HootSuite has been my favorite Twitter application for months. I highly recommend using HootSuite to monitor your Twitter activity and to make sure you don’t miss any @mentions. HootSuite allows you to view multiple columns of activity on your desktop at once which will make you a Power Twitter User in no time. If you want to see HootSuite in action, watch my video tutorial on HootSuite.
Ow.ly vs. Ht.ly
HootSuite provides tracking to links that you share using the Ow.ly link shortener which you can easily grab right from the interface. In the past, if someone clicked your Ow.ly shortened link, they would open the webpage with a sharing bar at the top. Now HootSuite users have the option to turn off the sharing bar for their links.
In this image notice that Ow.ly shortened links will not have the social sharing bar. If you want to include the social bar use the Ht.ly shortener instead.
I think this is a very positive move in the right direction for HootSuite users and I will certainly use the Ow.ly shortener from now on. Of course I can change my mind (which I really do quite often) and switch back and forth. You can still use HootSuite’s fantastic tracking tools, no matter which shortener you pick.
Social Integration with HootSuite
HootSuite is more than just Twitter, you can integrate other social networks as well including your WordPress blog, Facebook, LinkedIn and more. Have fun with HootSuite!
What about you? What are your thoughts on Ht.ly vs Ow.ly?
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{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m going to “stick” with ow.ly for the time being; I suspect this move is to make preperations for a paid Pro version of their toolset.
I actually avoid using the Hootsuite shortening service as much as possible, preferring to use bit.ly so that I can track stats on all of my shortenings in one place.
.-= Rob´s last blog ..How to: Use Twitter to get better customer service =-.
Twitter: Basicblogtips
April 27, 2010 at 6:28 AM
Rob, sounds like you’re a power Twitter user to me! Good advice. Thanks for feedback.
Twitter: dragonblogger
April 27, 2010 at 4:54 AM
I am going to use Ht.ly, I have Bit.Ly if I want URL redirect, I liked using Ow.ly specifically for the toolbar. Of most interest to me is when custom branding of Ht.ly toolbar for your website or business will be offered.
.-= Dragon Blogger´s last blog ..LeapFish Displays Site Stats and Value =-.
Twitter: Basicblogtips
April 27, 2010 at 6:29 AM
Justin, I see this was an easy decision for you. I know that HootSuite is always open to suggestions, I think this is a good one for you to request. Thanks for your input.
Ow.ly Ht.ly are both great link shorteners… but what about bit.ly? In my opinion Bit.ly is a great link shortener if not better. Hey, great post!
.-= Noah Rainey´s last blog ..5 Tips to Building Backlinks =-.
Twitter: Basicblogtips
April 27, 2010 at 11:29 AM
Hi Noah, I use bit.ly from time to time. I also use nxy.in when I’m in Buzzom Premium. I have to be honest I have so many stats to look at these days that I forget to check them on HootSuite sometimes. I’ve never looked at stats on bit.ly though.
Thanks!
Thanks for spreading the HootSuite news – glad you enjoy the changes. BTW i shared your article in the news round-up post http://ow.ly/1Ek92 – Cheers!
.-= Dave O´s last blog ..Ow.ly and Ht.ly ~ Choose Bar or Non-bar URL Shortener for HootSuite =-.
Twitter: Basicblogtips
April 28, 2010 at 2:00 PM
Hey Dave O, it’s my pleasure to spread the news about a product that I enjoy using on a daily basis. Thanks for putting out a quality service. I love the way your guy respond to the needs of your users.
Thanks for adding this to the round-up.
congos ur podcast blog doing great .
Twitter: Basicblogtips
April 28, 2010 at 11:30 PM
Thank you!
Twitter: denharsh
April 29, 2010 at 12:24 PM
Yah I see that and it’s good. They have an option to upvote an article using their bar, I believe they should promote this thing as this will increase the interaction and usage of their URL shortener
.-= Harsh Agrawal´s last blog ..How to Integrate Twitter @Anywhere into any Wordpress Blog =-.
Twitter: Basicblogtips
April 30, 2010 at 1:15 AM
I agree. The good thing is that HootSuite is such a great tool that all of the users are doing the promotions for them. I’ll spread the word whenever I can. Thanks for stopping by Harsh!
Nice one. I have been using hootsuite for quite some time now for social media marketing. I am currently checking in on book stores and even garage sales for books about twitter and how I can fully use it’s potential. It’s always good to get the edge by getting the latest news and updates. Thank you!
Twitter: Basicblogtips
May 4, 2010 at 2:33 AM
Hi Cowvin, You can find lots of free ebooks about Twitter. I’ll find one for you and give you the link soon. Please come back for more info on Twitter. Thanks.
owl.ly sseems to be gaining steam but I am pretty loyal to bit.ly at this point.
.-= Chicago Bears Hats´s last blog ..Chicago Bears Hats Review: 2010 Orange Cap =-.
Twitter: Basicblogtips
July 22, 2010 at 4:53 AM
Hi Chicago Bears Hats, what do you use as your Twitter client? I think a lot of people like using bit.ly I use it sometimes too.
Ileane recently posted..Basic Blog Tips
Twitter: denharsh
August 12, 2010 at 11:23 AM
With the current news of Hootsuite becoming Premium from Fremium I believe this shortener won;t make a difference for me. I used to be an avid lover of Hootsuite since it was free and 1 of the best Twitter web client for managing multiple twitter profile + auto RSS feeding..
Harsh Agrawal recently posted..Twitter Launching Official Share button With Share Count
Twitter: Ileane
August 12, 2010 at 11:47 AM
Harsh, I agree. I’m really disappointed to hear that HootSuite will be charging for Premium access to multiple social network accounts. It’s going to be very interesting to see how long that will last. It’s a great tool but I’m sure those of us that love it so much will find other alternatives.
There’s an interesting Twitter app that I beta tested that you might want to take a look at. It’s not a replacement for HootSuite but it’s got some powerful features. Check out Twylah when you get a chance and let me know what you think.
Thanks!
Twitter: allierambles
October 29, 2010 at 8:05 PM
I have been a Hootsuite user for a couple of weeks now and love it! But I was confused with the difference between ow.ly and ht.ly and you cleared that up for me. Dumb, I never clicked on my own links to see the social bar at the top when I use ht.ly. Shortening the links to either is so easy when you use Hootsuite. I was using bit.ly and hated going back and forth between the 2.
Update for free Hootsuite: the allow access/streams for
Twitter
Facebook
Linkdin
Myspace
Pingfm
Wordpress
Foursquare
THX!
Allie recently posted..PF 2- Did I Tell You About Betty
Hi Allie, glad I cleared up the difference between ow.ly and ht.ly for you. It’s funny how I wrote this post months ago (I actually imported it from an old blog) but it’s one that brings in search traffic. HA!
You’re right I really need to update the post with all of the latest features, thanks for the list of services. Earlier today I ran across a post comparing the speed of the Goo.gl link shortener with some others including ow.ly and bit.ly. I think you’ll find it interesting.
I really appreciate the feedback. Enjoy your weekend Allie!
http://blog.hootsuite.com/htly-owly/
This article from official HootSuite blog is really helpful for you.
Twitter: Ileane
December 9, 2010 at 3:41 AM
Thanks Dylan.
I have been using hootsuite for a couple of weeks now and do share your love for it. One downside to the ow.ly integration that I’ve found is that although hootsuite says that using ow.ly links will automatically pull into analytics, any custom analytic reports that I build in hootsuite show “zero” traffic from ow.ly links. But if I go into the individual ow.ly links I’m seeing linkbacks of 100+ hits.
Hopefully hootsuite will correct soon, as their interface and visualization tools are top notch.
I am just new to ow.ly but it looks more powerful than the other shortener
Emman recently posted..OnlyWire Account Creator – FREE Download
Choice is always good in any situation. URL shorteners are definitely of great importance as for statistics, branding, and convenience. Both Ow.ly and Ht.ly continue to provide deep click-through statistics. It’s important to note though that using the social bar with Ht.ly doesn’t create that much impact as far as SEO is concerned. Most search engine spiders are passed straight through for indexing and ranking.
William Cox recently posted..Sample Post
The free features of HootSuite allow users to create numerous social network streams and view them in a clean, friendly interface, dispatching messages to multiple networks simultaneously. But to get at much of the site’s sophisticated reporting power, you’ll have to open your wallet.
Nicholas Scott recently posted..Fallen Earth Supports High Quality Real Voice Services
Twitter: chantel_mario
May 13, 2012 at 5:38 AM
HootSuite is also my favorite Twitter applications. It really helps me monitor my Twitter activities, especially my @mentions. Thank you for sharing and promoting HootSuite.
Mario M. recently posted..SEO Report … What happens when you begin a search
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