#13 Tagging, folksonomies & social bookmarking in Delicious

Tagging is an open and information method of categorising that allows users to associate keywords with online content (web pages, pictures & posts).  Unlike library subject cataloguing, which follows a strict set of guidelines (i.e. Library of Congress subject headings), tagging is completely unstructured and freeform, allowing users to create connections between data anyway they want.

In the past few posts, we've already explored a few sites - Flickr and LibraryThing to name two - that allow users to take advantage of tagging.  In this post we want to also take a look at the popular social bookmarking site called Delicious.

Delicious is a social bookmarking manager which allows you to bookmark a web page and add tags to categorise your bookmarks.

Many users find that the real power of Delicious is in the social network aspect, which allows you to see how other users have tagged similar links and also discover other web sites that may be of interest to you.  You can think of it as peering into another users' filing cabinet, but with this powerful bookmarking tool each user's filing cabinet helps to build an expansive knowledge network.

For this discovery exercise, you are asked to take a look at Delicious and learn about this popular bookmarking tool.

Discovery Resources:

• Otter Group Delicious tutorial (8 min video)
• Us.ef.ul: A beginners guide to Delicious

Discovery Exercise:

1. View the 8 minute Delicious tutorial to get a good overview of its features.
2. Take a look around Delicious using the UFS Library Learning account that was created for this exercise.  Note: In this account you will find lots of resources that have been highlighted or used throughout the course of the Library Learning programme.
3. Explore the site options and try clicking on a bookmark that has also been bookmarked by a lot of other users.  Can you see the comments they added about this bookmark or the tags that they used to categorise this reference?
4. Create a blog post about your experience and thoughts about this tool.  Can you see the potential of this tool for research assistance?  Or just an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere?

OPTIONAL: If you're up to the challenge, create a Delicious account for yourself and discover how this useful bookmarking tool can replace your traditional browser bookmark list.

Note: If you do set up a Delicious account, here's a quick word about Delicious buttons.  On PCs that have the toolbars locked down, these will install as options in your browser bookmarks.  Use the "Post to my Delicious" link to add the current web page to your account (you may need to log in).  Use the "My Delicious" link to view your online account.