# bit.ly **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Off Topic\ **Created:** [April 5, 2010, 8:44am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781 "2010-04-05T08:44:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bing](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/bing/32/7211_2.png) [@bing](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 8:44am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/1 "2010-04-05T08:44:45Z")
i’ve noticed a bunch of people on facebook (mostly nyspeeders) using bit.ly linking… i just saw the company on the VCJ top 20… i sort of get it, but can you guys explain why you use it and what’s cool about it? Looking at all of the VCJ 20 i don’t even really understand what some of them even do. [http://bit.ly/](http://bit.ly/) ---
**Author:** ![JayS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jays/32/15375_2.png) [@JayS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JayS)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 8:46am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/2 "2010-04-05T08:46:33Z")
I thought the point was for stupid things like twitter where you have such a low character limit? ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/bing/32/7211_2.png) [@bing](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 9:00am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/3 "2010-04-05T09:00:47Z")
is that all it does? seems like a waste of time then… i guess there is this dashboard to determine how many click throughs and from where… why would you need this for a personal facebook account? I guess it has business applications but do people actually pay for this? ---
**Author:** ![white2abbit](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/white2abbit/32/5602_2.png) [@white2abbit](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/white2abbit)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 9:14am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/4 "2010-04-05T09:14:03Z")
Bit.ly is huge. It leaves you more space when posting links on Twitter (Twitter is an insanely powerful business tool, and also a retarted-emo-Facebook-status-update-loser-mechanism). It gives you Analytics on links that you post (similar to Google Analytics), without requiring an account or website of your own. You can share a link on Facebook/Twitter, a forum, etc., and then see how many people share it, where they share it, and the traffic it gets (demographics included). I use Twitter for business and find the service very useful. ---
**Author:** ![glitch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/0ea827/32.png) [@glitch](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/glitch)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 9:40am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/5 "2010-04-05T09:40:20Z")
> [@white2abbit](#): > > Twitter is an insanely powerful business tool I beg the differ. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/bing/32/7211_2.png) [@bing](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 9:42am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/6 "2010-04-05T09:42:04Z")
i think you just have to figure out it. I don’t see any application for it at work but that is part of the trick i guess, finding out how to use it… for more social entrepreneurs i am sure it can be quite powerful in driving traffic ---
**Author:** ![theblue](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/theblue/32/5074_2.png) [@theblue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/theblue)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 9:47am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/7 "2010-04-05T09:47:14Z")
> [@glitch](#): > > I beg the differ. like it or hate it if you can’t see the power then you have no place doing anything around internet marketing. ---
**Author:** ![Geehee](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/geehee/32/7238_2.png) [@Geehee](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Geehee)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 9:54am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/8 "2010-04-05T09:54:18Z")
> [@glitch](#): > > I beg the differ. you are incorrect. just a couple examples: last summer I bought a bag of clams from wegmans, and they ended up being rather poor quality. tweeted wegmans about it, they sent me $20 in gift certificates, more than the cost of the bag. earlier this year I tweeted express something about a shirt I just bought being poor quality (a seam was coming apart after 1 wash). Their CMO direct messaged me to resolve the issue. Twitter is great. edit: a good write up on twitter by one of the “12 hours in a city” guys, Clark Dever. > **[Facebook - log in or sign up](https://www.facebook.com/#!/note.php?note_id=54770752209)** > > Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/bing/32/7211_2.png) [@bing](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 10:22am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/9 "2010-04-05T10:22:57Z")
^^^ oh snap… maybe i’ll have to start using it… i set up an account but never really did anything with it… i bet that the companies seeking out the negative feedback are looking at your network to see how much exposure you generate… maybe we should all add each other 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![glitch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/0ea827/32.png) [@glitch](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/glitch)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 10:38am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/10 "2010-04-05T10:38:08Z")
> [@theblue](#): > > like it or hate it if you can’t see the power then you have no place doing anything around with internet marketing. I’m neutral about it as it seems like it’s only useful for a small percentage of “social” type and/or large companies. I haven’t worked on any projects for small-medium sized local businesses that used it or wanted a Twitter account, as the benefits would be slim to none but I’m just the graphic designer and don’t make those decisions. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![theblue](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/theblue/32/5074_2.png) [@theblue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/theblue)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 10:40am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/11 "2010-04-05T10:40:04Z")
I bet some graphic designer said the same thing about the first business card ;D ---
**Author:** ![Geehee](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/geehee/32/7238_2.png) [@Geehee](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Geehee)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 10:44am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/12 "2010-04-05T10:44:44Z")
> [@bing](#): > > ^^^ oh snap… maybe i’ll have to start using it… > > i set up an account but never really did anything with it… > > i bet that the companies seeking out the negative feedback are looking at your network to see how much exposure you generate… maybe we should all add each other 🙂 That’s just the exposure you would have to your direct contacts. you can search any string and see what people are saying (for example, express / #express, it would show all results for anyone that posted those words, relevant or not) or browse through the main timeline and see EVERYTHING. ---
**Author:** ![white2abbit](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/white2abbit/32/5602_2.png) [@white2abbit](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/white2abbit)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 10:47am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/13 "2010-04-05T10:47:34Z")
> [@glitch](#): > > I beg the differ. So differ. ---
**Author:** ![glitch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/0ea827/32.png) [@glitch](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/glitch)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 10:48am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/14 "2010-04-05T10:48:40Z")
I don’t make those decisions, just stating facts. Take a look at Core101’s portfolio (a well established local web development company): [http://core101.com/our-work](http://core101.com/our-work) Tell me how many websites you see with twitter integrated. Like I said before, it’s power is limited to a small percentage IMO. I guess I should of been more clear in my initial post, my bad. ---
**Author:** ![5cott](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/5cott/32/5737_2.png) [@5cott](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/5cott)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 10:49am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/15 "2010-04-05T10:49:08Z")
I use it at work on a daily basis, when spelling a URL to a customer on the line thats over 40 characters… Mistakes are common. Bit.Ly turns a 40 character url into a 10-15. Much Easier IMO ---
**Author:** ![Matt\_Danger](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/matt_danger/32/4981_2.png) [@Matt\_Danger](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Matt_Danger)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 11:27am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/16 "2010-04-05T11:27:28Z")
bit.ly is mostly another URL shortener that people use to post links to Twitter, Facebook, whatever. It is also becoming another tool to follow social trends. It grew successful because of its early appearance on Twitter and browser bookmarklet that makes it easy to use. Most importantly it has a web 2.0 style name and that means it’s totally awesome. ---
**Author:** ![theblue](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/theblue/32/5074_2.png) [@theblue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/theblue)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 11:41am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/17 "2010-04-05T11:41:11Z")
> [@glitch](#): > > I don’t make those decisions, just stating facts. > > Take a look at Core101’s portfolio (a well established local web development company): [http://core101.com/our-work](http://core101.com/our-work) > > Tell me how many websites you see with twitter integrated. > > Like I said before, it’s power is limited to a small percentage IMO. I guess I should of been more clear in my initial post, my bad. If I was interviewing a company like Core101 and they told me twitter was a waste of time I’d get up and walk out right then. Twitter is not an item to be integrated into your website. It’s perhaps something to be mentioned and linked to (a line like “follow us on twitter”). It baffles me that this is your industry and you don’t see the power and advantages of twitter over other technologies like facebook, blogs, and forums. ---
**Author:** ![white2abbit](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/white2abbit/32/5602_2.png) [@white2abbit](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/white2abbit)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 11:56am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/18 "2010-04-05T11:56:08Z")
> [@glitch](#): > > I’m neutral about it as it seems like it’s only useful for a small percentage of “social” type and/or large companies. I haven’t worked on any projects for small-medium sized local businesses that used it or wanted a Twitter account, as the benefits would be slim to none but I’m just the graphic designer and don’t make those decisions. 🙂 If you’re a graphic designer and don’t have a blog AND Twitter, you’re failing. ---
**Author:** ![glitch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/0ea827/32.png) [@glitch](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/glitch)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 12:26pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/19 "2010-04-05T12:26:33Z")
> [@theblue](#): > > If I was interviewing a company like Core101 and they told me twitter was a waste of time I’d get up and walk out right then… Dude, I never said Core101 thinks Twitter is a waste of time fool (neither am I). They would be more than happy to meet their customers needs. I’m simply trying to show you a local portfolio so you can tell me how many sites you see utilizing Twitter to be realistic about it’s advantages. > [@theblue](#): > > It baffles me that this is your industry and you don’t see the power and advantages of twitter over other technologies like facebook, blogs, and forums. I’m not denying it’s capabilities, I just haven’t worked on a local website that gained profits from Twitter. I love how you keep making stuff up, great job :tup: ---
**Author:** ![boardjnky4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@boardjnky4](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/boardjnky4)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 12:31pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/bit-ly/152781/20 "2010-04-05T12:31:02Z")
> [@glitch](#): > > Dude, I never said Core101 thinks Twitter is a waste of time fool. They would be more than happy to meet their customers needs. I’m simply trying to show you a local portfolio so you can tell me how many sites you see utilizing Twitter to be realistic about it’s advantages.i’m not denying it’s capabilities, I just haven’t worked on a local website that gained profits from Twitter. It isn’t about just a website in particular getting use…it’s about a whole company using it to their advantage. Here is an example. They are a medical accreditation company. Notice the followers they have…all sorts of medical industry companies are following what they are doing and where they are. It’s free, and effective advertising/marketing for them [http://twitter.com/ACHC](http://twitter.com/ACHC) It’s not that ACHC’s website is gaining anything from it… It is that they are using it to market themselves, and to let other people/businesses know what they are up to.