As I’ve started doing more On the Internet posts, I had to come up with ways to keep track of everything I was reading that I wanted to share. I don’t have any one method, but I thought I’d share the methods I do use.
- Add a star – Google Reader and Twitter both offer this option, though on Twitter it’s known as “Favorites.” I use this as a quick and easy way to flag items that I want to be able to go back to later, and I can un-star them when I’m done.
- StumbleUpon – I only have this installed on my home computer, so it’s the least-used method on my list. But if you are on a computer that has you signed in, it’s a great way to bookmark stuff worth mentioning, and sharing it with others who might not necessarily read your blog.
- Email – yep, good old fashioned email. During my lunch at work, I read news and try to get through a few items in my reader. For news items, I tend to just email them to myself. It’s pretty easy – just go to File > Send > Link by email (in IE) or File > Send Link (in Firefox). This method only works if you’re using an email client that is installed on your computer, like Outlook, which I use at work. If you don’t have that, then copy and paste the link into a new email message.
- Paper notes – Yes, I still have paper notes. Not sure why, because if I’m reading something on the computer that I want to share, I can use any of the above 3 methods, but once in a blue moon I am actually away from the computer. That’s when I’ll write down a website that I might want to check out later or ideas that come to me when I’m out in the field. See, I have the very inefficient and not at all organized habit of putting the paper on my desk for future reference. (Yes, my desk at home is a mess.) Then, when I get to my desk and decide to sift through all the papers, I can decide if I still want to write about it or share the link.
- Bookmarks or favorites – I have a folder in my bookmarks called “On the Internet” where I park interesting finds. As I go through the rest of these methods, I put all my links here so they’re in one place when I’m ready to post.
That’s what works for me, and I think that I capture about (wild guess here) 95% of the stuff I want to share. If you do round-up or link posts like I do, what methods work for you?
I actually use paper notes quite a lot. That and my bookmarks.
I tried several websites to try to keep track and eventually always went back to the two methods above.
For me, paper notes are the last line of defense, for times when I’m away from a computer, and they also end up as the method I use least – as in, I write stuff down then never refer to it. If a paper note makes its way back to my desk, it ends up in a pile with receipts and all sorts of other little papers. I suppose if I were to clean my desk, and I mean really clean and organize it, and then stay on top of all the other little papers, this might work a bit more. As for bookmarks, I need to clean mine up because they are not unlike my desk – cluttered and unorganized.
For other things, like post ideas that I get while I’m out, I’m really trying to discipline myself to use the draft feature more often. That way I’ll have the idea and some points written down, and when I want to post something, all I have to do is pull up a draft, polish it off, and publish it.