We are becoming an increasingly mobile society, relying on access to our data in multiple ways, through multiple devices and on multiple networks. Browser bookmarks are a dated technology, having been married to web browsers ever since the dawn of Internet time. Bookmarks have not really evolved throughout their lifespan. They are a largely static feature and they continue to offer no truly revolutionary usage method.
Based on how we are migrating away from a single computing device on a single network to multiple devices across multiple networks, are bookmarks really the solution to our requirement to easily keep track of sites we find interesting? Are bookmarks really a necessary feature at this juncture?
The Problem
The main problem with bookmarks is that by default they are tied to a single browser on a single device. Since we are progressing towards a far more mobile computing paradigm, static bookmarks make absolutely no sense. The act of “moving” the bookmarks from one device to another, and subsequently attempting to keep the bookmarks in sync, is a tedious task.
There are tools which make the act of using the same bookmarks across multiple workstations quite simple. One of the most popular is Foxmarks for Firefox.
Foxmarks is a free add-on for your Firefox browser that syncs and backs up your bookmarks and passwords across multiple computers and more.
The tool is great, with one glaring exception – it works solely with Firefox. If you use Internet Explorer, Safari or Chrome then you are out of luck. Better find yourself another tool to solve this problem.
Then there is the mobile computing dilemma – you probably do not visit the exact same sites while mobile. In fact, not only do most people not visit the same sites, many visit certain sites exclusively on their desktop or laptop but not on their mobile browser and vice-versa. Is synchronizing all your bookmarks to your mobile device productive?
Potential Solution
There are quite a few methods for solving the bookmarks problem, but one solution in particular is something you are probably already using – RSS feeds.
I posit that RSS feeds can easily replace bookmarks, negating the need to be concerned with synchronizing bookmarks across multiple devices on multiple networks. Rather than saving sites to your bookmarks, simply add them to your RSS feed reader, which is more than likely already available across multiple devices on multiple networks.
Most of the people reading TechMiso are probably already intimately familiar with RSS feeds and are invested in one of the many RSS feed readers available today. Why not reuse that existing workflow to bookmark sites you deem worthy of such?
For instance, Google Reader is available no matter where you are, so long as you have an Internet connection. All the sites you find important can easily have their RSS feeds added to Google Reader. Merely surf to Google Reader to get to your bookmarks while being pushed new data on those sites. If you find an article you want to comment on, simply click from within Google Reader to be taken directly to the site. This functionality is virtually identical across all feed readers. Know how to use one, you can use them all.
I know what you’re thinking – site X does not offer an RSS feed but I want to bookmark it. I implore you to think long and hard about whether that site is necessary to bookmark – if you deem so, bookmark it.
But is it absolutely necessary to have that bookmark on every device you will ever use? Seriously – ask yourself that question and think long and hard before you answer.
I have not used bookmarks in years, but there have been a few cases where I was interested in bookmarking a site which is completely unusable on my iPhone. Flash-based sites are the number one culprits. So what did I do? I used a social bookmarking service like delicious, which fulfilled two requirements – I saved the site for later use and did so in a manner which is available from multiple devices on multiple network.
Technology continues to evolve at light speed. As it does, we must adapt to remain productive. Sometimes we must reeducate ourselves and change our processes to ensure we remain viable – in this case, bookmarks are so 1998 and should be euthanized.
RSS and social bookmarking sites (which I did not discuss in this article but will at a later date) are the keys to the future, especially in an increasingly mobile world. Learn to use them or the train may be leaving the station without you!
What do you use for bookmarking sites? Old fashioned bookmarks, RSS feeds, social bookmarking sites or some hybrid solution?
I've been using Google Bookmarks for a while now. I've dumped an export from all my browsers into it and now I maintain them all in one spot. On each browser I added the Google Bookmark button. One click and the site is added and I usually take the time to give it a nice description and put the proper label on it. Because I have labeled most of my bookmarks I can decide what I want to see by adding the Google Bookmarks Gadget to my iGoogle page.
January 26, 2009 @ 22:31
I'm more of a Delicious guy — more integration with other web apps –
and it's sexy!
January 27, 2009 @ 04:32
I'm into one-stop-shopping so unless another product beats out the G team in a certain area by a long shot they will continue to be my provider of said service. I'm in progress of consolidating my online presence . I will leave all my other accounts open but I am trying to get everything I need on the front page of iGoogle. TechMisos up there!
Some notable exceptions:
No Google Group will ever compare to Reddit, especially with all the SPAM in there.
Orkut will never be Facebook or even Myspace unless you speak Portuguese.
Google Translator doesn't compare to WWWJDIC unless you are typing up a letter to your 5 year old pen pal.
The list goes on I'm sure, but what I can't at least gadget into iGoogle I probably don't need anyways. I don't really consider myself a fanboi of any company. I just like to have the maximum amount of data displayed in the smallest area possible. I need multiple monitors with gigabytes of data flowing across them to keep me for getting bored, quitting my job and heading to Yoyogi to juggle for onegiri.
January 27, 2009 @ 04:53
Google definitely leads the pack in consolidation. But, I have a laundry list of features Google 'Bookmarks' needs before I give up my Delicious and its cross-site integration — like with Friendfeed, Twitter etc.
Google Bookmarks [for lack of a better term, is] static.
January 27, 2009 @ 10:22
I've never really found Google Bookmarks all that usable. Nor have I been enamored with iGoogle either. Both seem a little kludgy and are not as configurable as I need them to be.
Are Google Bookmarks available via RSS? Like, can you pull down all your bookmarks via RSS or subscribe to someone's bookmarks RSS feed, similar to what can be done with delicious?
January 27, 2009 @ 09:41
I'm not a blogger, I don't tweet, I rarely mess with RSS and if I care to share my bookmarks I usually just email them to my close friends or post them on my Facebook wall. I want something that will allow me to quickly send bookmarks from any computer out to my master list. For me, Google Bookmarks is that something. The fact I can plop it in the middle of my iGoogle is just icing on the cake. I posted my iGoogle to picasa. Take a look!
http://picasaweb.google.com/justin.luke/Altered#5…
January 28, 2009 @ 05:14
I guess you could say Delicious is a bookmark app on steroids. If you're looking strictly at bookmark portability [with no options], then Google is a stellar choice!
I like your setup on iGoogle! But totally freaked out by your manips….
January 28, 2009 @ 06:41
Pretty complex iGoogle setup you got there Justin! For me, that's just too much information on a single page. I could never survive with that type of setup – I need tabs open in Firefox to be both functional and productive.
January 28, 2009 @ 14:23
MobileMe keeps all my bookmarks (and everything else) synced throughout all my devices! :D
January 26, 2009 @ 13:40
MobileMe may be one of the notable exceptions in this space. Although it is an excellent product for keeping multiple devices on multiple networks in sync, it still requires you to use bookmarks to keep track of sites and therefore synchronization is all or nothing. You can't gather data from them, easily group them using smart playlists or be informed of new data by the owner, etc. Know what I mean?
Lastly, do you really need all those bookmarks you use on your workstation(s) also on your iPhone or iPod Touch?
January 26, 2009 @ 13:52
Well I use a lot of live bookmarks, in which they are RSS feeds in the form of a bookmark. Also, I have an iMac, MacBook, and iPod Touch, so it is ideal to have all my files and and data synced, otherwise it will get really confusing really quickly.
January 26, 2009 @ 13:59
The only things that I use regularly in my Bookmarks Bar these days are Bookmarklets for things like delicious, quick posting to my blog, deviantART tweaks etc.
I keep a track on sites via their RSS feeds mostly, importing them into NewsNetWire on my Mac which then also syncs up to the App on my iPhone. No real need to keep bookmarks for the front page as I can always keep up with what's new.
Older articles for later reading or to deal with later go into my delicious (delicious.com/Narfmaster) which also goes into my Firefox sidebar if I need anything from it.
January 26, 2009 @ 15:31
You and me both – I am all over delicious, especially the delicious bookmarks firefox extension. No better way to keep track of sites you want to come back to some day.
January 27, 2009 @ 09:39