It took New York to create a Philly URL shortener

Let’s give credit where credit’s due.

While they’ve been blowing out coverage of local real estate issues, the Philly edition of Brownstoner brought something else to the table. They’ve introduced a Philly-specific URL shortener, ph.ly.

We’re a little shell-shocked that the 67th ward beat us to it, but it’s certainly a novel idea.

Like traditional URL shortners, ph.ly lets users enter a URL to be shortened to the four-character domain for short messaging services like Twitter. Users can track total clicks, or stats over the last month or week. More features are expected, like compatibility with Twitter. Only thing that’s missing—but available in services like tinyurl—is the ability to provide your own link name instead of random character generation.

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isNSFW shortens URLs for pervs, actually makes work safer

If you must send that naughty link at work, at least use protection.

Toad Software, a software consulting agency based in virtual offices outside Reading and in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, has created a get-out-of-jail free card for soliciting thin-skinned co-workers with dirty Web sites behind shortened URLs.

Well, kinda.

isNSFW is a URL shortener that allows users to submit links and classify them by four levels of obscenity: offensive, gore, nudity and XXX (pictured above).

“Everyone’s doing these URL shortening services, but you have no idea what you’re going to when you click one. You have to rely on the person,” Co-founder Eli Gassert says.

“We wanted to provide a URL shortener but give them a heads up, a professional courtesy, if it’s not safe for work.”

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