Computer Bookmarks

The GTD additions to my bookmarks: On the toolbar, I have two folders: "To Be Processed", and "ACT". I drag links into the first while working so that I can consider them while processing. In the second, I put links related to actions on my action lists. I don't use links in "ACT" as action reminders, though; they could be thought as action support.

Otherwise I treat bookmarks as reference, and follow my intuition for creating folders and subfolders. It is not much different from my pre-GTD days, except that it is more dynamic: I prune irrelevant ones more often, and I can create per project folders, which can go away when the project is done.

Regards,
Abhay
 
tensity;68475 said:
How do you set up your browser bookmarks in terms of folders, subfolders, organization, etc?
Click to expand...

Poorly, I tend to dump links in at the bookmarks bar and then forget to go back and prune or clean them out. I've made folders and subfolders galore and sometimes can't remember where the bookmark was. I've also saved some web sites intact, as they have gone away on me when I needed them again later.

While google is good I rather frequently know I found something at one point and cannot get it again without half an hour or more of careful google searching. My rather odd search requests play a big part in that problem though.

I have over 35 top level folders and a host of sub folders and the entire thing is a mess. That combined with carrying along the history of 3 different computers and about 12 years of stuff means my bookmarks are bloated and hard to use.

Hmm, looks like I need to add a project to clean out the bookmarks in my system. :-)

Thanks for the reminder.

I'll be interested in how others organize theirs. I clearly need to keep mine in better shape.
 
I don't.

I use Firefox's magic bar to take me to various sites. If I need or want to view a site frequently, I either subscribe to its RSS feed (which I check every day as part of my evening checklist) or add it to a checklist.
 
Brent;68484 said:
If I need or want to view a site frequently, I either subscribe to its RSS feed (which I check every day as part of my evening checklist) or add it to a checklist.
Click to expand...

Very few of the sites I visit regularly have RSS feeds. They are also not frequently updated but when they are I must have the most current version of the data when I use them. They usually contain reference information. Best guess is less than 2% of the sites I bookmark have RSS feeds.

One example is the USDA site for interstate animal shipping health requirements. It has no RSS, doesn't change all that often and I have to check it 2 weeks before any sheep shipments for any new regulations. Since regulations can change on a moments notice based on the disease status of the states in question I can't just assume what I used last time will work this time. And they keep changing the location of it too.

Another is the NAGP database. On-line, no RSS and I have to drill down to the data I want from the top, no way to save my searches on that site.

A lot of other sites are esoteric references to articles, papers or other information that I am collecting for use in many of my long term projects. No real updating, but occasionally new data come up so when I hit an update those projects action I need to go back and review the prior data and see what new discoveries have been made.

I use bookmarks more as a personalized encyclopedia. How I find cool stuff is often via serendipity, links followed by more links before I get to the cool page I want to save.
 
Oogiem;68486 said:
Very few of the sites I visit regularly have RSS feeds. They are also not frequently updated but when they are I must have the most current version of the data when I use them. They usually contain reference information. Best guess is less than 2% of the sites I bookmark have RSS feeds.
Click to expand...

You might want to try ChangeDetection to monitor such web pages for content changes. I find it more useful than RSS.
 
tensity;68475 said:
How do you set up your browser bookmarks in terms of folders, subfolders, organization, etc?
Click to expand...

I use the A-Z system, so I prepared a list of @A; @B;@C and I use the same basic system suggested in GTD. Organize for subject, person, title
 
tensity;68475 said:
How do you set up your browser bookmarks in terms of folders, subfolders, organization, etc?
Click to expand...

I use Google toolbar so the bookmarks are stored on their server and I have access to them from any computer.

Most links are just reference. In google you tag links and these then appear in a folder with the tag name. The system is just a single A-Z list of folders/tags with the web sites in them.

I have "Tickler" and "To Read" tags for things that I want to go back to later.
 
Here goes another 2 minute post. Recently finished a tidy up bookmarks project :)

I use FoxMarks (now XMarks) with firefox to make sure that my favourites are synchronised between the 4 computers I regularly use.

On the bookmarks bar I have these folders mirroring a filing system for home and work in GTD style:

Proj - Personal
Ref - Personal A-H
Ref - Personal I-Z
Proj - Professional
Ref - Professional
Inbox
Google Mail (my only link)

EVERYTHING I want to bookmark gets dragged into Inbox, which I clear out about 2 times a week.

Proj folders hold per-project support folders if I have links for those projects
Ref folders have folders sorted alphabetically just like you would in a filing cabinet or disk file system.

Darn it - 3 minutes 20 seconds to write :(
And 20 seconds to preview / spell check :(
 
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