URL shorteners like bit.ly are popular way to share long links over email, IM, microblogging and other contexts. If you are a twitterer then you know how important each charachter is.
Here’s how it works: Sites like bit.ly convert long URLs into short names and perform redirection for the user once the short URL is clicked. This helps avoid URL garbling since it is aesthetically unpleasant and very difficult to remember.
“There are different techniques on how to implement URL shortening. Keys can be generated numerically in what they call “base 36”, assuming 26 letters and 10 numbers from 0 to 9. If a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters are accepted, then the number should be in “base 62”, where there are 26 lowercase letters + 26 uppercase letters, and 10 numbers. A “hash function” or a “random number” can also be generated so that the key sequence is unpredictable. The third option for shortening is that the users can actually propose their own keys.” (Source: ArticleDashboard.com)
But be careful, short URL’s are subject to linkrot.
For an example of short URL’s go to our twitter page
ANOTHER AMAZING IDEA!
