Social bookmarking with BlinkList

I admit it: I’ve been rather slow getting on the social networking bandwagon. When it comes to things that other people like, I just don’t care. If someone in my circle of friends or colleagues recommends something (through the joy that is Soapadoo, for example) then I’ll take notice, but advice from total strangers just doesn’t strike me as being very trustworthy.

That being said, I discovered de.licio.us and BlinkList over the weekend and was immediately hooked. On BlinkList, that is. Why not de.liciou.us?

1. Multi-word tags aren’t supported.
2. It’s drop-dead ugly.
3. Typing the URL is torturous.

I imported my existing bookmarks (about a bazillion of ’em) into BlinkList on Monday. I’ve been shocked at how useful the service has been since then.

• Pages can be bookmarked instantly. Whenever I see a page I want to keep, I hit my “Blink It!” button, type in a few tags, hit submit, and I’m back to the original page and surfing away. The entry barrier for creating a bookmark just got a lot lower for me. (I haven’t yet decided if this is good or bad.)
• Bookmarks can be tagged. This allows me to esentially store bookmarks in multiple folders. This makes sense because any given bookmark can’t be narrowed down into a single category.
• I can exchange bookmarks with my friends. Odds are that if one of my friends has a site bookmarked, I’ll probably want that site bookmarked too. One click and it’s done.
• I can access my bookmarks anywhere. Whether I’m hanging upside down off a cliff in New Zealand or fleeing a grizzly bear in the Canadian Rockies (not that I’ve ever done either of those things)… I can still view and edit my bookmarks.

Want to see BlinkList in action? Check out my bookmarks. If you’re a stranger then I can’t promise they’ll be interesting, but at least you’ll be able to check your stocks before you lose your grip on that cliff edge.