TwitterMG Siegler on the re-introduction of real URLs on Twitter:
The link shortening revolution that has taken place the past few years has been interesting for a number of reasons. But one of the most interesting aspects is that we’re all now trained to click on a URL even if we have no idea what it actually is. Sure, you may be visiting TechCrunch.com, but in Twitter’s stream, it has been hidden as http://bit.ly/lkowieofi or the like. Twitter Tweet Button changes that.
The new Tweet Button, which was officially unveiled by Twitter earlier today (and is already up and running on TechCrunch), by default wraps all links in Twitter’s own t.co URL shortener. But this shortening is only for the pop-up tweet box and so Twitter can make sure the URL isn’t a malicious one. When it is sent out to your tweet stream, you’ll now see the actual URL (though abbreviated).
The obfuscation of URLs due to widespread use of Twitter has been a real annoyance, as it essentially breaks one of the fundamental features of the web: simple structure and context through a human-readable address. It’s encouraging to see that Twitter is finally making efforts to fix this: being able to see where a link leads will enrich the service and allow for easier filtering of useful links by users.