TwitterEyes shortens tweets before you send them

Firefox users looking to shorten their Twitter messages to fit inside the service's 140-character limit should check out TwitterEyes. This new, experimental extension takes a look at what you've written and shortens any words it can. This includes any extra spaces you might have put in, along with words like "and" which gets turned into "&" as well as "first" which becomes "1st." In future versions developer Danny Pier says he intends to add a user-controlled dictionary that would allow you to add your own words and their shorter replacements.

In its current iteration, the extension adds a little TwitterEyes option next to the send button that only shows up when you're visiting from Twitter.com. I found it to work pretty well in a new Firefox window, but after using it once it didn't work without closing the tab and re-opening a new instance of Twitter.

This is very reminiscent of all the URL shorteners and shortening extensions that can be used to make links smaller. Considering how many users send tweets from mobile and desktop applications, it would be nice to get this same functionality available from there as well. This is a great first step though.

Once installed, clicking the TwitterEyes button will shorten certain words to give you more space for your tweet.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

[lacivi]

Very cool concept, but kinda weird that it will shorten "first" to "1st" but leaves "second" alone in the example. How big is the default dictionary?

[cnetwebreader]

I just downloaded twittereyes ... there are only 3 words in the dictionary currently (and, two spaces, first) and you cant add new words to the dictionary. This is version 0.1.2 ... it has quite a long ways to go.

[Josh.Lowensohn]

Yeah as cnetwebreader says there are only a couple of words working on it so far. Dev says many more words are coming, along with the option to add your own abbreviations.

[getFBout1]

testing please ignore

[officewife]

like the ability to create my own dictionary, but if no one knows what i am saying that is useless. So what I can gather this is going to be like the acronyms in instant messages?

[lekum]

Thanks!

[Strangestraydawn]

Wow--I am so un-HIP! What the heck is a TWEET?!

[officewife]

Twitter, tweet is the sound Twitter makes. LOL Check me out here to learn more...http://twitter.com/officewife If you do not have a profile, get one set up and let me know, will follow you...