For want of a business model, the shortening tr.im service was lost

The shortening service tr.im is closing down, for want of a business model:

20090810-tr-im-url-shortening-closing

Of the url shortening services:

Tinyurl.com is the big daddy of them all, and generates a large amount of traffic even to its own site, but as far as I am aware even that is a spare time project, which now runs in “maintenance mode”.

Bit.ly has been best of breed for some time by providing a portfolio of statistical services, and other features.

ow.ly is the in house shortening service at Hootsuite, which is established as the leading service for managing multiple Twitter accounts.

I think there is an analogous lesson for another zero monetary cost but time-sink activity - blogging.

As a bolt-on commentary or marketing channel, whether to a consultancy business, a political career, or as a “proof” of ability as a writer, blogs add enormous value; as a standalone platform, they can be a time (and therefore money) pit.

About the Author

Matt Wardman

Matt is an internet consultant, commentator, freelance writer and Project Manager based in the UK. He is available for hire. Matt edits the Wardman Wire and Twexpert, and writes at Poligeeks, Total Politics, and occasionally in several other places.

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