Popular social bookmark sites like Pinterest, Twitter, and Reddit, are here for the long haul. As the Internet more and more becomes the place where we meet and discuss, the things we meet about and the things we discuss will always need to be shared in an easy, familiar, and flexible format. And social bookmarking sites deliver.
Digg, Delicious, FriendFeed, Diigo… The list goes on and on. But the goals are always the same. To start conversations. To spark ideas. To share a laugh. To spread the word on something wonderful. To advance a cause. To open eyes and hearts and minds and possibilities. The most popular social bookmark sites are the ones we see every day, but their commonality does not diminish their power. To share is to teach, and to teach is to grow. Social bookmarking sites help us grow.
Does that mean that everything on a bookmarking site is transcendent and earth shattering? Of course not. Sometimes there are pictures of bacon. But, contrary to some opinions, the mundane aspects of bookmarking detract nothing from the activity. On the contrary, they serve to further mimic life. Is every piece of advice you give during the day worthy of Confucius or as deep as Mark Twain? Doubtful. But not every word that came out of their mouths was profound either. Even Rumi asked where the bathroom was now and then.
Online social sharing is a microcosm for our social interactions in life. Something that caught your eye will, you hope, catch the eye of your friends. The most popular social bookmark sites know this, and do everything they can to make the experience as organic as possible. Our social experiences define who we are. Online experiences need not be any different.