Firefox Friday – 4 Tools To Help Shorten Those URLs

Twitter users, eat your hearts out!  How often do you come across a website you want to share on Twitter and the URL is too long?  The answer is one of the many URL shortening service there are out there.  Today, in honor of Firefox Friday, I want to share 4 Firefox tools that make working with shortening those URLs quick and easy!

1. Shorten URL: This add-on actually gives you the option of what shortening service to use.  It also gives options (on the right-click menu) to shorten the current page, a link, or a frame.  Two more options it offers (but are disabled by default) are automatically adding the link to the clipboard and automatically posting it to Twitter.  Seems very cool and very helpful!  Here’s the link.
2. Foxy URL: This add-on came to my attention via a friend of mine, Brett (twitter ID: @brett_13).  If you’re looking for a quick and easy solution (almost a one click operation) to shorten URLs, check out Foxy URL!  Installing this add-on adds a handy dandy icon() to the upper right corner of your browser.  A quick click brings up a small window and a second click of the “copy to clipboard” button is all that is needed.  You’ll end up with a URL looking like this: “http://foxyurl.com/7l”.  Check it out, it may suit you (like it has me so far these last few weeks):  Foxy URL
3. LongURL Mobile Expander: If you’ve ever wondered where that shortened URL is really sending you, this add-on is a good one to look into.  Install this one, and all you have to do is hover your mouse over the shortened link, and the long original URL appears.  I installed and tried it out in less than 2 minutes.  Check it out by clicking here.
4. TBUZZ: This last option, although not actually an add-on but a bookmarklet, is a new one to me but so far I’m in love!  All you have to do is drag the button at tbuzz.arc90.com to your bookmarks section of the toolbar, browse the web until you’re on a site you want to share, and click the bookmark called “TBUZZ.”  What you’ll get is a popup window asking you to sign into Twitter.  It will give you the shortened URL in the familiar twitter-like box.  It will also list below that what others are saying about that page on Twitter (the “buzz”).  Cool, huh?  Oh, and if you happen to want a quote from the site to be tweeted, just highlight the phrase before clicking the bookmark!  Now that’s easy!

I know these are not the only options out there.  Do you have any other URL shortening tools to share?

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