9 useful things you didn’t know you could do with bit.ly

Or maybe you knew you could do these things with URL-shortener bit.ly, but then I couldn’t have a provocative, Mashable-style headline. Work with me.

You’ve seen shortened URLs across the Internet, such as fb.me, bit.ly or others. Previously, URL shorteners served the important purpose of saving space when every letter in a URL counted against Twitter’s 140-character limit. The shortened URL then redirected to a full-length URL when you clicked.

Now that Twitter automatically shortens longer links with its t.co shortener, space isn’t an issue. But URL shorteners are still important, because behind every shortened URL there is a rich mine of data that shows what happens to your links.

Here are a few ways I use bit.ly at Marquette University to find, track, save and analyze my links.

1. Create a branded URL shortener

Bit.ly lets you create (for free) your own custom domain shortener, like Time Magazine’s ti.me or the New York Times’ nyti.ms. Even the Dalia Lama has his own ULR shortener (dalaila.ma). At Marquette, we use go.mu.edu. Having your own URL shortener is like the vanity license plate of the Internet.