Thing 11: Tagging and Del.icio.us

Until not so long ago, I was virtually oblivious to tags and how they could be used as organizers and retrieval tools. I've started using them in this blog, but not consistently. It's a new habit that I will have to force myself to develop--although experiencing the benefits of tags will serve as a further source of motivation.

For Reference:

• Del.icio.us
• Tutorial

At this point, I'm not certain that I have an overwhelming use for this service. I'll investigate it further and reflect for a day or two. At this point, I believe that sharing my links/bookmarks and exploring those of others could, as mentioned very early on in this process, be a time stealer. The best use for me is to store bookmarks in a single place so that they are not limited by the location of a particular computer: This is a function I can appreciate.

As I register for, practice using, and store materials on these various sites, occasionally an uncomfortable feeling wafts over me: Do I really want to store important materials online? (Will someone hack into my Wiki--or will a glitch open the door--and vandalize it or place obscene content in my name?) Will there come a day when access shifts to a pay-per-use system? In another article, a writer points out that blogs and wikis expose students to too much openness outside the school walls--where uncontrolled exposure offers risks. I mentioned in an earlier post that I was becoming uncomfortable with Google's domination of many of these services, but now my discomfort has extended beyond that. Am I worrying too much? Do we simply stop using services if the risks and costs outweigh the benefits? Is it that easy when connections/relationships are based on those services? Something to think about.

For Reference:

• 7 Things You Should Know about Social Bookmarking
• PageKeeper for Teachers

Just for fun, I tried PageKeeper and found it very easy to set up and add categories and entries. It has potential to be a good organizer for teachers, but its social sharing capacity was far more interesting. To know that our collections and those of others are available is intriguing--and possibly a rich source of information.