Elixir has announced the release of Thurly, a plug-in for Apple’s Safari Web browser that makes it easier to shorten URLs and “tweet” them. It costs $5, though some features work for free.
It’s common for users of the Twitter social networking service to post Web site URLs, so people who follow them can read information that may be of common interest. With Twitter’s strict character limit — all “tweets” must be 140 or fewer characters — it’s become common to use a URL shortening service to conserve space. But that often requires an extra step, visiting a Web site that can shorten a URL for you.
Thurly steps into that gap by offering a one-stop service in Safari. The plug-in enables you to shorten a URL you’ve found interesting and to post it to your Twitter account all in one step.
Registering Thurly is not required, though it enables you to use extra features, such as the ability to support multiple Twitter accounts and to use a Twitter template which sets a default message.