When many people think of bookmarks (Firefox) or favorites (Internet Explorer), they think of a site that was saved as a bookmark or favorite, so you can visit the site later without needing to remember the URL.
But when you think about, a bookmark or favorite can really be anything other than just websites. Here are five ways bookmarks can be used other than just saving (bookmarking) your favorite websites.
1 - Saving Search Engine Results From Google Yahoo and Bing
How many times have you used a search engine to find….anything. Say you wanted to search for "ubuntu auto logon" (with out quotes) using Google. When the search results are displayed, just bookmark the page, which will allow you to return to the results page.
By bookmarking a search engine query, you are able to save the results page, which may be more useful to you instead of just bookmarking a single site with only partial information you are looking for.
2 - Saving Searches From A Website Or Social Networking Sites
You are not just limited to saving bookmarks from Google or Yahoo searches. You can also save queries from running searches on websites and social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, etc…
By doing so, you will narrow your searches to just that specific site or social network, instead of a combination of sites on the Internet.
3 - Saving Directions
How many times have you look-up directions on Google Maps, Mapquest, etc, only to find yourself looking up the same directions a month or two later?
You can easily save your directions in Google Maps by just bookmarking the links after finding directions (in some cases), or by clicking on Link (upper right of map) and copy the URL in the Paste link in email or IM field.
With MapQuest, you can also bookmarking the links after finding directions, or save the URL by clicking on Link or Embed and copy the URL in the pop up window.
4. Saving Files, Images, Documents
How many times have you clicked on a document (such as PDF, spreadsheet, etc) to view the contents, but you really don't want to save it on your PC?
If you are like me, that would be many times. Instead, just bookmark it. If you really only need to reference the document and don't care if it is eventually removed from the website, bookmarking is the best option. Same goes for images, videos, etc.
5. Bookmark Your Emails
If you prefer to use web based email service (GMail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc…) instead of running a client (such as Outlook or Thunderbird), you can easily bookmark folders or individual emails.
By bookmarking an email or folder (labels when using GMail), you can avoid searching for that hard to find email or folder. Just make sure you are logged in to your email account before using the bookmark.
As you can see, saving bookmarks or favorites locally on you computer is still useful. You can also bookmark folders on your hard drive if you use Firefox as your preferred choice of browsers (see Browse And Open Files On Your Hard Drive Using Firefox).
Just remember, unlike using social bookmarking sites, don't forget to backup your bookmarks so you don't lose them!
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