fun with sl8.us

so i've been playing with the sl8.us URL shortener-redirector for a bit and have figured out a few fun applications. (for peeps that don't know about it, the sl8.us redirector shortens second life URIs like secondlife://Meyers/171/13/48 and converts them into http URLs like http://sl8.us/mHcs48A9P, that redirect you into Second Life.)

sl8.us was originally intended to shorten SL URIs so they could be easily included in tweets. so the first obvious application is to tweet your location. i've been using it to tweet about interesting in-world locations. you can search for shortened URLs on twitter by searching for "sl8.us" to see locations other people find interesting.

you can shorten a URI by visiting the social avatar site or by using the in-world HUD that shortens (and optionally tweets) your location. (you can get info on it's installation and use at the HUD intro page at sl8.us.)

the in-world HUD lets you "mark" a location for url shortening or look to see who else has been making marks in your current location.

but something more convenient i've found is the ability to bookmark in-world locations in my web browser and online tools. some social bookmarking sites barf on secondlife:/// URIs, so having a http:/// URL that does the same thing is rather convenient. i've added a list of locations i visit frequently in-world to my browser bookmark bar. it's nothing major, but it makes SL a little more "fast." i'm kind of surprised linden hasn't tried to roll out something like this.