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On your own terms: social bookmarking and tagging

Tags are one-word descriptors that you can assign to web content through bookmarking websites like Del.icio.us. They're like keywords but non-hierarchical. You can assign as many tags to a page as you like and easily rename or delete them later. Tagging can be a lot easier and more flexible than fitting your information into preconceived categories or folders.


Why use social bookmarking?

 

  • Tags are accessible anywhere. Unlike your 'favorites' on your computer, you can access tags saved through Del.icio.us anywhere - at work, at your grandmother's house, at an internet cafe in some other country, etc.
  • Share your tags. Unlike bookmarks, you can share, send and receive tags. So coworkers can see what you're tagging. And you can search your bosses tags for items marked as "activism", "cutting edge" etc.
  • Build a new information taxonomy. Google and other search engines do not need to control how we find information. Sites like Del.icio.us enable users to access and read bookmarks fro other users. For example, want to see what anyone else on Del.icio.us has tagged as "neoliberalism"? You can!


Tagging and bookmarking in action: how Del.icio.us can support your work

  • Research - Writing an article? Researching an industry? Use del.icio.us to keep track of the sources you find online.
  • Influence the discourse around key topics. Bookmarking allows popular classification of webpages. Keywords identified by webpage administrators are no longer the only terms identified with that site! Check out what others have tagged as “capitalism”. You may be surprised!
  • Linklog - Save bookmarks to interesting websites and add a bit of commentary to create a lightweight linklog. Then, use linkrolls or the daily blog posting feature to include your del.icio.us bookmarks on your blog or website.
  • Collaboration - Friends, coworkers, and other groups can use a shared account, special tag or their del.icio.us networks to collect and organize bookmarks that are relevant -- and useful -- to the entire group.
  • Examples of networks using social bookmarking and tags.

 

How to use social bookmarking