Facebook and Google set up short URL services, competitors rush out to buy new pants

Well, bit.ly, you've had a good run. And while all the 20 and 30 somethings who Twitter with reckless abandon will probably stick with the venerable old truncator for the forseeable future, everyone else in the known universe will soon be using two new services.

You see, Facebook and Google have announced that they are joining forces to form the Separatist Alliance and destroy the Republic once and for all. Ok, so they're just going to offer their own short URL services, but the bottom line is that when the world's largest social networking site and Google offer a product like this, it's no longer business as usual for everyone else.

The convenience of sharing URLs using built-in options on Facebook or within your Google toolbar (and Feedburner) will win over plenty of users.

Google's official post says their service isn't a standalone offering - at least for now. They could very well decide to open the floodgates later and tie this into other Google products like Chrome and Chrome OS. Hey, why not?

Facebook's fb.me service will allow you to shorten any link on the site - even if you just want to trim down the path to a specific profile page (http://fb.me/YourProfile). No mention of whether or not they plan on providing an API for third-party developers to integrate the service. Share

Tags: facebook, google, sharing, short, shorturl, truncator, twitter, url