If you've ever tried to e-mail a Web address, or worse, read one out loud to somebody, you know how long and unwieldy URLs can be.

Take the address of this article, for example. The first part is easy, it's what comes after the dot com that can be confusing -- /sharedcontent/ptech/catwithmouse/KTVKPTechCat20070523_snip
url.1976a3d.html

Not only is that one long address (but not nearly as long as Amazon, MapQuest and Google Maps URLS can be), but capitalization and punctuation count. Computers are picky.

While long URLs can be necessary for security and ensure that pages are unique, they still can be pretty annoying.

Good thing there's a free online service to snip those long Web address down to something more manageable.

It's called, appropriately enough, SnipURL.com.

SnipURL.com

The SnipURL form. Click picture for a larger image.

Basically, you cut and paste a long URL and click a button. Lickety-split, SnipURL spits out a nice short URL for you, short enough that you can e-mail it without worrying about it wrapping to another line … or two. That means not only will you have better luck clicking the link because it won't be broken into more than one line, you'll also be able to copy and paste it easier.

The snipped URL is also short enough to read aloud without getting lost.

Now if you're not happy with the random characters SnipURL generates, you can make your snipped URL meaningful by giving it a nickname. The tricky part here is coming up with something unique. The nickname I gave the SnipURL for this article is "catsnip," which makes the snipped URL http://snipurl.com/catsnip. (Go ahead. Try it.) Much better than that big, long thing above, don't you agree?

So, not only are the new URLs short and meaningful, they're permanent. By signing up for a free account, you can keep track of your snipped URLs, and even edit them as the need arises. Handy, huh?

Now say you have a snipped URL that you don't want publicly available. You have the option to make it private by adding a keycode. With a keycode, your snipped URL will only be available to people with whom you share it.

Another handy-dandy feature of this already cool why-didn't-I-come-up-this service is that you don't even have to be on the SnipURL site to snip a URL. Just install a little bookmarklet in the toolbar and you're all set. I know the word "install" can sound scary, but in this case, all you have to do is click the link labeled "Snip This" and drag it to your toolbar. (Make sure the toolbar is unlocked. It's an option under View > Toolbars in Internet Explorer.)

Now when you visit a page that has one of those long URLs, just click Snip This in your toolbar to cut it down to size. You'll get a pop-up window that'll let you test your snipped URL and send an e-mail with said snipped URL. And if you're registered and logged in, the new snip will be added to your MySnipURL list where you can tweak it to your heart's content.

You don't have to register to use SnipURL or the Snip This bookmarklet. If you want to save your SnipURLs, edit them or search them, however, you do.

Registering is easy, though. Like the rest of the SnipURL site, the form is minimal. Just enter a user ID, enter and confirm a password, enter an e-mail address and agree to the terms of service. You don't even have to give 'em your name, although there is a field for it.

While most people go to SnipURL.com for the snipping, there's a fun link called "Everything Else" that provides some interesting stats, (i.e. 2,697,397 links snipped as of the writing of this article, Tuesday, May 22, 9:15 p.m. PST; 7,220 links snipped between 12:01 a.m. and 9:15 p.m., Tuesday, May 22.) There are also pages for popular snips, most-recent snips, top users, interesting snips and a place to recommend interesting URLs.

There's one other interesting thing about SnipURL.com. The site is not biased against you increasingly rare folks who actually dial up to connect to the Internet. In this, the age of broadband content galore, the site has a very prominent -- and very plain -- text-only version just for you.

When it comes to saving bookmarks online, I'm somewhat partial to del.ico.us, but I have to say, SnipURL is a great service, one I plan to use quite often.

Get snipping and let me know what you think!