Too Many Bookmarks
Or to be precise, too many ways to bookmark and share content.
I’ve been using online social networking sites with varying degrees of frequency now for well over two years — enough that I’ve been asked to put together a primer on the sites I use for some colleagues. Through this process I’ve come to the realization that there is very little rhyme, or reason to why I use the social sites I use — or why I use them at all.
Currently, I try a new site because it’s been recommended to me by a friend, I read about it on a tech/marketing site or it’s proven to have the potential to drive traffic to the website that pays my bills. I use these sites for a while and either they stick — I keep using them — or my account goes dormant.
The logical conclusion for this is that I stop using a site because it’s no longer useful. However, I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. Rather, I think none of the sites have been terribly useful because I’m trying to make them do too much — capture all my online life regardless of subject matter or what I plan on using that captured content for.
For instance, my Google Reader Shared Items page is a hodgepodge of links reflecting my online interests regardless of what I want to do with that link — blog about it, share it, store it for reference — or what the subject matter is — the environment, tech, marketing, soccer, music, etc. Because this content isn’t categorized, it’s not really useful — even with Google’s excellent search tool.
This is further complicated by the fact that I often use Delicious and, to a lesser extent, StumbleUpon and Twitter for similar functions. (My StumbleUpon use has dropped significantly in the last year and I use Twitter for more than just link sharing.)
To address this problem, I’ve hit upon the idea of trying to use each of these services for a unique purpose. So here’s an attempt to make sense of my social network sites and categorize links in a way that is actually useful:
Google Reader Shared Items
Current activity: Active.
Link categories: Tech, web culture, marketing, blogging.
Purpose of link: Reference, action item (ie. new plug-in for blog or writing tip to implement, possible aquariumdrinker.com topics.
StumbleUpon
Current activity: Dormant.
Link categories: General environment, green tech, alternative energy
Purpose of link: Reference, blog topics for employer, marketing/SEO for employer.
Tumblr
Current activity: Dormant.
Link categories: Culture & music, sports, creative, politics
Purpose of link: Short blog entries, share and comment across the web, first draft of aquariumdrinker.com posts.
Twitter
Current activity: Very active
Link categories: Any and all
Purpose of link: Share and comment across the web.
Delicious
Current activity: Active
Link Category: Any and all
Purpose of link: Linked to Twitter, so provides a searchable, tagged database of all Twitter links for future reference.
It’s Shmeat! Flesh Grown in a Test Tube Coming Soon
(Digg) Shmeat is grown from a cell culture, not from a live animal. Shmeat could, in theory, be harvested in vast quantities and used in minced meat products and help to meet the protein needs of a growing and protein-hungry world. Would you eat it?
Editorial Comment: Me, personally, I would totally eat meat from a test tube if it tasted good, like good meat should.
Obama’s Security Adviser Calls For Energy Action
(Digg) President-elect Barack Obama’s choice of James Jones as national security adviser brings a retired Marine general who advocates a comprehensive overhaul to U.S. energy policy in the name of national defense. Jones was announced on Monday as part of the Obama administration’s national security team.
International Action is Only Way to Address Global Warming
(Digg) Global Warming has become too big an issue to address only through personal actions and at-home conservation measures. There must be an international agreement to address climate change through reducing all emissions and saving forests. World leaders must act now in Poznan.
Islands Impacted by Global Warming Now
(Digg) For island communities and species, global warming is not a distant threat – it’s something that is happening now. Islands hold 10 percent of the population and more endangered, threatened and rare species than anywhere else in the world. Can these communities survive?
Get Yer Twitter Tools On
An oldie, but goody from TopRank’s online marketing blog — five keepers for twitter. One of the things I’m having trouble with in twitter is finding the right people to follow. Perhaps one of these services will help. Twitt(url)y will also help with link tracking in twitter and finding out what topics are moving and how quickly.
TechCrunch: Twitter Hits the Stick
TechCrunch notes that, according to comscore, October was a very good month for the 140 character publisher of the moment:
Twitter is having its hockey stick moment in terms of its growth just shooting up. Last week it may have delivered its billionth Tweet, at least nominally. And it looks like it is approaching escape velocity. If it doesn’t break up from all the pressure and is able to keep its service up and running more or less, it could soon—gasp!—break into the mainstream.
As soon as Twitter breaks into the mainstream, I’ll switch to Plurk for realz. (That’s a joke.)
Bookmarked in Delicious
Clinton For State? Sulivan Breaks it Down
The Hillary Clintion as Secretary of State buzz is really flying. Not surprisingly, Andrew Sullivan has a great post on why it’s an inspired pick:
Left to fester in the Senate, Clinton will plot against the president if he doesn’t actively seek her support and engagement and “spread the political wealth” of his mandate. It is a senior enough position not to be fobbed off; it really does take advantage of the Clinton name abroad; it could even put Bill to good use and keep him out of mischief; and Obama has kept telling us that his cabinet model is “Team Of Rivals.” Giving Hillary that kind of position is straight out of Lincoln.
Technorati Tags: andrew sullivan, Barack Obama, cabinet, Hillary Clinton, Lincoln, obama, presidential transition, rivals, secretary of state, senate
Dodo Films
A multi-media production company dedicated to keepin’ life on earth.
Excellent, funny videos from a new enviro film company. I can see these guys having a bright future. I’ll be talking about this on the blog in the very near future. (aka. this weekend.)
Bookmarked in Delicious
Gristmill: Against a gas tax
Interesting take on a gas tax. Essentially, the argument is a gas tax doesn’t think big enough. We need exponential, not incremental change. What David Roberts (one of my favorite Grist writers) advocates is infrastructure changes that cut down drastically on emissions. I agree, but I wonder if we have the time to wait for that change to take effect?
Bookmarked in Delicious