[txxxxd]

I sense some confusion here. Those parameters are also used by Google Analytics which the author is using on that very page.

The utm parameters allow a site to track campaign information and replace much more annoying techniques like setting up unique landing pages or redirects. There's no relationship between these parameters, which have been around for nearly 10 years, and URL shorteners.

[dangrossman]

This is because Google Analytics was based on Urchin Live (Google acquired Urchin in 2005).

[danparsonson]

The point is that URL shorteners hide those parameters; you're reading it the wrong way around :-)