You can’t be awake and all over the world 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. But your online brand is.

Your website doesn’t have an off switch, and neither does your brand. Here are ten different ways you can develop and make your online brand more global!

1. Put some serious thought into your design.

Don’t take your design for granted! Carefully think all this through choose the best brand for you. It’s very important to really think about what you want your brand image to say about you – because it speaks volumes. While larger corporations hire Brand Specialists, this isn’t necessary if you’re an Entrepreneur or Small Business Owner. There are more resources out there than ever before, and most of them cost very little, if anything at all. There are many free themes out there, here are 100, or if you want to take your design to the next level I recommend going with WooThemes since they are very high quality and offer two free themes with the purchase of one.

2. Keep compelling content on your radar.

It is good ideas to subscribe to the blogs you find the most interesting and helpful. One word of caution: it’s very easy to get carried away with the amount of blogs you follow. Keeping the number of blogs you follow to a manageable number will help eliminate information overload.

3. Take advantage of free Google services.

A site that organizes and centralizes all the blogs you follow into one place is called an “aggregator”. One of the best known aggregators is Google Reader. Since new blogs appear daily, it might be a good idea to set up a Google alert for your blog and other blogs in your areas of interest. This is a great way to stay current with information, brainstorm new post ideas, and to learn new things.

4. Get the word out.

One of the easiest things that you can do is to customize your email signature. We see it all the time, but many people forget to do this for themselves. For example, you could add your full name (first and last), your website URL, and any related profiles, such as LinkedIn. Whatever you put in your custom signature, keep it related to your brand. This will also subtly say “I’m a professional”. For more constant and interactive promotion of your brand, it’s highly recommended that you roll up your sleeves and get into Social Media. It’s not as scary as it may seem. Setting up a Twitter profile and engaging with the people out there is as easy as saying hello or asking a question. Staying plugged in and keeping the Twitter conversations going will help you build a community of clients, prospects, and colleagues that will reach further than an ad in the classifieds. To take this a step further, you can build a Facebook business page and fan page. Invite the people from Twitter to these pages. Be sure to leave the Facebook pages and your Twitter page public so that you are easy to find. Facebook and Twitter are instant and endless sources of global connections.

5. Keep your writing style simple.

That is, avoid using complicated sentence structures and over elaborate words. The goal is to attract the most diverse audience as possible. You don’t have to over simplify things, but make sure that your writings are easy to read. For example, if you are writing in English, you’ll want the people just learning the language to understand everything as well as the native speaker.

6. Sometimes you have to meet face-to-face.

With software like Skype, you can talk to someone face-to-face for free, no matter where they are in the world (there are some restrictions, but a general guideline is: as long as both people have Skype accounts the video calls are free. In some countries Skype can be connected to a number and called as if it were a regular phone.) Global travel can’t get any more cost effective than that! You no longer have to reschedule appointments when you are traveling for business. Simply connect with whomever you need to online. Skype is only one example of many. Review your choices and pick the one that suits your needs the best. Another way is to actually get out and about where you work or live and shake some hands. Talk to people in the line at the grocery store. Go to networking events, or other gatherings of people who might be ideal clients and colleagues. Make conversation with other parents before or after your child’s event. There are so many possibilities. The point is not just to get to know the person in front of you. It’s to get to know who they know too. And don’t worry about being nervous. We are all nervous at some point. Once the conversation gets going, you’ll be fine.

7. Be consistent.

Be certain to use the same fonts, colors, writing style and other brand specific characteristics consistent throughout every piece of written material. The reasons are that you want all of your materials to be visually appealing, and maintaining consistency is a definite plus. When you are consistent you are setting a high standard of quality, and that’s a win-win for everyone.

8. Be creative.

People love new, fresh, great ideas. Sometimes the best route is the simplest one. One of the best traits in a businessperson is to find new ways of doing what everyone else is doing. Sure, most businesses have a website now. But what can you do, in a creative way, which makes you different? Is your business card a standard size and shape like everyone else that passed out cards in the room? Does your logo make someone stop in their tracks and take notice?

9. Be memorable.

It’s no secret the endless names of companies that have achieved memorability. The key is to be memorable for the right reasons. Word of mouth can be a blessing or a curse. Once you achieve a positive global image your brand will soar all on its own. This is where all your Social Media connections come in very handy. There comes a point when you will still have to advertise, but the most effective form of marketing is the word of mouth spread by your colleagues, clients, and prospects.

10. Be supportive of others.

This doesn’t necessarily mean for business either. This does not just mean writing a check. It’s far more meaningful that you stopped what you were doing to help someone. Mentor someone who could use sound business advice. Tap into your global connections and see how they are doing. Can you give them feedback on a project they’re working on? Can you retweet their latest post on Twitter? It’s important to remember that we all began at the starting gate. And when you help and support others, we all get to the finish line.

All of the suggestions in this post let you know that it’s ok to think out of the box. Color outside the lines. Zig, zag, twist and shout. Build yourself a great global brand, and you’ll be building yourself one great future.

About the Author: Kelly Ann Carpentier is the author of the Blog: Global thinking, networking, and information all in one place. She is also a Social Media Strategist, an Open Networker and an Entrepreneur. You should follow her on Twitter: @kcarpentier77

Video is a powerful medium. To really leverage the power of video and spread your message to the widest possible audience it is important to make sure that you describe exactly what you talk about in the video so that the people who are searching for what you are saying in your video can find you with ease. The following 25 tips cover several different ways that you can get the best video quality possible, and then share your video across a variety of platforms.

1. Get a YouTube Account

YouTube dominates the online Video space. If you Upload your Video to only one Video Network YouTube is your best bet. They are the biggest and serve over one billion videos daily.

2. Get a TubeMogul Account
There is also significant niche traffic to be had by uploading Videos to numerous networks, and a great way to manage this is with a site called TubeMogul. TubeMogul is video syndication site and distributes your Video to multiple Video sites, saving you uploading video multiple times.

3. Be Professional
You don’t need to be wearing a suit and tie but at least remember to shave. If you want to produce a Viral Video you probably won’t do it looking like a slob. Find yourself a good professional setting. I just use a couch but it works for me because that is where I feel most relaxed, which brings me to my next point.

4. Get as Comfortable as Possible
Video Blogging is a little nerve racking, so it helps to be comfortable. Find the place where you feel most comfortable, your favorite couch or chair perhaps, and get set up. Plenty of light is also a necessity, but not so much that it feels unnatural. Personally, I prefer to record when no one is around so I can focus on the video at hand and not what others in the immediate area are thinking about what I am doing.

5. Make sure your Batteries are Charged
I have learned this lesson the hard way. Trust me when I say it sucks if you get into a good dialogue and are cut off mid sentence due to a failing battery. A dead battery disrupts the entire flow so make sure you are charged up.

6. Use a Script
Sometimes I just wing it, but having a script makes the production process significantly less painful. Knowing exactly what you want to say before you say it allows you to focus on delivery when the camera is rolling. It is best to look at the camera as much as possible so bullets are a great way to ensure you achieve the best results possible.

7. Remember that YouTube has a 10 minute video limit
Even though they support HD Video YouTube still implements a 10 minute video length cap. 5 minutes is a good target to aim for. If your plan is to create a video longer than 10 minutes you will be forced to chop it up.

8. Practice makes Perfect
The more videos you are able to make the more natural it will feel for you to be in front of a camera. Until you feel perfectly comfortable talking into a lens I recommend filming several different sections to your video and then piecing them together.

9. Use a Tripod
I bought a compact tripod from a local electronics store for under $20 and I use it almost every time I shoot. I also had a Heavy Duty tripod stand given to me and I use this as well for some scenes. A steady camera makes a video much better so if you do not have a tripod handy ensure the person handling the camera is careful to hold it still.

10. Give yourself time to edit
The Photographer Thomas Hawk says that for about every ten pictures he takes he usually only keeps about one. When shooting video a similar rule applies: record a lot, use a little.

11. Syndicate your video as a Podcast
If you are unfamiliar about how Podcasting works check out this Podcastblaster.com and look for the tutorial about How to make a Video Podcast. Once you have created your Video Podcast you can submit it to Podcastblaster and iTunes so that viewers download new episodes automatically into iTunes.

12. Video Blog with an iPhone
If you are a proud owner of a 3Gs you are able to take Video with your phone, and you also are able to stream video with one of the two apps I will now mention as tips #13 & #14.

13. Ustream for iPhone
I have not yet been able to get Qik to work for me but it allows a live stream of video to be shared from an iPhone or nokia video phone. This app also has built in chat features so that people watching can comment and ask questions that can then be answered by those participating in the live stream.

14. Knocking for iPhone
Knocking is not so much Video Blogging as it is Mobile to Mobile live sharing. This cool and free app allows you to “knock” on a friends iphone and share a video stream with them live, with only a few seconds of delay.

15. Create a Custom Channel & Video Player with Blip.tv
Blip.tv is another video site that is compatible with tube mogul. My favorite feature of blip is that they allow you to create a custom video player, using whatever color you want for the border and text, and even including the name of your brand beside the play bar.

16. Light is your Friend
A camera is just a device that captures light so it helps to have plenty of it if you want a high quality video.

17. Natural Light is the Best
Natural light simply looks the most natural, and is difficult to reproduce. If you cannot film during the day I recommend buying daylight effect bulbs, unless you are willing to spring the extra cash for professional lighting.

18. Keep your Video short and sweet

Brevity is the art of wit. Twitter is proof that it works.

19. Film in HD
I don’t have an HD camera yet so I can’t follow this advice, but I plan to get one so I can asap. YouTube supports 1080p now, which is phenomenal quality. The main setback to HD is long upload times, but for the quality you get, it is so worth it.

20. End on a Positive Note
Go out with a bang. Save the best for last. End with a smile and keep your viewers eager for more.

21. Get great Editing Software
One of the many reasons I am happy I bought a Mac is because it comes stock with the easiest video editing program I have ever used, iMovie. That said I have also edited on a PC, and when I did I used Adobe Premiere. I am going to invest in Final Cut for my Mac as soon as I can justify spending $1,000 on software. I keep hoping I will run into someone who already owns it!

22. Do a Screencast
TechSmith is a software company that produces two cool pieces of software for screen casting. For the record a screen cast is a video of what is happening on your screen. The more affordable option is Jing, which I have purchased and am quite happy with. For advanced features such as cursor zoom and others check out Jing’s big brother, Camtasia.

23. Use Screenr to Screencast

If you are looking for a free screencasting solution check out screenr. Screenr is powerful, simple, and works on either Mac or PC. You can download screenr videos, upload to youtube, and easily share them with your Twitter network.

24. 12 Seconds.tv
This tip is really just an elaboration of tip 18, keep it short and sweet. Sign up for a12seconds.tv account and you can create 12 second videos that you can share with your friends. These are great for concise little messages, like an update of where you are, or what you are working on. 12seconds even has a 12cast iPhone app for vlogging from your iPhone.

25. Create a Video Challenge
Are you have a skill that you think goes unmatched? Put it to the test and create a video challenging others to step up to the plate. If you can get a ton of video responses there is a good chance that the people who make them will tell their friends about the challenge and this will help you build hype! I am planning to do a video challenge soon…I’m just not sure yet what my challenge will be (Any suggestions?). I’ll figure something out so subscribe to my youtube channel garin.tv and stay tuned for my upcoming videos and video challenge!

Are you a Video Blogger? Do you have any video blogging tips that I forgot to mention? Feel free to share your youtube channel name below as well as any video blogging tips that you use when making your videos!

I have spent the last week working my butt off on this ebook, and I hope you find it useful!

The Ultimate Twitter Toolbox will feature a more in depth look at the 15 top tools from this Ebook, and many others. Feel free to share this report around and help build the hype for my coming book release!

Cheers,

Garin Kilpatrick

@GarinKilpatrick

Last week I was stoked for the release of the Apple tablet, which we now know as the iPad. The iPad is quite the sexy machine, I’ll give it that. But the sexiness of the iPad comes at the cost of functionality. The iPad is not the powerful and fully functional device I had hoped for. Instead the iPad is essentially an oversized iPhone, that cannot make calls, without usb, Flash, or a camera. I love my iPhone, but I love my Macbook a whole lot more because it can experience the web as it was meant to be seen. Unfortunately, a true web experience is impossible with the iPhone, the iPod Touch, and now the iPad.

Apple makes millions from the cut they take from every app sold in the App store. Since there are thousands of Flash games and apps on the net already for free, these would certainly slow sales in the App store. Consequently Apple has decided to disable the functionality of Flash, thus making a true web experience on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch impossible. Apple has made a huge mistake by seriously inhibiting one of the most important and prolific technologies on the web, and they should correct their mistake.

Here is a hands on demo of the iPad. I’m pretty sure this demo is done by an Apple employee because she is overly enthusiastic about the slightly tweaked iPhone OS functionality.

In use the tablet looks more like a toy than a tool. Typing on a flat screen with my thumbs is difficult enough, and although I’ve gotten quite used to it and fast, a real keyboard still kills just a screen when it comes to sureness and speed. Flat screen tapping is awkward an unnatural. Swipe keyboard technology is very promising for the software keyboard world, but it is still not available for the iPhone/iPad, and still requires development and refinement before it goes mainstream.

We Want Flash

The HUGE problem with the iPod touch, iPhone, and now the iPad, is that they do not support Flash technology. Brands like Nike, Hulu, BBC, Major League Baseball, and more rely on Flash to deliver the most compelling experiences to over a billion people. Flash can produce an awesome web experience. Check out this post about 50 amazing examples of Flash to get an idea of what I mean. The amazement of Flash is not possible with an iPad, and until it is I won’t buy one, no matter how sexy it is. What I have done is signed the petition for Apple to adopt Flash at Iwantflash.com, and I encourage you to do the same. Iwantflash is a petition started by my cousin Luke Kilpatrick.

Google Tablet

Google has a tremendous opportunity here. By combining their open source Chrome OS with a Tablet PC that has Flash enabled, they could dominate this new tablet market with a device the delivers a true web experience.

Below is a concept video of what could be possible with a Google Chrome OS for a Google tablet device.

What do you think?

After contemplating Google’s venture into the mobile market, including the Android platform, and the Google Phone Nexus One, it seems almost an inevitability that they will seek to compete in the new tablet market too.  If Google does indeed produce a tablet what do you think it will be called?  gTab?  People will still buy the iPad because it is sexy, but do you think it will success?  What do you think of the iPad?

Mozilla’s Firefox, is an open source web browser, and the second most widely used web browser in the world. Initially Mozilla’s browser was named phoenix, then firebird, and then after heated trademark dispute Mozilla settled on the name Firefox. The Firefox logo has evolved during these naming disputes, in step with the convergence of traditional and web 2.0 design.

The Browser Wars

Firefox faces intense competition in the browser space from Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Safari.  Despite the competition Firefox has been able to build an unmistakable brand, and claw away 25% of the web browser market share.
Mozilla recently celebrated their one billionth download of Firefox and this achievement owes thanks not only to Mozilla technology, but also to the appealing design of the Firefox brand. Firefox has an innovative edge over competitors due to the open source nature of their platform. Anyone with the skills to do so can contribute to the Firefox platform by creating an add-on to the add-on directory, or by adding a visual design to the Mozilla creative collective.

The Mozilla Creative Collective

Mozilla takes their brand design very seriously, since it has been one of the secrets to their success. Firefox even has it’s own font. The design of the Firefox brand, much like the development of the browser itself, has been a collective effort. A key reason for the success of Firefox design development, has been Mozilla’s ability to foster a thriving creative community. The Mozilla creative collective is a community where designers from around the world are encouraged to share their Firefox design creations.

By joining the creative collective designers are able to become fans of other designers, write encouraging comments on designs, and achieve badges for successful designs they submit. Below are some of the best designs from recent design challenges the creative collective has held. The following 55 images are hand picked from over 778 designs that have been submitted so far, and more firefox designs are being added all the time. Some of these designs are really fantastic and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Feedback: What is your favorite design above?

The following ten trending topics are being tweeted about every few minutes and this trend suggests to me that that these topics will continue to buzz for the months to come.

In this article I have linked to Twitter real time searches that show in just how lively the conversation is surrounding these topics. If you have something to say about one of the topics below simply send a tweet my on twitter @Gar1n, or better yet, voice your take by logging into our commenting system with your Twitter account and leaving a comment!

1. #iTablet

The Apple #iTablet computer will hit the market in 2010. Perhaps Amazon will respond with an improved #kindle e-book reader, with a color display, instead of monochrome. The kindle has already sold an estimated 1.5 million units, but since Amazon has not released this number, this is only an estimate and noone really knows how many Amazon has really sold. Steve Jobs is betting that people will find more value in a fully functional machine, especially when emblazoned with the Apple brand. Competitors to Apple and Amazon will likely be entering the tablet market with cheaper alternatives, but for now there is plenty of hype around the Tablet. Yesterday Ben Parr of Mashable posted an article stating that the Tablet would be released in March for around $1,000, and MG Siegler of TechCrunch posted an article stating that this was completely untrue.

2. #Apple

The Apple community continues to thrive and eat into the worldwide smartphone market, where RIM (#Blackberry) is a powerhouse. Applications Expect plenty of Tweets during Macworld 2010 from gebuary 9th-13th in San Franciso this year. I was in SF during Macworld 2009 and it was a very exciting time. A new Apple phone is rumored for release mid-2010, and of course there is the Tablet. Perhaps swipe keyboard technology will become available for more phones with software based keyboards, such as the iPhone, or the Blackberry Storm.

3. #Twitter

In 2010 expect for plenty of talk on Twitter to continue to be about Twitter, and I predict Twitter will continue to grow.

Currently there are about 18,000,000 Twitter users who tweet at least once a month, and I am predicting this number will double to 36,000,000+ users by the end of 2010.

4. #Vancouver2010

With just over a month left until the 2010 Winter Olympics talk on Twitter is already heating up. Twitter is poised to change the way we engage with the Olympics and celebrate Olympians. Vancouver 2010 will be the most tweeted about Olympic games ever, since Twitter is bigger than ever. If you are interested in the 2010 games check out my Vancouver 2010 Twitter list.

5. #Obama

Barack Obama’s successes in 2010 will continue to make waves if he is able to better engage the ongoing social media revolution and create meaningful conversations to hasten the changes he hopes to make. In 2009 #Obama was just getting warmed up. There was plenty of talk on Twitter and else ware about the 2009 #NobelPrize he won for peace. Despite winning this prestigious award, when asked to evaluate his performance so far in office Obama said he would give himself a B+.

6. #Facebook

Facebook will continue to expand their user base around the world. I will not be surprised if Facebook reaches 400,000,000 users. Tech pundit Jason Calacanis is predicting that Facebook will announce their IPO and that this stock market inclusion will make Mark Zuckerberg very rich, and “save silicon valley”. I was not aware that silicon valley needed saving, but the facebook IPO will certainly make waves due to the massive user base and social value facebook has.

7. #aplusk

In 2010 the giants of Twitter will continue to have significant influence in setting the trends in 2010. I am predicting that Ashton Kutcher @aplusk will be dethroned as the “king” of Twitter in 2010. Two serious contenders Ashton will have to worry about in 2010 are Ellen Degeneres @theellenshow and Britney Spears @britneyspears.

8. #Geolocation

MG Siegler thinks Geo location will become an increasing factor in 2010 on the web, and I agree. Twitter may become more financially viable as they offer enhanced super tweets featuring geographical information. Foursquare and Gowalla are two mobile Geo tagging apps that I see tweets from every day. I think Gowalla is iPhone only, but Foursquare has functional apps for Android, iPhone, Blackberry, and Palm platforms. I have downloaded both iPhone apps and I prefer Foursquare. I heard one Gowalla user who sent a tweet complaining that he was receiving ads from Gowalla via push notifications.

9. #Google

Google is poised to increase their dominance of the Internet with Wave becoming more mainstream, search becomes more real time, and the Chrome web browser continuing to increase market share. Google is also entered into direct competition with Microsoft in the Operating System industry when they announced a Chrome OS, optimized for web browsing, earlier this year. My thoughts about Google are that as long as they are the most traffic heavy site on the web, they will continue to expand their business activities successfully into other areas of the tech industry. As long as Google continues to generate revenue and receive new investments they can continue to pour cash into new innovative products like the Droid and the new Google phone Nexus One.

10. #AugmentedReality

Augmented reality is the process by which a real life situation is augmented with additional graphics or information to create a mixed reality of a physical and a digital environment. This concept has been increasingly implemented in apps for smartphones with cameras, but was also applied in a very innovative and cool way by GE to demonstrate the new smart grid they are implementing.

Three of my favorite examples of augmented reality are:

• GE Ecomagination Smart Grid, which you need to see to appreciate.
• Gunman, an iPhone app that turns iphones into a game of virtual paint ball.
• Google Goggles, a way of augmenting information onto pictures.

Google Goggles especially is a very cool mobile app that augments information of storefronts and products from pictures snapped from a mobile phone. Below is a video created by Google explaining the new service, which is only available on Google’s Android platform for smart phones. The potential for this technology to develop is profound, so expect plenty of tweets as Google makes updates to their software in the months to come.

Feedback

What was your favorite trending topic of 2009? What trending topics do you expect to see in 2010? What do you think will be the most tweeted about topic from the list above?

342 movies. 7 minutes. HD. This is Cinema 2009.

This video is the product of 12 Months of Hard Work from editor and YouTube user Kees van Dijkhuizen. Although only uploaded a week ago the video has already over 400,000 views and is well on its way to viral status. Kees has an eerily blue avatar for his YouTube profile picture, within which he is wearing a Santa hat.  Although I have certainly seen better Avatars I feel that Kees more than makes up for this shortcoming with the exceptional video below.

The movie Avatar and probably every other major movie of the year is featured briefly during this stunning HD compilation. Enjoy.

Cinema 2009

Google had a big year in 2009. The Droid won gadget of the year from TIME. Over one million invites to the Google Wave platform were sent. The Google Chrome web browser increased its market share, and even a Chrome Operating System for netbooks was released.

Google Zeitgeist is a year end summary of trends that Google tracks, based on the billions of search queries that Google servers execute. The word zeitgeist means literally “spirit of the times.”

Google trends can be traced across a variety of subjects, and filtered by country.   It is certainly worth checking out the Google Zeitgeist page for the full picture.

Google had a big year in 2009 and I’m sure we can expect more big initiatives in 2010 from the worlds largest search engine.  Google’s continued dominance of the web is one of my ten tech predictions for 2010.

What trends do you predict will rise and fall in 2010?  Do you think Google will lose market share to competitors Yahoo and Bing?

Twitter recently added a new addition to the goodies section of their website, featuring official twitter buttons. Twitter buttons are a welcome addition to the goodies section, which has for some time included only some of the more popular twitter applications, and customizable status and list widgets. An example of a custom list widget can be seen in the sidebar to the right.

A preview of the official Twitter buttons page:

TwitStamp Widgets

Twitstamp offers a wide variety of Twitter “stamp” widgets that include embedded status updates. Some of my favorites are embedded below.

Twittercounter Buttons

Another popular button you might have noticed from around the Web is the Twittercounter follow count widget.

More Twitter Buttons and Logos

TwitterLogos.com claims to have the largest collection of Twitter buttons and logos on the web. Graphic designers can also submit their work if they want to share their designs.

The following 10 free resources are the best ways to shorten and customize links on the web. With the link shortening services below you will be able to make links really short, customize them, track their analytics, and share them easily. Not all link shortening services offer all of these features. Read the list below and let us know in the comments what your favorite link shortening service is!

1. bit.ly

bit.ly is the default url shortening service offered by Twitter. It is my favorite url shortening service since it offers built-in link tracking and analytics, a cool sidebar bookmarklet, a firefox extension, native Twitter posting support, and more!

Example: http://bit.ly/gar1n

2. j.mp

j.mp is owned by the same company, and by the same technology as bit.ly. The difference is the name. j.mp is 2 characters shorter than bit.ly for the Tweets that are cutting it close to the 140 limit.

Example: http://j.mp/vanhalen

3. 3.ly

3.ly offers the “worlds shortest” URLs. Since they are less well known than j.mp they offer more availability for custom domains. To view the hit count of a 3.ly link simply add a minus sign – to the end of your URL.

Example: http://3.ly/googleapps

4. Tinyurl.com

Tinyurl.com was the standard url shortening service before bit.ly was developed. They have already shortened over 400 million links. The downside to this is that many custom urls are already taken. TinyURL offers a browser bookmark button that will provide a TinyURL of the page you are on. TinyURL also offers a preview feature for your browser that will allow you to preview where a TinyURL will go, before you click on the link.

5. Su.pr

Su.pr is the only URL shortening service that also helps your content get more traffic! Every Su.pr URL you create exposes your content to StumbleUpon’s nearly 8 million users. You will need a StumbleUpon account to access the Twitter integration, traffic analytics, and custom URLs.

6. TinyURL.com

TinyURL is a URL Shortening Service that offers a browser bookmark button that will provide a TinyURL of the page you are on. TinyURL also offers a preview feature for your browser that will allow you to preview where a TinyURL will go, before you click on the link.

7. Is.gd

Is.gd is a good URL shortening service.

8. URLcut.com

A simple service that you can use to shorten long URLs and password-protect them.

Example: http://urlcut.com/1tvaf

9. Goo.gl

goo.gl is a URL shortening service offered by Google. To use the service you must download the Google Toolbar.

Example: http://goo.gl/l6MS

10. Youtu.be

YouTube links can be shortened by editing the URL. For example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEDOXHEfxrw can be shortened to http://youtu.be/PEDOXHEfxrw. Both links direct to the same video.

Feedback

What is your favorite URL shortening service?