Bit.ly has become the URL shortener of choice for Twitter users. Mostly because, by default, it’s the URL shortnening  service that Twitter uses when it shortens your tweets. Bit.ly is continuing to have a huge surge in traffic, and a recent TechCrunch article estimates it to be worth $8 million after it was able to raise $2 million.

According to this article:

Bit.ly distinguishes itself by tracking all the clicks and streams that come through the service and using the data to provide interesting analytics and insights into who’s looking at what on the Web, in real time. The logic: If you’re impressed with the possibilities of Twitter’s real-time search capabilities (see above), you’ll love bit.ly.

So I wondered, how exactly do you see the stats behind the bit.ly links you share?

The answer is simple….just add a  plus symbol “+” at the end of any existing shortened bit.ly link. For example: http://bit.ly/jvO03+ .

The stats they show currently are pretty interesting. You can see stuff like how many clicks that link has gotten, when that link was first submitted to bit.ly, or where the visitors are clicking from (location). I’m sure the amount of stats they provide will increase in the near future.

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