Tiny URL is an url shortening service that turns web addresses and other resource links into shorter versions. The basic idea behind the service is to make it easier to paste or display links.
In addition, some services such as Twitter limit the number of characters that you can post. A shorter url increases the character count that you have at your disposal for the actual message that you want to publish on the site.
Last but not least, very long urls may also break the design of sites or may not work correctly in programs such as email clients.
Tiny URL Generator is a Firefox add-on that adds a button to Firefox to generate a tiny url using the web address of the website you are on.
The button is automatically added to the status bar of Firefox after installation (Update: This is no longer the case as Firefox no longer ships with an add-on bar. You need to open the browser’s customize menu to drag and drop the Create TinyURL icon to one of the available toolbar and icon locations).
A left-click on the icon in the status bar will create a tiny url and copy its address to the clipboard automatically. The process is straightforward and you can paste the link into any other application at this point.
A right-click displays additional options to create a short link with previews enabled. A preview is displayed to users who click on the short link if the option is enabled. Instead of being taken directly to the original location, these users get to see the destination address first so that they know where the link leads to (Update: This is no longer the case. You need to enable the preview option in the preferences for this to happen, but there is no easy switch available to decide on a per-generation basis).
The extension displays the option to create a TinyURL in the right-click context menu as well. You can disable it in the options if you don’t require the feature.