E-tailers using Twitter to market their e-wares can now use Google’s URL shortener to send messages that easily fit within the 140 character confines of Twitter. Datamation.com has the details.

Short is hot. The simple URL shorterner utilities have gotten a lot of attention -- good and bad -- as the de facto means to share Web site addresses on services like Twitter. This week, both bit.ly, one of the most popular URL shortener services, and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), made new releases in the area.

Unlike bit.ly, tinyURL and others, the new Google URL Shortener is not a standalone service. Rather, it's specifically designed as a feature for the Google Toolbar and Feedburner -- a content syndication service (blogs, podcasts, etc.) that Google acquired two years ago. Like bit.ly and others, Google's goo.gl service shrinks the size of long Web addresses into a few characters, making them easier to share, tweet, e-mail and link to with friends and associates.

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