Simply del.icio.us!

Hi everybody!

This week we’ve explored a tool that I’ve found extremely useful! It has a name that is absolutely easy to remember; it simply conveys what it is for real: something del.icio.us! Its attractive name and its enjoyable function remind me of an inviting cup of delicious strawberries!

taken from http://www.1-2-pimp.co.uk/

Since I started attending this course and surfing the Net more frequently I’ve noticed that in many sites there was a logo called del.icio.us; this name caught my attention and I always wondered whether Sarah would show us how to use this tool!

So what’s del.icio.us?

It is a Social Bookmarking, a way to store, share and discover web pages of interest online.
Using del.icio.us, first of all, you have the advantage of saving links to all the websites and blogs you want to remember online instead of on your personal computer; this way records (bookmarks) give you the chance to find your favourite web pages quickly wherever you are. Secondly, the list of web pages you saved through this tool is public; this means you are sharing your bookmarks with other people, but at the same time you are getting access to their bookmarks too. You can describe the sites you want to save not only making a short description but also using different keywords (tags); this way you can search for all the websites and blogs associated with specific tags as well as get to know how many people have bookmarked the same web pages as yours. I think creating a sort of community where you can exchange suggestions for new interesting links with people who has your same interests is the biggest advantage this tool has. Social Bookmarking gives you the great opportunity to find great websites because you are searching for them among all the websites that users regard as their favourite.

Before last Wednesday I never heard about social bookmarking; when I had to search for something online I always went to Google and explored its sections Web and Groups. So I was always overwhelmed by a barriage of sites; it took me a lot of time to filter them and find out what I was really searching for. Moreover, at the end of my research I sometimes had a feeling that I hadn’t come up with the most suitable sources; I thought that there might be something more authoritative and reliable on the Web that I hadn’t managed to find out. Social bookmarking offers you the way to narrow down the list of web pages you might interested in and successfully find the best!

taken from careo.elearning.ubc.ca/wiki?SocialBookmarks

In order to start social bookmarking and using del.icio.us, this time, we were supposed to search for websites involving language learning and other subject matters we’re studying at university. I mostly concentrated on finding out something related to informal conversational English. I tried to search for websites that we’d never come across before too. I found three interesting English language learning websites for esl learners that can help you improve your listening skills. As we don’t live in an English speaking environment, I believe we should take advantage of them as much as possible. As I am interested in economics as well and I would like to work in business, I found out a website offering business English lessons. Well, if you are interested in learning more about everyday English and business English take a look at my bookmarks adding me at your network!

Using the network I created for the members in my group, I chose the bookmark from each of them which most attracted my attention. I really appreciated the BBC web page Elena chose about English pronunciation tips. I think speaking with excellent pronunciation is really difficult! Among the bookmarks Elisa saved I liked that about synonyms, antonyms and definitions. I think trying to increase your own vocabulary is really important to express yourself -both in speaking and in writing- better. Imma found out an interesting website about differences between informal and formal English as well. It actually shows you how to avoid colloquial writing, but it indirectly tells you what the most popular colloquial expressions in friendly e-mails and chat rooms are. Katja chose something about informal expressions too. The interesting thing of this website is that you can learn in which particular English speaking area of the world each slang is used. Finally, I chose a completely different bookmark among those Lisa stored. This time it is about funny items you can create to personalize your own blog.

I have to say you all did a good job!:)

I hope you enjoyed visiting my favourites as well:)

Selena