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I Wish I Had Invented That!

Back in the day I worked for an advertising company and we all moaned and groaned about tangled phone cords. I was always spouting off about inventing a way to hook up the receiver to the phone on a ball so the cord would stay straighter. Of course I only whined about it, didn't try to invent it; lo and behold, we wound up with just such a land line attachment available.

I realized about a month ago there is something else I wish I had invented: the Tiny URL. It eases the life of many a web user but for those of us Twitter-addicted folk, it is invaluable. I have 140 characters to say what I mean and god knows that is not easy, as those of you who know me will attest :-) So most Twitterites use the Tiny URL.

Did you know where it came from and why? Once upon a time there was a young boy named Kevin Gilbertson who loved to ride unicycles. This love stayed with him and he found himself looking for newsgroups to interact with other cyclists. Apparently it was cumbersome to link to all those long newsgroup URLS. He is also a web programmer so necessity being the mother of invention, he came up with a solution. You can read a cool article about Kevin Gilbertson and Tiny URL here on the WIRED site.

How popular is Tiny URL? Here is a ZDNET 2006 web articletalking about how Madison Avenue is very interested in Tiny URL and how some of the info gleaned can be further gleaned into stats that would help MAD AVE advertisers figure out who is reading what, when. And the prediction is the Company could garner big bucks if sold (since this article is from 2006 I have been trying to see if a sale ever occurred and so far it seems not...any of you have different info?)

Most of you already know how this works but I suppose I should at least give an example. I'm going to use Bonnie Erickson's AR Blog(in honor of the fact that the URL inventor lives in Minnesota and so does our Bonnie). If I wanted you to see her post on Webkinz I would paste it normally like this:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/381568/Webkinz-Distractions

If I take this and copy it exactly on the tiny url website it comes out to:

http://tinyurl.com/2fsz9j

59 characters down to 25.

So what's the point of my post? Heck if I know! :-) Is there anything you wish you had invented? Anything bothering you enough so that you wish you had a solution? If so, don't wait like I did on the phone cords, get crackin! :-)

A big shout out to Kevin Gilbertson for this invention and when you get a chance, check out his unicycle website with the coolest logo ever at Gilby.com

See you all on Twitter! And if you sign up, my sign in is Clevecarole Peace Out - 3C

Posted by Carole Cohen Realtor®, ePRO on 02/17/2008 04:55 PM

Comments (28)

tiny url, inventions, web user aids, twitter

This post has been included in Ohio Information Cuyahoga County, OH Information Cleveland, OH Information
Post is included in group: Twitter

28 Comments on I Wish I Had Invented That!

FEB

2008

Carole, my father would have been a multi-millionaire had he invented that thing he always wished he had. Watching us kids walk around and constantly have to retie our laces, he used to constantly say that he'd be a millionaire if he could invent shoes that never came untied. Alas, someone else came out with the velcro shoes!

Do not know what stops a phone cord from curling up because I have that problem. Please share. Thanks.

Nothing is ever invented, it is merely discovered...

Brian, Very good point! Sounds like your Dad hits his forehead like I do about the phone cords! Thanks for stopping by!

Renee: this is the not the original; but check here and see the jack used; you will get the idea, and this one is available LOL

Mott: kind of like the phrase 'there are no original ideas'

Carole, Mine is expandable baby shoes!! Not sure if they have those yet but I've been saying for 20 years I need to make a prototype. Good to see you by the way.

Bryant hi! What a great idea! Kind of like those pieces of expandable luggage! I love it. I say go for it. NIce to see you too!

I wish someone would invent a way to smack someone over the internet. Wait! I think you can do that on Facebook.

Carole, I hear people all the time say "Oh WOW I thought of that a long time ago", but thinking was all they did, or they did come up with something and never produced it.

Now if you can come up with a solution to Linda's problem, you could be a millionaire over night :) :)

Carole - good to hear from you! I love Tiny URL and have been using it for over a year now. Some of the URLs get so cumebrsome - it's terrific for marketing with email if you don't want to buy a separate URL for on-line commercials, etc.

Jeff

Carole: Tiny URL, is pretty awesome. I'm going over to Twitter to start followin' ya. I'm on there too... hemethomeloans. Peace!

Carole, thanks for the reminder. I had forgotten all about tiny url. First heard about it from Jeff Turner when I had a problem with a huge link.

As far as Twitter, I'm at a loss. You guys are so savvy when it comes to Twitter! I think I need a one-on-one.

Linda: well, trying to think of how long a mechanical arm can be built

George: lol sounds like you would like Linda's invention as well!

Jeff: hi there! You bring up an interesting idea (why AR is so good!) about the marketing use for 'tiny' I will check that out

Joey: I think we found each other on Twitter; may we have many yrs of tiny url in our futures lol

Gena: Hi! Here is what you need to do: get a screen name; then email people you want to follow and ask for screen name (some can be typed in the 'follow box' at lower right side of 'home' screen but some of us have different names - see mine above and joey too...not our first and last names). then you go to home page, type that name with an 'at or @' sign in front of it and it should work.

FEB

2008

Tiny URL is very cool and thanks to you I know how to use it!

What a teaser post! I though you were going to tell me how to get rid of the spagetti that is surrounding my computer! I hate all the cords. I can't imagine why things are called "cordless" or "hands free" or "wifi" and they still come with CORDS!

What's up with that? I want to invent, no cords.

Moni it has been awesome Twittering with you - and some of the info turned into tiny url's on Twitter is so useful. And/or fun to read!

Kristal....well that makes a lot of sense, I hate the cords at the back of my computer; and my desk sits in the middles of my second floor office facing the window. So when I walk by it I shake my head! Invent it so I can use it too :-)

FEB

2008

Carole, You are not kidding! The first time I saw you guys using it on twitter I had no idea what was going on. After I realized what was happening I thought it was very cool! I have enjoyed twtting with you (and everyone else)

Hiya Stephen, it's wonderful twitting with you as well! Maybe some day we will be on the cutting edge of an invention -- you never know lol

MAR

2008

Carole...I know exactly what you mean. I absolutely love the band Nirvana. Kurt Cobain had a way of making such pure melodies...almost like punk-rock lullabies. The chords and melodies were so simple. But, try as I might, I don't think the best song I ever write will be as good as his worst.

Tiny URL...I noticed something funky last night. I posted a youtube address on twitter. Because it was a short tweet, I didn't visit tinyurl but just posted the regular url. Then I noticed...it had AUTOMATICALLY changed to a TINY URL. Is there some auto-feature on Twitter that converts to tinyurl?

By the way, you should post this in The Art of Marketing You, Tech Corner or other groups...thinyurl is great for txt messaging, email, affiliate links...not just Twitter.

Joey, it's funny you should say that about tiny url ....I know for a fact a few days ago I thought I was halucinating because my url was a tiny url. But that is the only time that has happened, and I've posted YouTube on Twitter since then....

I wonder if people can embed an auto tiny url? Very interesting and I'm glad I'm not halucinating (about that anyway! lol)

Ok I will cross group post.....thank you for stopping by and as far as I'm concerned you are still a rock star!

I sometimes use TinyURL for those endless addresses that take up more than one line in email. It's much better to send a shorter link than try to explain to a non-tech colleague to copy and paste the whole thing into their browser. And we may not have invented any of these technologies, but it's nice to be on the leading edge for using them!

Yes John I guess that is somewhat of a silver lining, just not a pocketbook lining LOL good use of tiny url btw

MAR

2008

A friend of mine many many years ago talked about putting together a miniature golf tournament around the country. Fast forward 15 yrs. later and some guy is doing it, go figure. He and I had a good laugh on that one.

He is always coming up with stuff and that stuff yrs. later is making millions for someone else. He is about to kill himself. LOL

Hi Jay er, @acemaker lol. Omg if that had happened to me more than once I'd be really pissed! You need to follow his ideas and put them to work and then give him a cut LOL

We play golf together and at the start of every season I ask him what new ideas he has thunk up. LOL

He tells me, we laugh and by the end of the season someone has something very similar or exactly what he thought up. They are real goofy stuff so that's why we laugh.

Ok good Jay; so the beginning of golf season is not far off get yer paper and pen ready LOL Sounds like you guys have a riot. And miniature golf is about all I play so I liked that invention!

JUN

2008

Carol like Brin's dad I shold have been a mllioniaire by now. If the stars would just line up. I simply need yo be more persistent. I also have beem putting off writing a book on a subject many consumerss would love to know more about. I will need to move forward on the project soon.

JUN

2008

Dionne, what is that phrase: do what you love and the rewards will follow? Something like that!

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