What is Social Bookmarking?
Do you know how you can bookmark websites in your web browser so you can easily find them again later? Social bookmarking is like that, but instead of saving websites on your own computer, you save them online.
Social bookmarking websites let you store and organize all the interesting web pages you want to revisit. However, these bookmarked links are shared publicly with other people using the same website.
It's a way to discover, save, categorize and share cool sites and online stuff you find while browsing the internet. Think of it like a big online library of bookmarks that everyone helps build!
Why is social bookmarking important?
Social bookmarking is a powerful tool. It is important for several reasons:
Easy access to information
Social bookmarking lets you save websites you like. This way, you can find those sites again easily from any computer or device. You don't have to remember website addresses.
SEO benefits
When lots of people bookmark the same website, it shows that the site is popular. It increases the visibility and credibility of a website.
It can generate backlinks and drive traffic to the site, which can improve its rankings.
Trend analysis
Social bookmarking sites let you see what websites other people have saved and found useful. This way you can discover new sites and content related to your interests and topics that are trending.
Foster collaboration
You can share your bookmarks with others, like teammates or colleagues.
This keeps everyone up-to-date on useful information related to the work you're collaborating on.
Connect with like-minded folks
You can also follow people who bookmark similar content to you. This allows you to connect with others who have shared interests and expand your network.
How does it work?
The entire process is quite simple:
Join a social bookmarking website
When you find a site you like, use the bookmark tool to save the link
Add tags describing what the site is about
Now you can easily find your saved sites using those tags
See what sites others have saved and bookmark the ones you like too
Share your own bookmarked sites if you want
Top social bookmarking sites
Here are some of the top social bookmarking sites:
Reddit is a popular social bookmarking site.
This lets people share and vote on links to websites, pictures, and discussions about any topic they're interested in. People make groups called "subreddits" for specific interests.
This one is for saving and organizing images and videos you find online. You make boards for different themes and can share your collections.
Pocket lets you save articles, videos, and other stuff to look at later. It has an easy way to organize and find your saved links.
Digg
Digg shows popular news stories and lets people vote on which stories are most interesting. The top-voted stories show up on the main page.
Mix
This used to be called StumbleUpon. It helps you discover new websites and online content based on your interests that you can then save.
Delicious
On Delicious, you save website links and use "tags" or keywords to organize them. It's good for finding links you or others bookmarked.
Scoop.it
It is a content curation platform that lets you collect articles, blog posts, and videos and share collections on topics you pick. You can use tools to easily save stuff as you browse.
Slashdot
This one is for sharing and discussing technology news stories. Tech-savvy people use it to submit stories and join conversations about them.
Potential downsides
While social bookmarking can be handy, there are some downsides to be aware of:
Quality issues
Since anyone can contribute bookmarks, there can be a lot of low-quality or spam sites mixed in. It gets cluttered.
Privacy concerns
These sites often require you to make a profile and share personal information, which some people don't feel comfortable doing.
Too much noise
With tons of new bookmarks being added constantly, it can get overwhelming to sort through content.
Dependence on platforms
You don't control that data. If a bookmarking site shuts down, you could lose access to your entire library.
Social bookmarking has pros and cons, so users have to decide if it's worth it for their needs. As with most online tools, be a bit cautious.
The simple breakdown
Social bookmarking is just a way to keep track of and access websites you want to revisit from any device.
But doing it through public platforms lets you discover new sites, connect with others who share your interests, and maybe even get more visitors to your own site.
It's useful for personal curation of online stuff and engaging with others online. Just be choosy about what you publicly bookmark versus keep private. Organize your public library well to make it most useful.
If used thoughtfully, social bookmarking can be great for never losing track of good online resources while also tapping into communities around topics you care about.