Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What do you mean by social bookmarking?
Social bookmarking is a process in which bookmarks are saved in a public website and attached with keywords. On the contrary bookmarking is a process where addresses of websites which you like are stored in your computer for future reference. These bookmarks cannot be accessed through other computers. In order to create a profile in social bookmarking, first you need to register yourself and then the site permits you to store your own bookmarks, tagging them and assigning them a public or private status.
Q: How did it originate?
The concept of social bookmarking came into existence a few years back when websites like del.icio.us, furl and simply started functioning. This is a useful method whereby resources can be shared with other users.
Q: How does social bookmarking operate?
This is a new and innovative method to classify interesting information and resources. All resources created here are tagged category-wise by the creator. In this process, there is a greater likelihood of like-minded people reading each-others resources and making a social connection. This process enables the users to know the popularity of their resources and is based on the concept of folksonomy.
Q: Why is it significant?
In the present times the concept of social bookmarking has gained new meaning. It has facilitated the formation of communities where the people post their resources using folksonomy procedure. This is where like minded people are able to connect with one another and make a community of their own. Social bookmarking also immensely benefits researchers who can easily find the information they are looking for from various categories present in these social bookmarking sites.
Q: What are the limitations?
The main limitation of social bookmarking is that it is done by amateurs. Poor usage of tags is another limitation in which tags are not properly defined and detailed information is missing which heightens the risk of a particular resource falling under incorrect category. Since the postings are done by inexperienced users, there is a possibility that their articles might be biased.
Q: Where is it heading towards?
The concepts on which social bookmarking is based on are finding use among other applications. Tagging information which is commonly utilized in social bookmarking is also being utilized by other kinds of resources like emails and multimedia files. Since this is the age of free exchange of information the idea of social bookmarking is likely to undergo progressive changes.
Q: How does social bookmarking affect education and learning?
It has changed the way information is retrieved by the education community. Initially, one had to remember where to look for the right information but now it has become essential to keep in mind how to access required data using a network created between colleagues and friends. Social bookmarking has made it convenient to share educational material including bibliographies, referential and other resources among themselves.