ReadWriteWeb

Google's URL shortener Goo.gl has launched its open service and companion website to the public this afternoon. The service looks a whole lot like upstart innovator Bit.ly.

"I guess Oscar Wilde was right, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery," Bit.ly's John Borthwick told us in response. "They took all the basic features and copied from bit.ly." That is true for the user interface, but in the larger context of both companies' offerings, there are significant differences.

All the recent talk about the future of tr.im and giving up control over our links on Twitter to third parties made us look into alternative solutions for shortening our links over the last few weeks. While there aren't too many alternatives to using hosted services for short links, we did come across two self-hosted solutions that you can install on your own hosting account: z.ips.me and Shorty. Both have some pros and cons, but they do give you total control over your short links.