bp9_post_20091108_Social Bookmarking: Delicious

Before getting started on what social bookmarking is and how it can be used in Education, I believe it is important to understand some basics. The first is bookmarking, often this is as simple as saving a favorite address of a website or url. While this may seem simple enough even bookmarking can have its problems. I've listed some of the most common issues I've encountered below:

• depending on how many bookmarks you have, it can often be simpler to just relocate the site using a search engine.
• sometimes the site can be used as a resource for multiple areas and naming is difficult

• bookmarking really only works on one computer, if you have multiple computers that you use the bookmarks will be different on each one.

Social bookmarking allows the user to save their bookmarks to a public website and tag them with keywords.
Tagging is simply labeling the information with search-able keywords, it is a way to index material you have located or would like to locate.
Folksonomy is a tagging system that is created by a user or a community of users, these are informal organizational structures.
How does it work?
Social bookmarking allows the visitor to search the sites for potential resources based on the tags or keywords that have been used, it is also most powerful in helping the researcher to see how others have tagged the site, allowing the researcher to try these keywords in their own search.
It also allows the researcher to tell how many people have visited and then tagged the site for use.

What are some of the social bookmarking tools?

• Digg.com
• StumbleUpon.com
• reddit.com
• clipmarks.com
• Diigo.com
• Delicious.com

While these all are social bookmarking sites, be sure to browse through them then choose the one that is right for you.

The Pros & Cons of social bookmarking
Pros

• It allows users to express their perspective on the resource through the folksonomies & tagging
• Users can find others that have been researching similar information, the potential then exists to create a link with others and possibly create a new learning community.
• Users of social bookmarking can take advantage of others insights to research topics. While some connections may be obvious there may be other related connections that someone is exploring that may provide additional connections.
• Provides a free way to organize websites, podcasts, wikis, blogs, images, and media content.
• Offers both public access and complete privacy.
• Supports learning 24/7.
  

Cons

• Tagging is done by amateurs, these can often be inconsistent.
• No one oversees the tagging process or changes how they have been organized and tagged.
• This is just one more thing that requires maintenance, it requires updating.

Educational Uses
Students often spend their time researching using a variety of different computers. This will allow them to create a series of bookmarks they can pull up from anywhere and continue their research or writing. It will also empower students to follow the tags, expanding their research while allowing them to contribute to the process. Students can view others tags and learn from the collective intelligence they provide. It also encourages students to think critically about the site content as they make sense of the tags and annotations. It creates a collaborative environment where students can share and build their own personal levels of confidence. Tagging provides a different way for students to connect with information. It is not the same search process that would occur in a library.

References
Berger, P. & Trexler, S. Social bookmarking:Locate, tag and collaborate. Information Searcher 17.3, p.2-5.

Educause Learning Initiative (2005). 7 things you should know about social bookmarking. Retrieved November 5, 2009 from Educause Learning Initiative http://www.educause.edu.ir/library/pdf/ELI7001.pdf

Terdiman, D. (2005). Tagging gives web a human meaning. Retrieved November 5, 2009 from CNET News http://news.com.com/Tagging+gives+Web+a+human+meaning/2009-1025_3-5944502.html