Tr.im URL shortening service back online

Tr.im claims site closure was not a public relations stunt

URL shortening service tr.im is now back online after it was forced to shut down on Sunday.

Eric Woodward, the president of The Nambu Network, which owns the tr.im web site, said it re-opened due to public and private appeals, even though it continues to face stiff competition from rival bit.ly, the service used by increasingly popular micro-blogging site Twitter.

“We have been absolutely overwhelmed by the popular response,” he said on the tr.im blog.

“We have answered those pleas. Nambu will keep tr.im operating going forward indefinitely, while we continue to consider our options in regards to tr.im’s future."

However, Woodward warned that tr.im has no hope of challenging bit.ly’s superior market share, unless Twitter starts offering more choice in who it partners with.

“This is a basic reality of challenging monopolies. Bit.ly has deep personal connections and agreements with Twitter that we simply cannot compete with,” said Woodward.

“This is not whining, as some have suggested, but a simple reality. If we post a link to this blog article by its title Twitter switches our tr.im URL to a bit.ly URL."

Woodward asked customers to give feedback on what the firm should do to remain competitive. He said he was still hoping the service would be acquired but he ruled out selling to an unknown group or individual.

He insisted the closure followed by the relaunch was not intended to be a public-relations stunt.

“In hindsight, perhaps we should have taken a different course, but we simply did not expect the response to Sunday’s announcement that we received,” concluded Woodward.