Snip.ly, a website currently in alpha, assists in sharing images or selections of text from websites in a very simple manner. Although there are plenty of URL shortening sites out there like Bit.ly, Snip.ly brings the text snipping to the table and it works well. It already has a Chrome extension or can be used through a bookmarklet in other browsers.
Working like most other URL shortening sites, there are mostly just two steps to use Snip.ly: copy and paste. You paste in the URL you want to share and then you copy the shortened URL.
Snip.ly adds one more step to the usual process which allows you to select the quote you want to highlight to those you’re sharing the site with. The website that you entered will be loaded in a trimmed down snip.ly version. You can then cycle through the images from the page and select one or not include an image. You can also highlight a selection of the text. You can also add some commentary if you login through Facebook or Twitter.
Once you complete the snip.ly form, you will receive a URL you can share. For an example, I was given this URL for a 404 Tech Support article I “snipped”: http://snip.ly/NamIs
When you click on the Snip.ly link you’ll be taken to the fully-enabled, destination URL with a pop-over layer showing the image and snippet of text selected. This makes the selection obvious and can be easily dismissed should the visitor want to see the text in context.
Snip.ly introduces a new twist to the typical URL shortener site. There is certainly a niche demand for this kind of functionality but more exciting is that Snip.ly is thinking in innovative ways to revolutionize the ways site sharing sites work.
