Social Bookmarking Showdown
The reason that social bookmarking has exploded in the last year is obvious -- storing your bookmarks online instead of in the browser just makes sense.
Social bookmarking services let you keep links to your favorite web destinations in one location that's accessible from any computer on the net. Add the ability to share your favorite web destinations and search through other users' bookmarks to discover new sites, and you've got a highly addictive and truly remarkable phenomenon.
There's a score of services out there, and no single service has it all. Some social bookmarking sites focus more closely on sharing and discovery, while others offer more options for sorting and organizing.
Last week, we set out to review some of the more popular social bookmarking websites on the Monkey Bites blog. We discovered that almost all these sites have the same basic features: browser bookmarklets for one-click link saving, RSS feeds, tags and sharing capability.
Beyond those basic features is where the services begin to differ. What follows is our list of the best places to store and share your bookmarks while searching and discovering new sites from other users.
Del.icio.usDel.icio.us is the site that started the whole social bookmarking trend, and with more than 3 million users, it remains one of the most popular. The site's search and sharing features make it an interesting place to explore even if you don't use it for storage.
Good: Simple and easy to use, with excellent sharing features and a nice (if poorly documented) backend API. Handy tools like browser toolbars and Firefox plug-ins are available.
Bad: You can tag entries, but there are no folders or other sorting mechanisms. Also, del.icio.us doesn't cache your bookmarked page. If the page disappears, so does the usefulness of your bookmark.
Overall: Ease of use and number of add-ons will appeal to newcomers. Del.icio.us is probably the most widely used offering, so the pool of potential search results is large. Read the full review.
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Wink
Wink is a relative newcomer, but its amazing search capabilities have earned it a strong following. In addition to the bookmarks users submit and store, Wink also scrapes tags from del.icio.us, Yahoo My Web and Flickr. Wink's unique PeopleRank feature lets users rate the quality of each search result hit with a simple five-star system.
Good: Roughly the same storage features as del.icio.us, but a better search engine. The ability to manually sync with del.icio.us lets you use both in conjunction.
Bad: Features are not well documented, and new users may be overwhelmed. No page cache feature.
Overall: The great search features make Wink worth a visit even if you don't end up using the site. Read the full review.
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Furl
LookSmart's Furl sets itself apart with excellent export formats and a plethora of metadata options. Furl caches your bookmarked pages, allowing you to view bookmarked content even if the original page disappears. Furl also allows you to export your archives -- cached pages and all -- to a ZIP file for easy backup, something none of the other services offer.
Good: Furl has a wide range of export options, including the ability to create BibTeX endnotes -- handy for students and other researchers. The option to leave comments on others' bookmarks is very nice for "if you liked this ..." suggestions.
Bad: Organizational options are limited to tags. No thumbnail screen captures.
Overall: Furl has a very nice feature set and excellent export options. Read the full review.
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StumbleUpon
As its name implies, StumbleUpon takes social bookmarking into the realm of randomness -- instead of searching, you stumble. Of course you can search, too, but StumbleUpon makes it easy and fun to randomly jump around the web.
Good: StumbleUpon is an addictive, fun way to browse the web and store your bookmarks. It also has some organization options not seen on other sites.
Bad: Requires installation of a toolbar that's only available for Internet Explorer and Mozilla browsers. No thumbnails or page caching.
Overall: StumbleUpon is a social bookmarking site, but it's also much more. Recommended for those who've been spending long hours in an RSS reader and those with time to kill. Read the full review.
Wired News rating:BlinkList
BlinkList will likely appeal to people looking for a way to display bookmarks on MySpace or their blogs. In addition to the standard feature set, the site provides JavaScript widgets that show links and tags on any blog or profile page.
Good: All these sites offer one-click bookmarking, but BlinkList will auto-fill the description field with whatever text you highlight on the bookmarked page. Import bookmarks from a number of competing sites. Plus, you get thumbnails.
Bad: No backend API, limited export options.
Overall: BlinkList has come a long way since its launch in June 2005, and if it continues to add features and gain new users, it could overtake del.icio.us. Read the full review.
Wired News rating:Ma.gnolia
Ma.gnolia offers almost all the same basic features as del.icio.us, plus a few more. Ma.gnolia lets you rate your bookmarks using a Netflix-style 5-star system. The site also has a feature called Roots. It utilizes a browser bookmarklet that you can click on while you're surfing to see how many Ma.gnolia users have linked to that particular site, as well as their ratings and descriptions.
Good: Ma.gnolia is essentially del.icio.us with a better design and a few additional features. It offers thumbnails and page caches for all bookmarks, and has the most robust API of the bunch. In fact, Ma.gnolia's API mirrors that of del.icio.us, so add-on tools that work with del.icio.us will also work with Ma.gnolia.
Bad: Organizational options are limited to tags and groups. The interface is easy on the eye, but some may find it slow.
Overall: Ma.gnolia seems to be popular with those looking to do more with their bookmarks, like pull them into a blog. Read the full review.
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Finally, for those who can't make up their minds, check out our review of OnlyWire.
