So Bit.ly has launched an even shorter URL: J.mp.
You can’t get any shorter than this, at least not until we see single-digital TLDs.
I can’t help but wonder if this new URL is a sign that Bit.ly is planning to shift away from its Libyan-dependent domain to one that may be a tad bit more politically stable.
And you could argue that .MP does the trick. It is the domain of the Northern Mariana Islands. It’s also a part of the US (in some legal fashion that I don’t fully understand), which has to make the lawyers at Bit.ly breathe more easily.
So my prediction is that Bit.ly will be replaced by J.mp. And though Bit.ly might play up the shorter angle for the reason why, I think it’s the legal angle that matters more.
PS: I added J.mp to a growing list of these branded country code domains.
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3 responses so far ↓
1 MBM // Sep 11, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Well I guess you could say that those islands are essentially a US colony.
2 Shortlinks for Haiti donation system: Good Idea? Bad Idea? – RobKelley RobKelley! // Jan 31, 2010 at 6:46 am
[...] Last September Tr.im threw in the towel. Twitter had just anointed bit.ly the default shortener for their service, which pretty much shut out the other competitors. This was a shame, because the competition was fierce and in consumers’ best interest. There’s also the issue of bit.ly being linked to Libya, which is risky at best (though bit.ly is apparently moving to j.mp). [...]
3 Mark // May 3, 2010 at 4:01 am
Why don’t they just use “.us”? Or is there a reason they don’t want to register in the US? Every country domain is 2 letters.
What is the big problem so many people have following rules? I hate it when web sites use top-level domains improperly. That practice should be banned. Used properly, TLDs can help you narrow down a search.
Of course what do you expect from a web site that is nothing more than one big 3rd party cookie?
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