I’m curious how many of you are active on social bookmarking sites?
The sites, like StumbleUpon, Diigo, Delicious and many others, provide different ways to organize, search, and share bookmarks (basicly, links with descriptions so people know what they are before clicking).
I ask this after reading a post by Mikal Lewis of Qworky (a startup that also includes my brother) and realizing that this is a topic I’ve not touched on here. The sites are popular, and if you’ve ever been StumbledUpon, you know the traffic can be large. Yet most folks I know don’t use the them.
So if you do use these sites, I’d appreciate it if you could leave a comment and tell us why you do, and what you’ve found them helpful for. Maybe this is a topic for many more posts? We shall see…. And thanks!
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Aren’t these sites techie type stuff that non tech bloggers such as myself do automatically in our posts and comments? Without all the tech gadgets? We recommend, we talk, we refer, we bookmark on our toolbars or our blog sidebars. I’m not seeing yet where this can help me.
.-= KarenG´s last blog ..Famously Reclusive Authors =-.
I think the two comments below show ways they can help. Also, while we do share certain resources and links, I know I don’t share everything I run across. Using a site with a good organization system could be easier than just making bookmarks on my own, even if I didn’t share them.
.-= Greg Pincus´s last blog ..Poetry Lessons =-.
I use Delicious with the Firefox plug-in to easily save, tag and share interesting sites (http://delicious.com/NerfDawg).
I resisted using social bookmarks for a long time, and I’m a “techie”. However, when I started using multiple browsers I wanted one place to save links. Being able to share them with colleagues and friends is a huge bonus. Even better, Delicious offers built in tools to easily add your links to your site, filtered by tag.
Best of all, since they’re online I can access my links from any computer, wherever I have internet access. very helpful when on site with a client, at a conference or at my Mom’s house.
.-= Jim´s last blog ..Hey! Greg Pincus Hacked My Mac! =-.
Thanks, Jim. I like that “access anywhere” idea, too, and like you I am a multi-browswer guy, so a single site can be a big help.
.-= Greg Pincus´s last blog ..Poetry Lessons =-.
I have a similar experience with Jim. I resisted using social bookmarking for a long time, as just one more thing to do. But lately, I’ve found it very helpful to use my Delicious site to access my bookmarks whether I’m at work, at a friend’s house, or even at my mom’s… I use it more to keep track and access my own bookmarks. I’m not really using the social side of it.
.-= Mary Ann´s last blog ..Celebrate National Poetry Month – April 2010 =-.
Thanks, Mary Ann. Have you thought of using the social side? Mind you, it’s not needed when you’ve already found a good use for it, but I’m just curious if you’re intentionally not using it, or just haven’t bothered yet?
.-= Greg Pincus´s last blog ..Poetry Lessons =-.
I’ve never really “gotten” those things, so this is an interesting topic to me, Greg. Thanks for bringing it up!
I must admit though – I just cleaned out my bookmarks folders – about 5 years worth. It’s so easy to search for things these days, most of the links really didn’t seem relevant any more. Hm.
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I’m with elizabeth – I just don’t get them. I signed up for Digg and StumbleUpon but couldn’t really figure out how or why they were useful, so I quit checking them. I do use Delicious, but it’s only to keep track of my own bookmarks. I think a couple of posts on if and why they are helpful to “normal” people (ie not techies and not people with endless amounts of time to dedicate to social media) would be helpful.
.-= Julie Hedlund´s last blog ..Picture Book Dummies =-.
Like Elizabeth and Julie, I don’t get Stumbleupon, but I have used Delicious as a way to collect and feed news in a way that is more meaningful than a Tweet. I have avoided signing up for “yet another” social networking site, but am thinking that Diig may be more useful to what I am trying to do.
Thanks, as always Greg, for the tidbits that get me started thinking.
I use diggo, delicious is blocked at my school. I like it for many reasons and think everyone should use them. Even if you don’t share your bookmarks, they are great just for yourself. My favorite feature is the fact that you can “tag” them. Unlike traditional book marks, when you can’t remember what folder you saved them in, tags allow you to save them in what would be multiple folders. As an instructional/literacy coach I save websites for all core content and tagging them to cross over for my many needs is great. You can share what you want with whom you want too. Therefore you can keep personal and professional seperate.
.-= Debbie Leonard´s last blog ..87 Free Web 2.0 Projects For the K-12 Classroom =-.
I use Delicious to keep track of links I want to find again (work links when I’m at home; personal links when I’m at work.) I’ve not really tapped into the social networking side of Delicious, but I think I set up my Delicious links to cross-post to Friend Feed, so I guess I’m sharing links with my friends. Perhaps there are Happy Accidents happening in that way, because it’s not really anything I intended; I use Delicious to make my own life easier.
.-= Kara´s last blog ..Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats: it’s a three-fer keeper =-.