Thing 11 called for me to explore the concept of tagging and Del.icio.us. Tagging is not some gang-related activity. Instead, tagging refers to organizing blog posts, pictures, websites, bookmarks, and the like through some kind of word or description that links the items together. I've started tagging or labeling (as Blogger calls it) my recent blog posts. I've also gone back and labeled many of my past posts, but there are still a lot that I need to label. I don't remember every blog post, so I have to re-read the post before choosing a label. I seriously recommend labeling your posts from the start. It helps link similar posts and makes your posts more organized.
Del.icio.us is a social bookmarking site, allowing users to pull up bookmarks and bookmark pages from any computer. Users can share their bookmarks with other users and view the bookmarks of other users as well. Some libraries, such as the Menasha Public Library in Wisconsin, use Del.icio.us as a tool to provide patrons with a centralized source of helpful websites. There are bookmarked sites for children, reference, etc.
I see social bookmarking sites being extremely beneficial for libraries to utilize as the Menasha Public Library has done. By providing the sources in a central location that can be accessed anywhere, patrons can quickly find information that may prove to be helpful to a particular information need. A library could really concentrate and providing a large number of reference links that users can access at home or without locating a reference librarian. I know that some individuals would rather find the answers themselves and only ask another person as a last resort (I do the same!). A site like Del.icio.us will allow those individuals to hopefully find what they need on their own.
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