Twitter’s 140 character limit brought URL shorteners (like bit.ly, ow,ly, etc.) into the limelight. Now, URL shorteners are commonplace – many services and applications embed their functionality (TweetDeck, for example), and even Google & Facebook have come out with their own shorteners (goo.gl and fb.me). A lot of websites and analytics programs rely on variables included in the URL to know more information about where a person came from (what site referred them). When an URL is shortened and then shared across social media sites, does that mess up the statistics? Does Google Analytics, for example, know where someone came from when a URL which includes extra information is shared on Twitter?
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As more and more consumers start using social media to talk about companies, it becomes even more important for those companies to try to keep track of what is being said. Social media has increased the use of the web in terms of having real-time conversations (which used to happen mostly via instant messaging). Now customers can start talking about something immediately and companies often need to respond quickly to preserve their brand. 
A lot of businesses know that using social media is important, but they’re not sure how to measure how well they’re doing or how it’s giving them business. Some effects of using social media are difficult to measure directly, since they involve building relationships and improving long term sales, but there still are some general measurements you can use to help you get a feel for how you’re doing overall: Attention, Influence & Conversion.