BP6_2009112_social_bookmarking

Social bookmarking has become extremely popular especially if one is working on a research project. As the author of the May 2005 article of Educause.edu states, “Social bookmarking simplifies the distribution of reference lists, bibliog-

raphies, papers, and other resources among peers or students.” It is a way of sharing with others who have already researched on one particular topic as well as a way to gain new insights on a topic. I say this because if you are researching something such as rabbits. Prior to purchasing a rabbit one might decide to google search about rabbits and the different kinds. However by utilizing the social bookmark system in the search, you may uncover another aspect about rabbits, such as diseases found in rabbits, which may cause you to check into a different pet instead. Social bookmarking is a way of narrowing down as well as expanding one’s search on subjects. It is an extremely useful tool and can save countless hours, which would be spent otherwise on research. When used properly social bookmarks can be very beneficial. However, there is always a down side to things that are too good to be true. The one thing that appears to be a big obstacle is the fact that there does not exist a consistent method of labeling the bookmarks and therefore many amateurs are labeling them incorrectly. This will require the user to spend needless time reviewing the different bookmarks that were previously created. Social bookmarking, although it has some downfalls, is here to stay. Dr. Chan states in his article that 47,600,000 searches were performed for social bookmarking sites as of July 4, 2009. This is proof positive that this web tools is one that many computer literate people are using on a regular basis.

http://browse.workliteracy.com/awareness-networks/practice/social-bookmarking/

http://christytucker.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/tcc08-social-bookmarking-to-support-professional-practice/

http://www.ifla2009satelliteflorence.it/meeting2/program/assets/Chan.pdf

http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7001.pdf

http://www.slideshare.net/sitkasitchensis/social-bookmarking-supporting-collaborative-research-and-communities-of-practice/