IWouldHaveBoughtYouThis.com Wraps Gift URLs with Cullect
Conceptually, short URLs are kind of like little, wrapped, gifts. You don’t really know what’s there until clicked…er, um….opened.
So, just in time for a your revised holiday shopping, IWouldHaveBoughtYouThis.com is the latest site to using Cullect’s URL shortening API.
Enter the link to Apple’s iPhone, a ride-on triceratops, or a new Audi A3 into the textfield, and IWouldHaveBoughtYouThis.com returns a ‘wrapped’ URL to share….cause it’s the thought that counts 
MinnPost.com’s Branded URL Shortener Powered by Cullect
I’m very pleased to announce MinnPo.st - the branded URL shortener for Minnesota’s nonprofit journalism enterprise - MinnPost.com. MinnPo.st is the first private-label URL shortener powered by Cullect.com’s API.
For the writers and reporters at MinnPost.com, MinnPo.st has the exact same features as Cullect’s own Culld.us URL shortener - like click counting and posting to Twitter - but with a brand their readers recognize.
For an example of how Karl Pearson-Cater, David Brauer, and the rest of the MinnPost.com team is using MinnPo.st: minnpo.st Twitter Search.
HOW TO: Build Your Own URL Shortener in 2 Steps
First, pick up a domain you’d like to use for your short urls - i.e. mine.url - and turn on a webserver.
To Receive a Shortened URL for your domain from Cullect:
Add the Cullect Item Stats javascript widget to an HTML page, passing it a long URL and your domain:
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://cullect.com/item.js?only_link=1&link=[the-really-long-url]&domain=mine.url“></script>
To Redirect a Shortened URL from your domain
Add the Cullect redirect to your .htaccess file:
RewriteRule ^(l?[0-9]*)$ http://cullect.com/redirect/$1?domain=mine.url [L]
You now have your own custom domain URL shortener with all the bells and whistles Culld.us has. For extra credit - play around with the options in the Cullect Item Stats widget
Culld.us: Now With Built-In Twitter Client - and Statistics
Culld.us now has a built-in Twitter client - based on the assumption that if you need a shortened URL, it’s likely you want to post it on Twitter.
Here’s a screencast of how it works:
Developer’s Note: Culld.us is built entirely on Cullect’s Item Stats widget. So, you can easily integrate Culld.us into your WordPress blog or other publishing system and see Cullect statistics on everything you publish.
Introducing the Cullect Item Stats Widget
The Cullect Item Stats widget shows 2 things:
- An item’s ‘Short link’ from Culld.us
- The number of times a given post has been ‘Recommended’ in Cullect (this won’t show if the number is 0)
Here’s the code for the widget:
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://cullect.com/item.js?link=[items-permalink]“></script>
If you’re using WordPress and comfortable hacking your template, paste this code:
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://cullect.com/item.js?link=<?php the_permalink() ?>"></script>
Important Rank Update: Now Includes Culld.us & Widgets
Now, every time a http://culld.us link is clicked (i.e. the ‘Short Link’ next to each item in Cullect.com reading lists) it influences the item’s Important Ranking.
Same goes for each page with any Cullect widget on it.
It feels good to tie everything together.