Social Bookmarking
DIgg, Technorati and Trends in Building Communities on the Web
The Internet is always changing, so its no surprise that our methods for interacting are changing too. The latest trend in web communities? Social bookmarking.
It used to be that search engines were the end-all, beat-all when it came to promoting your favorite links. But that's all changed.
Today's webmasters have a whole new host of resources at their fingertips and everyone who's anyone on the web had best make sure they're making the most of this latest Internet trend. What is it that's got webmasters in a frenzy?
Social bookmarking. And here's how it works:
A social bookmarking site is nothing more than a huge database of links. Create your free account and then bookmark your favorite sites using quick submit buttons installed on your toolbar. These bookmarking sites serve two distinct purposes: 1) you have instant access to all your favorite bookmarks everywhere you go and 2) you can share your bookmarks with the public, turning your favorites folder into a unique promotional tool to advertise your own sites.
When you post a link to a social bookmark site, the link shows up momentarily on the site's home page. Many bookmarking sites have a list of "hot" links as well as "new" links, so that users can scroll through to see what others are posting. If someone likes your link, they can bookmark it as well and the more bookmarks you have, the higher the link is rated. Those with the highest ratings remain on the "hot" list, putting your links in front of millions of potential customers. And the best part? You didn't have to spend a dime to do it.
These bookmarking sites have given new meaning to the term "cyber community" and new purpose to the stereotypical web surfer. Users can rate posts and comment on tags, promoting the really useful sites and weeding out the trash. A top listing on a popular bookmarking site can net you thousands of new visitors and where Google's Page Rank was once the go-to gauge for "worthy" websites, many blog directories now look at your number of Technorati links before approving your listing.
What's the catch?
Although simple, a social bookmarking campaign is tedious and time-consuming because each link must be submitted separately and yes, there's more than one bookmarking site to target. But when you consider the potential audience, its easy to see why social bookmarking has become the latest trend in building communities on the web.
So, just where should you start your social bookmarking efforts? Here's just a few to get you started.
