Bookmarking your favorite websites just got a facelift

When we first started using Bookmarks, we were just saving websites that we knew we would visit again in the future. Pretty cool!



Then, we started using multiple browsers and multiple computers. How could we possibly keep track of our bookmarks??? Enter bookmark managers. Bookmark managers are websites that are designed to house your favorite websites. Some allow you to organize your favorite sites into folders, some allow you to make access to your favorite websites private or public, and some even allow you to use tools to quickly post your favorite bookmark to the site in the form of toolbars.



But now...we use multiple browsers, multiple computers, and want to act like the social creatures we were born to be. Enter...social bookmarking. What? According to Wikipedia, "Social bookmarking sites are a popular way to store, classify, share and search links through the practice of folksonomy techniques on the Internet."



When you use a social bookmarking system, like del.icio.us, you store your favorite websites and determine whether you want to make your bookmarks private or public - where other people with similar interests can view your links by category, tags or randomly.



Social bookmarking sites are increasing in popularity quickly as surfers of the web are realizing the value in sharing resources.

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Web vs Desktop: An Interesting Battle

Over the years we have become used to purchasing software and installing it onto our computer. We have used programs like Office for our main productivity programs without questioning if there is anything else out there. Then...along comes the Web with its browser-based interface. With the evolution of Web 2.0, many folks have started ditching the desktop software for the online applications. Why not...when you can use them for free, collaborate with others, and access your material from any computer with internet access.

I read a recent article on ReadWriteWeb about the battle between desktop giants like Microsoft and internet giants like Google. Both companies are trying to figure out how to claim a piece of the other's territory. So what does this mean for us? I think this may be a good thing...it is like that commercial that states, "When banks compete, we win." With each company developing software in competing territories, we will be left with more choices for our productivity tools.

The specific article is titled Elephants and Evolution - How the Landscape is Changing for Google, Microsoft, Mozilla and Adobe.

In education, I think we fall behind in the latest tools that are available to us. We think Powerpoint is still the end-all application for teachers and that email is the most useful productivity tool we could ever dream of using. We are missing out on a myriad of applications by not keeping up with the latest technology trends such as Web 2.0, blogs, and social networks.

Take some time to visit some of the links in this blog to explore a whole new world of technology tools.