL Shorteners
Now, the title of this blog post makes it sound like I’m going to write an essay about why SuperTweets (and the probability of them having a URL metadata for tweets) will not be killing URL Shorteners like j.mp and bit.ly anytime soon.
1) URL Shorteners Keep You Safe
One of the things URL shorteners do now is they keep you safe from malicious websites. You can preview the site you are visiting, and if its determined to be delicious the short URL will either be deleted or blocked or a warning will be shown, letting you know it is no longer safe to visit that URL.
2) URL Shorteners are Branded
All I really have to say here is “Bit.ly Pro” URL Shorteners now have custom branding, so it makes it even easier to send people to your website or promote your brand on twitter by including the link in the text.
3) URL Shorteners are Easy to Remember
When they are used correctly. Services like bit.ly allow you to give a custom name to your short link. This is especially useful in media such as Television or Print: http://j.mp/cnn-transgender is much easier to remember and type than www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/04/14/transgender.irpt/index.html?hpt=C1
With even just these three simple reasons in mind, it is very clear to me that URL shorteners will not be dying anytime soon, no matter how much metadata you can attach to tweets. I’m not even sure they’re bad for the internet, anymore.