Four ways to share webpages through Google’s new Short URL service Goo.gl

This new URL site, Goo.gl, for now allows this service only in its Google Toolbar and Feedburner properties. Others have developed a Chrome extension for it by which we can create short URLs instantly, but will work only in Google Chrome browser for now. For other browsers, there is a website by which we can create short URLs with Goo.gl. We will go through each of them one by one.

1.) Short URLs with Google Toolbar: To create short URLs with Google Toolbar, first download the latest versions for Firefox (Google Toolbar 7.0) and IE (Google Toolbar 6.4). After you download the toolbar and restart your web browser you will see a "Share" button as shown in the image.

To shorten the URL of an existing web page, go to the web page and click the "Share" button and click to which social platform (Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, Delicious or others) you want to share the short URL. The toolbar will create a short URL with Goo.gl. The website Goo.gl is not open for everyone yet, but we should expect them available to the public very soon.

2.) Short URLs with Feedburner: If you have a blog or a website and want to share all your new articles with Twitter, then Feedburner has an excellent solution with their "Socialize" setting. Enter or click your feed at the Feedburner and click "Publicize" tab and click "Socialize" button. You will be asked to enter your Twitter account details. I tried this service for my blog. My posts appear as soon as I publish.

3.) Short URLs with Chrome Extension: Go to your Chrome browser and go to this link. Install this extension. After you install it, when you go to any webpage you want to share, click the Goo.gl Shortener button in the Chrome menu bar, it will create a short URL link with Goo.gl.

4.) Short URLs for other non-Chrome browsers: Go to this website and enter the webpage you want the short URL for. It will create a short URL which you can share it with others.

I find Goo.gl will be a much better tool to use for shortening long URLs, because the other short URL websites may not stay long in service and then the URLs you copied and shared will become obsolete.

Which short URL service you use and prefer?