Get More Web Traffic with Social Bookmarking

Just as you bookmark a web page to remember it later, you can create public bookmarks to share with friends and colleagues.

Because they're shared, public bookmarks are also called "social bookmarks."

Some sites such as Newsvine are completely user-driven. These sites publish your content to share with the world.

Why Use Social Bookmarking?

By exposing a list of links you find relevant you are creating a public list of websites important to you. People who share your interests can share in what you've found. When they create bookmark lists, you can share in what they found. Public bookmarks expose internet users to websites you like. These websites then get more visitors from the bookmark sharing.

People-Powered Search Engines

The site 3spots.com explains it well:

"What's so great about SOCIAL bookmarks is that it creates a people powered search engine. So even if you don't use these services to bookmark you can use these for searching. As the more a web page is bookmarked, the more popular, the best links you'll find!"

Social Bookmarking Websites

The biggest community bookmark-sharing sites are digg , del.icio.us , blinklist and reddit.

What Happens When You Digg?

All of the social bookmark sites require that you create an account. Most are free and open to anyone.

The easiest way to share an article on your digg account is to click the Digg button next to the article.

Sometimes articles don't have social bookmarking widgets such as a Digg button. In this case you would go to your account and at the top right click Submit New. 

The more diggs an article gets the higher up onto the front page of digg.com it goes. Create diggs for your articles by adding digg friends who will digg your articles.

Del.icio.us , Reddit , etc.

 The web has hundreds of sites like digg. Social bookmarking buttons you see on articles and blogs make it easier for members of these social bookmarking sites to bookmark your articles on these bookmark service sites. Next time you see bookmarking buttons consider joining the social bookmarking website. 

Expose Your Website 

To get exposure to your own articles you want visitors to bookmark them. These widgets (buttons) make it easier for members of the following services to publically save and expose your stories to like-minded web reaaders:

Reddit , Del.icio.us , Google Bookmarks , MSN LIve, Facebook, Slashdot , Netscape , Technorati , Stumbleupon , Newsvine , Furl , My Yahoo , Smarking , ma.gnolia.com and Joomla Digger

 The Social Part of Social Bookmarking 

Social bookmarks expose you website's content to new people. They help you to increase your audience. The key is "social." For the system to work you have to make sure people know about your bookmarks. Join "groups" and "friends" services on the social bookmarking sites. Tell people about your bookmark lists in your signature on the forums you go to. Put your social bookmarking page in your email signature. Encourage your colleagues to create social bookmarking accounts on the same networks (such as Digg or Del.icio.us) so that you can all share in each others' finds and Digg or bookmark each other's website articles.

Drive Traffic to Your Website

Social bookmarking drives traffic to your website by rule of the masses: If a lot of people say an article is worth reading, the article floats to the top of a bookmarking service front page. More people then see the bookmark, read the article and bookmark it.

Meanwhile, your message is getting out to all of the new visitors. And that is the real point of social bookmarking. 

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