Thing #17 - Tagging and Social Bookmarking with Del.icio.us

I have been seeing del.icio.us more and more and was curious about it. This form of social bookmarking puts a whole new twist on searching. The way I see this is a lot of people rely on a recommendation from a friend, coworker, or a critic on TV or some other media before they go get a book to read, go to a movie, or buy something new. We want other peoples opinions to weigh into our decisions we make. Social bookmarking puts that recommendation there for people as they search the web. As you search you can see what has been tagged by others. If it has been tagged by many, most likely it is a site that has "value" to it. In other words it is a site that isn't a waste. It sets a trail of breadcrumbs to follow as you look for information that a regular search engine can't do. I think social bookmarking can be a valuable tool in searching for information. I think it can help eliminate a lot of time spent at sites that aren't necessarily needed. As a teacher this would be a wonderful tool to help student research information. If I set up and tag sites that have the necessary information the student need, there is less of a chance for them to get off track in the computer lab by going to a site that they don't need.
Personally I think this could be a big help in being able to access your bookmarks anywhere. There have been days when I found something at home the night before, bookmarked it and then needed it at school the next day.