Social Bookmarking
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Introduction
Social bookmarking is a way of storing links to Internet resources and sharing them with others. Most systems use tags as a method of giving bookmarks keywords and categorising them to be searched for in the future. Bookmarks can be shared publicly to allow others to have access to the set of chosen sites, or kept private. Some systems also allow bookmarks to be rated by other users, who can post comments on them. Bookmarks can be accessed from anywhere, as they are stored online rather than in the browser. Compared to some other Web 2.0 Services, Social Bookmarking is generally very accessible.
Considerations
- Screen reader software may not be able to access bookmark tags. Depending on the service being used, as well as the web browser and chosen screen reader program, the list of tags for a bookmark may not be read out. This means those who are blind may have difficulties working out the relationship between the bookmark and the content offered. The screen grab below is taken from the Office for Disability, which has several links to sites offering bookmarking services.
- The choice of service affects the accessibility of bookmarks. Online services offer varying degrees of keyboard and screen reader access but are usually clearly laid out – Examples tested on Web2Access are Digg, Technorati, Delicious, Diigo, CiteULike, Connotea and StumbleUpon
Additional Resources
- Web2Access can help you decide which social bookmarking tools to use.
- Common Craft provide a screencast about social bookmarking, and how it can be used.
