yes, both in email and even in our live chat with customers rather than posting a 120 character link, we have shortcut links ready for posting.
When referring to affiliate programs, the shortcut link is also nice as you're sure you get the credit for the referral when they click it.
I use bit.ly all the time for postings, but never on forums as users generally want to see the link rather than masked going to a place they don't know.