Rising along with the popularity of Twitter as well as other instant messaging services with character limits are services for URL shortening. There are hundreds of services on the Web for this, letting people use the smallest space possible for sharing and linking to content. Some of them generate shorter links; some come with bars at the top of the application; some are content to let their links expire. Standing out among all these URL shorteners, however, is Bit.ly, created by John Borthwick of Betaworks. After serving as the default URL shortener for Twitter during the most part of last year, Bit.ly grew to become a web-wide tool. In December, Twitter stopped using Bit.ly, but this breaking of ties hasn’t stopped the URL shortening service from continuing to scale and serving as a useful tool for users, publishers, Internet marketers and eCommerce providers. Still need convincing that Bit.ly is the URL shortener for you? Here are the top 6 reasons – Read the full article
A new web browser has been unveiled by the people who brought us Netscape 16 years ago. RockMelt, founded by Eric Vishria and Tim Howes, was released Monday as a “re-imagined” web browser that is designed to serve as a social networking hub, tightly integrating Facebook, Twitter, and other social sites into a traditional web page navigation program. RockMelt allows users to “share easily, search faster, connect with friends, and keep up on news”; since the Monday release of its early version, the new browser has gotten industry observers in and beyond Silicon Valley talking. The RockMelt browser is based on Google Chrome’s HTML-5-compliant and open-source Chromium foundation (which is why you might perhaps echo our same initial sentiments, “It kind of looks like Chrome”). However, what makes RockMelt different from Chrome (or Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Safari) is that it actually frames the social media experience – Facebook updates, chats, Twitter streams, etc. – within its browser, – Read the full article
One of the most exciting milestones that can be achieved by any business owner or retailer is a product or service launch. It marks the fruit of all the hard work that had been done. A launch, however, can also be one of the most terrifying, stressful, and expensive projects that you, as a business owner, will ever have to take on. So why not do it via social media? Traditionally, product launches feature a mix of advertising and PR efforts, pushed by a huge corporate event, media banquet, or some kind of conference. Yes, these still work. But what if you ran a business that was Internet-based? What if a great deal of Internet usage is critical in your day-to-day operations? What if you want to test the waters of Web 2.0 and use social media as your platform for launching a product or service? Don’t think it’s not possible. While many perceive social media as something that only – Read the full article
“Retweetable tweet”? Okay, we’ll be the first to admit it’s a silly title. Five years ago no one would have had any idea what we’re talking about. But if you’ve been keeping up with what’s happening on the web, chances are you have heard of the many positive, non-silly things social media can bring to the table. Take for example Twitter: businesses, celebrities, entrepreneurs, Internet marketers, and even celebrities are now leveraging the microblogging platform to enhance their presence online. So should you! One of the many useful features of Twitter is the ability to “retweet” someone else’s tweet (text-based post). If you post tweets that your Twitter followers would find compelling enough, and worthy enough of being shared to their own followers, then they can simply “retweet” your post – and effectively extend the reach of the message you’re trying to get across. Naturally, anyone who wants to succeed and stand out on the web will want to support – Read the full article
