With so many URL shorteners flooding the Internet these days, it’s hard to see a clear favorite stand above this chaotic crowd. Twitter stands to change all of that, by enforcing Bit.ly as its default link shortening service. So, how can you track the number of clicks you receive from bit.ly links in your tweets? Let’s take a look.

First, the simple one-click install method: download the Firefox or Chrome addon. With the Firefox addon, a tooltip box is displayed anytime you hover your mouse above links. The box shows information such as page title, long URL, and the total number of clicks. The Chrome addon contains comparable features, though I should remind you that Google Chrome Extensions is still currently at beta.

Another method is to insert a “+” (without the parenthesis) at the end of any bit.ly url and enter this link into your browser’s address bar. This redirects you to the Bit.ly webpage containing statistics on the link such as total clicks, location source, and conversations.

Who would win in a fight to the death: Bit.ly, Ow.ly, or Tinyurl? Vote now and tell me what you ate for breakfast this morning in the comments section below!