Goo.gl Without Google Toolbar

Not so long ago, I posted about how Google seems to be going mad, rolling out new services all the time or enhancing and improving on existing ones. I mentioned that Google has now unleashed its own URL-shortening service, which is unfortunately restricted to people who install the Google Toolbar.

Nevertheless, one smart fellow has developed a way of using Goo.gl without making your browser an inch fatter.

Nip over to http://gaigalas.net/lab/googl and paste the long URL you wish to shorten into the box. Then click the 'Shorten' button. The shortened URL will appear, and will never become extinct. From then on it'll redirect to the original URL if clicked or entered into the address bar. Of course, there are some draw-backs...

• You can't choose a customized shortened URL, like you can with the majority of other URL-shortening servies. This defeats the handy ability of remembering your shortened URLs. It also makes the shortened URL less appealing by fault of a weird mixture of letters and numbers.
• You can't see how many clicks your shortened URL has had.

Nevertheless, people may be more comfortable with clicking goo.gl links in contrast with the likes of bit.ly because Google is more of a recognized brand. Plus, because the service is new and it's unlikely that it'll gain a huge amount of momentum fast, expect increased longevity.

There also happens to be a Google Chrome extension which allows you to crush the URL of the webpage you're on to something much smaller with a single click of a toolbar button. What's more, the toolbar button takes up half a centimetre of space, instead of an entire toolbar!