Take this Social Bookmarking Quiz and determine how much you know about the collective voice!
What Is Social Bookmarking?
Social bookmarking is a web 2.0 fad where users indicate that a
specific web page, article, podcast, video, or other content is of
particular value. The "bookmark" is seen as a vote for that item. The
more users who bookmark an item, the more pronounced (popular) the item
becomes within the social bookmarking network.
What Are The Major Social Networks?
Different social networks appeal to different demographics. For
example, "Digg" is a relatively technical social network, so the focus
of most resources found in Digg are technical in nature. "Delicious"
contains a wider variety of materials, and is easier for the average
user to manage. Here are a few of the most popular networks:
Digg - http://www.digg.com - technical users
del.icio.us - http://del.icio.us
StumbleUpon - http://www.stumbleupon.com
Reddit - http://www.reddit.com
Furl - http://www.furl.com
What Are Social Bookmarking Chicklets?
Social bookmarking "chicklets" are icons that webmasters place on their
web pages, which identify the various social bookmarking networks.
Typically when they are included on a web page, the visitor can click
the icon and it will automatically bookmark that page within the social
network that the chicklet represents.
Create chicklets - http://www.feedforall.com/social-bookmarks.htm
What Are The Benefits Of Social Bookmarking?
Social bookmarking is a grassroots process that allows users to
establish the value of a specific web page, article, podcast, or video.
By bookmarking an item, individuals are casting a vote to endorse that
specific resource. The idea is that social bookmarking gives a resource
credibility; the more users who bookmark a specific item, the more
valuable the resource is considered to be. Social bookmarking is all
about the collective voice. Most of the social bookmarking networks
increase the profile of items that receive numerous bookmarks. It
probably won't be long before the major search engines begin to include
social bookmarks as a part of their ranking algorithms.
What Is Social Bookmark Tagging?
Tagging is used as a way to categorize related bookmarks. The tags are
keywords that relate to the resource. In most cases, users can search
on specific tags to locate similar bookmarked items.
How Is Social Bookmarking "User-Generated Content"?
Social bookmarking is all about people power. "Users" enter their
favorites, and the social bookmarking networks manage all of the user
information, provide aggregate data by keeping score, and manage social
bookmark tags. Essentially, without "users" the social bookmarking
websites would not have any content.
What Are Some Of The Popular Uses For Social Bookmarking?
Scholars and researchers often use social bookmarking to share research
material and information. News headlines often find their way into
social bookmarking networks, and users determine the popularity of a
story with their voting power.
Is Social Bookmarking A Good Search Engine Optimization Technique?
While social bookmarking may generate some marginal attention for you,
the content quality must be decent in order for others to endorse the
site. The power of the collective voice and multiple bookmarks is what
will really draw attention to your website. Social bookmarking will
certainly not hurt your search engine optimization efforts, but social
bookmarking alone will not result in a top search engine ranking.
Are Social Bookmarks Currently A Factor In Search Engine Ranking?
At this time it does not appear that any of the major search engines
use social bookmarking as part of their ranking algorithms. That said,
the incoming links for social bookmarking sites certainly do not hurt a
website's search ranking. It is likely only a matter of time before the
major search engines begin to use the collective voice as part of their
ranking algorithms, as it is becoming too loud to ignore.