Social bookmarking allows internet users to store, organize, search, and share bookmarks of web pages through online services. Popular social bookmarking sites include StumbleUpon, Delicious, Reddit, and Digg. The key advantages are that bookmarks can be accessed from anywhere through these online services, and users can discover new pages through browsing tags and ratings added by other users. However, there is a risk of spam if sites generate fake positive ratings to appear more popular than they are. Social bookmarking is also related to social networking, as some sites allow linking to other social profiles.

1. Social Bookmarking Where the only rule is that you share and share alike By: Jon Unger

2. How it works? A 3 step process in understanding this epiphany …. 1.) Look at your web browser 2.) Find the favorites or bookmarks menu item 3.) Now send all your bookmarks out to everyone on the internet Notes on the above: Difficult to conceive … no. Difficult to implement … you try sending an email to everyone connected to the internet.

3. The Solution According to Wikipedia.com, social bookmarking is… “ A method for Internet users to store, organize, search, and manage bookmarks of web pages on the Internet with the help of metadata.” Brilliant computer programmers developed sites that you can sign-up for and add sites that you think are useful.

4. Who’s Who in Social Bookmarking Stumble Upon Cite U Like Del.icio.us Faves Reddit Connotea Digg Bookmark Sync

5. Advantages Anywhere and everywhere Users can maintain their own sites full of their own bookmarks. These sites that they have marked can be accessed on nearly any computer anywhere. This can be especially useful if someone (like a student) is trying to do a project that requires multiple websites.

6. Smokey the Bear says…. Only you can tell the world that your website is better than theirs. Join a Social Bookmark site near you!!! NOW!!!

7. Advantages Reach out and touch someone Social bookmarking can categorize data and organize it in a way that users can select their topic of choice to search. This allows users to see pages that normal web search engines do not necessarily index or notice.

8. Disadvantages Tagging Users have the ability to label their bookmarked pages however they see fit. This mean that they can associate words that may not have any context with the page. When other users search through tags, they may find a page that is completely out of place from what they initially were looking for.

9. Don’t get sucker punched!! Tag files appropriately

10. More Disadvantages Spammers An advantage and disadvantage is the ability to rate a site. If a site generates enough ratings (for example, Stumble Upon’s “thumbs up”) it will appear more often in a search. Spammers can use this loop-hole as a way to “plug” or make their site look more important that it may really be.

11. Social Networking Similar to, related to, and sometimes part of social bookmarking. Bookmarking takes advantage of its global membership and allows members to set privacy settings (on some sites) so that the community at large can view their sites. Many times the bookmarking site will allow users to display if they are a part of another social network like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Wordpress, etc.

12. Remember Kids… Mr. Rogers says that if your website contains adult material be sure to mark it so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands!