Cromotion Network

Skrati.net (”skrati” is Croatian for “shorten up”) is a simple yet useful tool for shortening long and cumbersome URLs when you need to write a Web page’s address in an email or on a printed page.

While, on one hand, similar to the widely known tools such as TinyURL or TubeURL, it differs from them in a few aspects. First, unlike TinyURL it allows the users to specify an address of their own choosing, instead of providing a cryptic and difficult to remember code; and second, instead of immediate redirection it first opens a page of its own, explaining what this is all about and allowing the visitor to visit the target page, optionally activating automatic redirection for future visits.

While useful, this tool has a lot of room for improvement, and its author has already announced a number of features to be added in future releases. It has already attracted a number of users and fans, one of which has already developed a Firefox plugin for Skrati.net; it has also become the tool of choice for rewrite of URLs in some of the local media, such as the Plan B lifestyle magazine or the video blog eMisija.