Diigo

What’s this crazy thing called Diigo after all, and what does it have to do with the social web? Let’s back up for just a moment before we talk about too much web stuff. Bookmarks are a method of dog-earing the things you find on the web. Many of us have used “Favorites” when we search and explore the web, and these are great. The problem with Favorites, is that they lock your web discoveries on your computer. It means that the web site you found late one night isn’t something you can easily find if you’re at work, or at a friends home, or (heaven forbid) you have to replace your computer. Diigo works like a Favorites folder, but ensures that your bookmarks are available to you wherever you go. By storing them on the web, you don’t have to worry about them getting lost or deleted. What’s better, is that Diigo makes it easy to share the websites that you find most important.

Well, this is where the social bit comes into play. Diigo gives you a few handy tools, like allowing you to add annotations and highlight passages of text on web pages. Suddenly the once static web page is transformed into something that you can mark-up like a book, and better yet that you can share with others. You also have the ability to create groups where you can work collaboratively.

You might be looking for a way to distribute relevant news to your colleagues, or be looking for a way to share web-sites with students. You might be looking to track what resources your students are using as they write their papers and comment  on their research. You might want to help a student get started in looking for appropriate resources. You might want to start an archive of internet based articles that you use to teach, present, or when you offer a consultation. There are lots of reasons to work collaboratively, and the beauty of Diigo is that they make it easy.

First set up an account over at Diigo.com. Find the Diigolet button the tools page, and then you’re ready to go. If you’ve got more questions, give us a shout over at CELT and we’ll help you find ways to incorporate Diigo into your workflow.