Eluma | Blog

1. Tagging
Most social bookmarking services let you use tags. Compared with using folders, tagging content can be a great way to label things you want to find again in the future, and a great way to find things that other people recommend. If you've ever filed away a document somewhere and then decided later on that it was easier to re-search for it using Google than try to find it in your directory structure, then you need to start using tags.

2. When You Don't Know Exactly What To Search For
While Google lets you find a needle in a haystack when you type in the exact search phrase, social bookmarking services return links that lots of people have deemed interesting or useful on a subject. If you want to find out what happened to your high school quarterback and prom queen, use Google. If you want to find interesting new content to learn about hybrid cars, try a social bookmarking service.

You can drill into people whose recommendations you like to find more content you might like. Or you can view the other tags that people assigned to a particular piece of content you like, and drill into those other tags to find more interesting content. Either way, you're bound to find things you'll like that you didn't know to search for.

3. Sharing
Are you still just emailing links to your friends when you find something interesting? There is a better way.

4. Community
Part of the social aspect of social bookmarking is to encourage comments and ratings on content. If you find the underlying content interesting, then the comments from like-minded folks can add a layer of information you won't get just from reading the link. It's like the difference between just reading a book yourself, and reading a book and then going to a book club meeting to discuss it.

5. It's Not Just For Fun
Social bookmarking is now being used in work environments. Are you researching the competition with a team at work? Share the links that everyone finds start some threaded discussions on the links. Tracking blogs related to your space? Planning an event? You'll find that some social bookmarking services allow you to create a private group and then share links and engage in discussions just with members of your group.