Once upon a time, when one hear the word “URL shortner,” then TinyURL flashes through the mind. Since TinyURL was launched way back in 2002, many join this url-shortening game.

URL shorteners are tools that transform a long internet address in to a much shorter sting of random characters so that it is easier to read or share.

Earlier this year Bit.ly deposed TinyURL as the official link shortening service for Twitter, and announced a ‘pro’ version of its service on Monday.

Google and Facebook joined the url-shortening game by launching their own custom URL shorteners. Google’s announced it’s new URL shortener “goo.gl” in it blog late Monday. “This morning, we launched updated versions of the Google Toolbar and FeedBurner that offer a new URL shortening service from Google called the Google URL Shortener,” said Google in its blog. However, it is not yet available as a stand-alone service like TinyURL or Bit.ly.

Facebook’s “fb.me” is predominantly designed for use on mobile device, and it’s unclear whether it will be rolled out across the whole platform.

URL shorteners have grown in popularity over the last 18 months, with an increasing number of web users using services such as TinyURL and bit.ly to condesnse links so that they can be shared more easily on social networking sites such as Twitter, where there is a limit on the number of characters that can be contained within a single message.

There are two main problems with link shortening services. Firstly, since the actual destination URL is not displayed, it is easier for attackers to distribute spam and phishing attacks.  Secondly, since link shortening is frequently used with social networking services like Facebook and Twitter, there is an inherent trust that the link will be legitimate.

URL shortening is a useful and convenient service, so it is here to stay. Just don’t forget to use some common sense and be cautious enough to avoid being exploited by a shortened URL.