Bookmarks and Tags: Order Out of Chaos, Part I

I can remember when the word "bookmark" meant this. And when the word "tag" meant this.

Not anymore.

Now the word "bookmark" means this. And the word "tag" means this.

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A few weeks back, I posted to the PRSPCT-L list requesting feedback on whether listers were using online bookmarking/tagging sites. Results:

Foxmarks - 1 vote (I love Firefox, but I'm chained to Microsoft in the office).
Del.icio.us - 2 votes (First impressions: The interface may give me seizures. And no privacy!)
Backflip- 1 vote (Great logo; page layout is easy on the eyes)
Furl - 1 vote (I'm going to put in a plug here for Furl-user Aimee Fitzgerald, a veteran librarian and researcher who has been a great resource on the "El")

That's it for the free resources. Ask.com's Gary Price recommended Bookmarksync.com, along with providing a half-dozen resources and sprinkling of thoughtful opinions on bookmarking and tagging in general. (I'm still wading through that). Bookmarksync is a paid site, but the annual fees are reasonable (up to $40 for the professional edition).

In investigating further, I discovered that there are dozens of free social bookmarking tools, and more information and opinion on the best ways to organize, classify, search, share, and maintain website collections than this researcher can digest.

I'm going to make an attempt, though. It's interesting reading.

More later.