Two things could have happened.  

1. You could have clicked on the link on the right side "short url link" and shared it in some other media. 

2. Someone saw this blog and wanted to copy the short url link and share it.  

When one of these occurs, your stats will pick up the link every time someone clicks on it.  

I also use this to share it on my own social media rather than clicking on the SM icons provided.

Cody Carmen has the third explaination which is more likely if your blog was featured on the home page. 

Hella, If I had to guess, I'd guess AR staff tweeted that post.  It doesn't have to be a featured post for them (Bob??) to create the short URL and tweet it.  You could always go to AR's tweet stream and check the dates right after that post and see if it shows up there.

Hella,

We stopped doing short URL's years ago, and we used to do them in order to post on Twitter.  And then Twitter's tech was upgraded to where you did not need those short URL's.  So I abandonned it all, and I don't worry about clicks.  My concern is getting my message read by real people and not bots.  A

The 'short url' clicks can be generated at the top of the blog post --- makes it easy to copy/paste the url into a spot where space is limited, and makes the url look 'cleaner'

If you didn't generate the short url yourself, I'm not sure who else could aside from AR staff.

Was that blog featured on an ActiveRain Daily Drop? I believe my only short URL clicks were from one of my posts featured there. And I guess the other option is if you used that short URL on twitter or other social media and viewers clicked from there.

Interesting answers.. Sheri Sperry - MCNE® made a great comment.

That is for tracking the using of the short url when it brings in the clicks. You are probably using the long url instead.

AR shared one of my posts on Twitter too; I was wondering how that happened. 

60 people like you and what you had to say

ActiveRain sends some of them to Twitter - that might be doing it.

That would be different, but maybe mystery discovered! 

For me, it would be when AR shared my blog on their Twitter page.  They share the short URL, I do not use that.

Sheri Sperry - MCNE® nailed this one!

 I have only use that call him when I have been judging Orinvolved in contests .....

I think you have some good answers below. Sounds like it got shared either by someone or perhaps in the Daily Drop

Hella Mitschke Rothwell - You didn't do anything differently!  AR staff shares our posts sometimes on Twitter or FB and uses the short url.  You'll see that people who follow them on those sites, click through.  Those short urls are great to use on your other social media accounts too!

I suppose it's important if you want to track activity.

It's a linking thing, Hella. The short URL is great if you want to track the clicks you receive. You may have put that short URL to that post somewhere else on the internet, or used it in a post, and that's why you see the number there. 

  Someone else generated it.

Some of the "share this" type apps will automatically generate a shortcut url.

I'm guessing that is one of the only posts you created a short URL for.

Some use the short URL to post on Facebook or other sites.

I don't kknow as I never check those stats.

You captured a short URL and used it.

Hella Mitschke Rothwell - just created the short URL for your posts - and got somehow marketed somewhere....

Well for one you have to click to 'get one'. Once you do, you should post it to other areas which help you see where your posts are being read. Say you put the short URL on FB - that's how many people are reading you there.

It's not what you did so much as what others read in your post. Apparently sixty of them liked what they saw and saved, shared or forwarded it to their sphere of influence in a more manageable form. Congratulations!

I couldn't tell you for sure... but retrace and see what you think is the difference

You must have inadvertently created a Short URL for that post and it became searchable.  The Short URL is great for you to be able to track if the link is being used when embedded on a site like Facebook.  You learn how affective the site is and allows you to know whether or not to pay for an advertisement on a certain site.

It looks like Liz and Bill Spear solved the mystery.  Now you know.  No more head scratching  at least not for this. 

you have some great answers here.... I agree with Sheri....

I think Liz and Bill nailed it.!

To get stats you need to promote the short urls - which do you no good for promotion btw

I do not use this function

Can't help since I never pay attention to it!

Sheri has the answer.

You must have linked your post somewhere using the short url as the link.

Perhaps someone clicked on "short URL" to generate a short URL.