Thing15

=Thing 15 (Week 7): Social Bookmarking with Delicious=

Introduction
[|Delicious] is a popular [|social bookmarking] site (of which there are [|dozens]) that allows Internet users to store all of their saved websites (a.k.a. "favorites" or "bookmarks") online, so that they are accessible from any Internet-enabled computer. Users can organize their sites using **tags** (user-defined keywords), and descriptions. The "social" aspect comes from the fact that users' bookmarks and tags are **publicly browsable and searchable**. Users can also subscribe to others' bookmark collections or to specific tags to create a personal resource network. Delicious **tags** are an example of a **folksonomy**, or user-created organizational structure (you may recall we learned a bit about tagging and folksonomies in Thing 11, Flickr).

Here's **Social Bookmarking in Plain English** (3:24), from our best friends at CommonCraft:
**¤ NOTE:** Delicious had a major facelift in August 2008, so it looks a bit different now, but the concepts are the same.

**A Few Delicious Features**
>> (e.g. [] ).
 * Import all your existing bookmarks (a.k.a favorites) from your browser with **a few clicks**.
 * Access (and add to) your bookmarks **from any computer**! Never lose another link, email links to yourself, or paste into a document for sharing access. (Here, [|for example], is how I saved my Flickr photos for "Thing 11" -- I used delicious to **save** and **tag** each photo as "VHC" as I discovered it. Sure makes //citing sources// a lot easier!).
 * Discover great resources saved by **millions** of delicious users with a **keyword search**, or by browsing specific **tags** or individual **user** collections. Try searching Delicious as an alternative to Google when looking for resources for a particular topic.
 * **Mark any bookmark as** **private** by selecting "do not share " when you save it. (Only YOU will see these sites when you are **logged into** delicious).
 * **Let others do the work for you!**
 * Add **users** to your **Network** (click "Add to my Network") to automatically track all their sites (displayed on a separate page from your own). You can also share/recommend a site to any user who is in your Network (such as a colleague!)
 * **Subscribe** to a specific tag (go to Tags > My Subscriptions > Add a Subscription) to receive all users' sites saved with that tag (or even narrow your subscription to a **specific user and tag**).
 * Display your own and others' bookmarks as a **list** or in a **cloud**, sorted by tag **name** or **count** (frequency of use). The larger a tag appears in the cloud, the more times that tag has been used.
 * **Easily share and collect bookmarks with others!**
 * **Share** **all your bookmarks** with students or colleagues by giving them a **single URL** for your delicious **username**
 * Share sites for a specific tag (i.e topic) by providing the link for **that tag only**, (e.g. http:delicious.com/lottascales/digital_storytelling -- where the user is lotta_scales and the tag is digital_storytelling).
 * Subscribe to the **RSS feed** of a specific **user**, **tag** or **user/tag combination** in your **RSS reader**, or display the feed results on a blog, wiki or other webpage to share with students or colleagues.
 * Create a special **"shared" tag** to collect resources **along with others** for a particular purpose or topic, for example "[|k12learning20]." If you want to share a site with our group, use '**k12learning20**' as a tag along with your other chosen tags. (Here is what the RSS feed for the k12learning20 tag looks like, embedded in a wiki page) . Imagine how you could leverage this capability for student research, sharing sites with colleagues, or for the school library!

**Five ways of "looking at bookmarks" in delicious:**
(If you take a moment to look at the **structure** of each link, it's easy to see how delicious is organized). **A Few "High Profile" Ed Tech Delicious Users** (Not a Representative Sample)
 * **by User:** [] (all sites saved by **user** 'lottascales')
 * **by Tag:** [] (all sites tagged 'web2.0' by **all users**)
 * **by Tag Intersection:** [] (a "Tag Intersection" combines **two or more tags** to refine/narrow a search. This link displays all sites tagged with **both** 'web2.0' and 'podcast' by **all users**).
 * **by User/Tag combination:** [] (all of 'lottascales' sites tagged 'web2.0')
 * **by User/Tag Intersection:** [|http://delicious.com/lottascales/web2.0+podcast(all] of 'lottascales' sites tagged with **both** 'web2.0' and 'podcast')
 * Will Richardson - []
 * David Warlick - []
 * Vicki Davis (coolcatteacher) - []
 * Alan Levine - []
 * David Jakes - []
 * Wesley Fryer - []
 * Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach - []

Discovery Exercise
> **HELP PAGE:** Here is a sample delicious results page for a search using the keyword "bento."
 * PART 1: Explore Delicious** (~30 min)
 * 1) Go to [|delicious].
 * 2) **Search** for something that interests you. (You can do this more than once). Enter **one or more keywords** in the **search box** at the top of the page.
 * 3) **Review the results** and **begin browsing**. **Things to notice: ** **additional tags** used for each site, number of **other people** who have tagged the site (numbers in blue boxes), **usernames** of those who have tagged the sites (click any username to see all sites saved by that user).
 * 1) **Explore the result<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">s ** of your search by following some of the "delicious" information -- click a **related tag**, a **username**, a blue "**saved by X other people**" box. <span style="color: rgb(189, 50, 50);">**HINT:** To actually **visit** a "discovered" site, try **right-clicking** the link and selecting "open in new tab" or "open in new window". That way, you won't lose your delicious results.
 * 2) When viewing a particular **user**'s saved sites, explore his or her **tag list**, **top 10 tags** and **tag bundles** on the right side of the page. Use **Related Tags** to narrow your search results. Use **Tag Options** to switch between **cloud** and **list** views, and **alpha** and **count** order.
 * 3) Basically, **search and browse** around, and see what you can figure out about **how delicious works and how it may be helpful to you**.


 * <span style="color: rgb(177, 27, 17); font-size: 120%;">‡ HELP Page: ** Anatomy of a Delicious Page (This will give you some idea of what you are looking at when exploring **del.icio.us**).

Sign up for a delicious account.
 * PART 2: Get Del.icio.us** (~5-10 min)


 * <span style="color: rgb(177, 27, 17); font-size: 120%;">‡ HELP Page: ** Registering for Delicious (Screenshots included!)

> (**<span style="color: rgb(165, 13, 13);">NOTE: ** If you are using the Safari browser, choose the Alternative bookmarklet buttons).
 * <span style="color: rgb(177, 27, 17); font-size: 120%;">‡ HELP Instructions: ** **Registration Steps** (for people who dislike colorful, friendly screenshots):
 * **Step 1:** Go to Delicious and click "**Join Now**!" Fill in the registration form. Pay attention to the password rules. Use your Gmail account.
 * **Step 2:** Install the **Delicious Extension Buttons** (Delicious can tell whether you are using **Firefox** or **Internet Explorer;** If you use both browsers, you must install the buttons **separately in each browser** from here: [].
 * **Step 3:** For now, **skip the step** that invites you to import your bookmarks! **You can always do this later.**

<span style="color: rgb(16, 40, 148);">Task

 * PART 1: Log into your delicious account and practice adding and tagging 7-10 sites.** Give some thought to your choices of tags -- think about all the different ways you would categorize the site -- remember that each tag is a SINGLE KEYWORD and you must leave a space between each tag. Don't be afraid to use several tags, they don't cost anything. Also give some thought to the **Descriptions** (site titles -- the "link" you will click) and **Notes** (site descriptions). Click the "**Delicious**" button (checkerboard) on your browser toolbar to go to your account and check out the results of your tagging spree.  <span style="color: rgb(188, 11, 11);"> <span style="color: rgb(177, 27, 17); font-size: 120%;">
 * <span style="color: rgb(177, 27, 17); font-size: 120%;">‡ HELP Video: ** <span class="wiki_link_ext">[|Adding & Tagging Sites in Delicious] (3 Ways)

**<span style="color: rgb(177, 27, 17); font-size: 120%;">‡ HELP Instructions: ** **Steps for Tagging a Site in Delicious** (for video haters and impatient folks): >  >  >   <span style="font-weight: 400; color: rgb(188, 11, 11);"> **<span style="color: rgb(177, 27, 17); font-size: 120%;">‡ HELP TIP: ** <span style="color: rgb(188, 11, 11);"> Try <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-color: rgb(55, 75, 190);">highlighting a bit of text on a page **before** clicking the TAG button. The highlighted text will be added automatically to the description field when you save the bookmark to delicious! **PART 2: Add the 'shared' tag "k12learning20**" to a couple of sites that you would like to share with our group. Check out the wiki page to see what happens after you tag a site using k12learning20. (It may take a few minutes to appear). **PART 3:** Write a **brief blog post** sharing your thoughts about delicious and what you learned/noticed in your exploration and initial tagging experiences. Include any **ideas you have for using delicious in your professional practice** (for yourself, with colleagues, and/or with students). Include a link to **your delicious links** in the post <span class="wiki_link_ext">([]). Please include "Thing 15" in the post title. <span style="font-weight: 400; color: rgb(188, 11, 11);">
 * 1) Go to [|delicious] and **log into your account**.
 * 1)  Go to a **web site of interest** (either perform a search, or select a familiar site).
 * 1)  While viewing the site, click the **TAG button** on your browser toolbar. Fill in the **notes** and **tags** fields, and edit the **title** as desired. (If other users have tagged the site, tag suggestions will be provided and you can just click them. After awhile, your own tags will be suggested as well). <span style="color: rgb(174, 9, 9);">Remember to separate each tag with a space . Also keep in mind that (to a point) "over" tagging is better than "under" tagging -- more tags are better than fewer.
 * 1)  Click **Save**. Repeat for several sites.

<span style="color: rgb(17, 130, 136);">Stretch Task
**Try one or more of the following:** > >
 * Add a **subscription**. Find a **tag** that interests you and subscribe to it (click **Subscriptions > Add a Subscription**). You can refine/narrow a subscription by using a **Tag Intersection** (multiple tags joined by + e.g. poetry+shakespeare)
 * Add someone to **your network**. You can add me, a colleague, anyone you wish. (Click **Network** > **Add a user to Network**). WA Middle School teachers almost all belong to each others' Delicious networks. It's a great way to pool resources and share with each other.
 * Create a **Tag Bundle** (click **Tag Options > Manage tag bundles**) to organize your tags. Bundles are really helpful for keeping your bookmarks in good order. This is most meaningful when you have a lot of sites.

<span style="color: rgb(17, 130, 136);">Stretchier Task
When you are feeling **brave**, import your existing bookmarks into delicious (log into your account, click settings, then import/upload). This was my "Winter Break" project a couple years ago, but it was well worth it, and I have never reverted back to the "old" way of saving bookmarks. Lately, though, I am feeling an urge to jump tools over to [|Diigo]... (Diigo is like Delicious on steroids mixed with a social network, collaborative tools, and notetaking).