How Journalists Can Use Social Bookmarking?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by matt king on February 4, 2008 at 1:58pm

Dave,

I'm very skeptical, but on board because I believe in challenging my opinions. I checked out Mixx aka the LAT of bookmarking sites, and, again, its value was lost on me. These sites strike me as a lot of noise, like a magazine in which it's impossible to tell the stories from the ads. I don't think these sites, at least the few I've seen, have a sense of purpose other than making a "mash-up" of "news." But perhaps that's what your goal-setting experiment has in mind.

m

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Permalink Reply by Digidave on February 4, 2008 at 2:21pm

Try making some friends on the site. All those links are submitted by real people. Those are people who are interested in the news.

Make friends with them around subjects. Or - if you see somebody submitting good content - friend them so you can follow them.

It's important in all of this to realize: It's a social network, not just a bunch of empty links. But I can totally see how it could be confusing if you are new to it all.

Also: Mixx is in part owned by the LAT :)

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Permalink Reply by Mathew Ingram on February 4, 2008 at 2:23pm

Hey Dave -- great question. I use social bookmarking mostly as a research tool, and for my own purposes. I've used Delicious for years, and store just about everything I come across that I think might be relevant for some future piece, and while I do have other people in my network who save things for me I mostly just use it as a "backup brain" and research tool.

I think Scott's Publish 2 idea is potentially a great one though, provided he can get enough journalists and other informed users bookmarking things -- then it could really produce a high signal-to-noise ratio, which is something the other social bookmarking services such as Digg don't have a great track record of.

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Permalink Reply by Digidave on February 4, 2008 at 2:38pm

Matt
It's good to see you here: I really agree about the signal-to-noise comment you made. I think if journalists found and agreed to use a tool whether it's Pub2 or NewsTrust -- it would create serious value.

I think Del.icio.us is amazing: I love how people like Martin Stabe (also in this group somewhere) use it for blogging.

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Permalink Reply by Roz Allen on February 4, 2008 at 4:20pm

Hey Digidave,

I teach online journalism in Ontario and recently had my students sign up to digg, delicious and technorati as part of a web 2.0 assignment. This thread is super interesting to me.

I'm curious what you mean by people using it for blogging?

Cheers,

Roz

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Permalink Reply by Roz Allen on February 4, 2008 at 4:37pm

.. and hi Matthew! In your opinion, what is the most important thing for young journalists to learn when it comes to social bookmarking?

Thanks!

Roz

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Permalink Reply by Mathew Ingram on February 4, 2008 at 5:46pm

Hi Roz :-)

I think the most important thing is just to do it -- or at least to try it. I wouldn't presume to tell them what they should (or will) learn from it, but I can pretty well guarantee they will learn *something*.

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Permalink Reply by Leonard Witt on February 4, 2008 at 10:05pm

Hi Mathew:
You say: At least try....

I have been blogging for about five years. Do lots of stuff on the Internet, experiment with video, podcasting etc. but Digg, Del.icio.us, NewsTrust, some how have never stuck. I've gone to the sites, wanted to get more involved, but didn't.

Maybe it just me, but I like to think I am a fairly average person when it comes to technology. If it grabs me quickly with easy access, I am in. If it takes a while to understand or doesn't help me make quick connections I pass it by. There are too many other sticky things. Meanwhile this is a confession I don't like to make. But if we are going to advance these tools with journalists, just try might not be enough.

David said he had an experiment. Maybe a hands-on experiment would work better.

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Permalink Reply by Mathew Ingram on February 4, 2008 at 10:14pm

I would never claim that any of these tools are going to necessarily appeal to everyone. But I think it's worth noting that I didn't start using Delicious because I wanted to get involved in the community or help others tag things or anything like that -- it was simply a useful bookmark-saving tool for me to use for my own purposes.

Over time, though, it became obvious that Delicious was also useful for other reasons, as a way to search things that others had tagged (who were also searching mine), and then it dawned on me that I was helping create a social network without even realizing it -- just by using it for my own purposes, it automatically became more useful for others, even if only in a small way.

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Permalink Reply by Leonard Witt on February 4, 2008 at 10:28pm

Hi Mathew:

Again, why don't you or David lead us on a hands-on experiment. As in do this first, an then this and then this. Then we can use that method to get others involved.

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Permalink Reply by Digidave on February 4, 2008 at 10:31pm

I'm thinking of something :)

But in truth - I'm not sure if we should start at step 1. join a site - or if we should try something more ambitious.

And if there is something more ambitious - what that is.

Permalink Reply by Roz Allen on February 5, 2008 at 7:42am

Hi Mathew and Leonard,

I led the students through subscribing to Digg and del,icio.us, then sent them away with an assignment to choose three articles they liked and submit it to both.

Beyond telling them the importance of these sites, however, I was left with the feeling that after class has adjourned, not many of these students will continue to use these social networks.

I'm wracking my brain trying to come up with an engaging assignment that will, as you say Leonard, show them why these tools are useful beyond just walking them through and hoping they'll continue to use it?

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