According to blog Domain News, Twitter has acquired a new domain name: twee.tt. While the company has yet to relegate the Trinidad and Tobago name to any specific purpose, there are rumours that it will be used to create a URL shortener.

If this is true, it could spell the end of bit.ly, the most popular shortener on Twitter. But considering how many names companies like Twitter own and never use, I think it’s a bit early to make predictions. My guess is the social networking site just bought the name preemptively and will probably never use it.

Continue reading: Is Twitter going to launch its own URL shortener?

Most people have heard of Greenland, but few ever think about it’s .gl domain extension. Apparently Google does, however, because the Mountain View firm just launched a URL shortener under the ccTLD called goo.gl.

The tool is not intended for direct public use, but is instead only available via Google Toolbar or Feedburner. If all goes well Google could broaden its availability in the future.

This news is probably the only attention .gl has ever received. The only recorded sale at domain database dnsaleprice.com is sex.gl. It sold on a popular auction site in February for a show-stopping $1,281 USD.

Photo | oskar73

Continue reading: Google launches URL shortener on .gl domain

Nearly all of us have used URL-shortening services such as bit.ly or TinyURL. They are a great convenience, but according to Symantec , pose a security threat.

The computer security firm says their malicious use is on the rise, and that they are especially dangerous because users do not always know where the links point.

The good thing about many modern URL-shorteners is they will generally display a gateway page before redirecting to the user to show what site the link points to. Not all services offer this feature or require it to be used, however. The next time you encounter a shortened link, think twice before clicking.

Source | Radio New Zealand

Continue reading: Symantec : Shortened URLs pose security risk