ebid's own URL shortening service

[booksforsale]

I have used Twitter to push my listings, and as you know, Twitter limits the amount of characters you use, so I have to resort to the services of, say Tinyurl.

What would be the chances of Gazza and Mark doing their own URL shortening service?

Why bother you ask?

Well, if we need to use a URL shortening service, why not use one with ebid's name in it to push our listings, shops, links to forum articles etc, and get the ebid name out there?

Maybe something along the lines of http://ebid.net/123456 or maybe another TLD ?? (no TLD suggestions here please in case someone gets in before G&M - remember ebid.com?)

As an example http://ebid.net/123456 would be much neater than:

http:///books-to-uk-including-shipping-for-a-fiver-or-less.ebid.net/

Maybe the guys could expand the service beyond ebid use to a more general use, so that when someone goes to the page for shortening the URL, they are given plenty of ebid info.

Just a thought

[iwiw60]

Sounds reachable....I've heard of TinyUrl but have never used them...thanks for the heads up!

[MagnetsAndHangers]

Easier just to register your user name as a url, and looks much neater.

[bykimbo]

When I use the Tweet button here, my URL is automatically shortened using bit.ly - surely this happens for everybody?

[booksforsale]

When I use the Tweet button here, my URL is automatically shortened using bit.ly - surely this happens for everybody?

I couldn't tell you what happens when the Tweet button is used here.
Does it return a shortened URL in the format I suggested, like this:

http://ebid.net/123456

I am guessing it returns something like http://bit.ly/??????

My suggestion is about ebid having their own URL shortening service, which as well as having a URL shortening purpose will have the all important word "ebid" in it, rather than, say "bit" or "tiny".

[bykimbo]

I couldn't tell you what happens when the Tweet button is used here.
Does it return a shortened URL in the format I suggested, like this:

http://ebid.net/123456

I am guessing it returns something like http://bit.ly/??????

My suggestion is about ebid having their own URL shortening service, which as well as having a URL shortening purpose will have the all important word "ebid" in it, rather than, say "bit" or "tiny".

I was trying to help with this bit: "I have used Twitter to push my listings, and as you know, Twitter limits the amount of characters you use, so I have to resort to the services of, say Tinyurl." You don't have to use tinyurl, ebid does it for you. I'm not sure if they have the resources to get into the URL shortening business, so wasn't commenting on that.

[johnwash1]

I thought I'd resurrect this thread, partly to say what a good idea I feel it is (though I agree ebid may not have the resources to implement this).

Also because I was about to mention ebid in a message to an ebayer, and I'm not sure whether ebay have an automatic suppression of such messages. So instead I just now went to tinyurl and created http://tinyurl.com/kick-ebay -- of course it's not shorter than ebid.net, but it may be good for a chuckle!

[Tiskets]

You clever old thing you. Brilliant.

[cdsmith15]

Something like e.bid/123456 shouldn't get picked up by eBay automatically. If, of course, using e.bid is even possible.

[johnwash1]

Something like e.bid/123456 shouldn't get picked up by eBay automatically. If, of course, using e.bid is even possible.

E.bid isn't possible at present. That's because 'bid' isn't a valid top level domain. However, there's talk of it becoming so.

When new TLDs open up there's a land rush, and of course the desirable domains are auctioned. It would be truly ironic if that wasn't the case with .bid! If single letters were to be allowed, e.bid would go for Very Serious Money. It would be desirable even for someone just using it for ad revenue, much like ebid.com.

Hope Gazza wipes the cobwebs off his plastic!