Part of the Cleanup Crew

Periodically, I join the virtual cleanup crew, and we organize my various online homes and storage units. Today, I worked with del.icio.us to pull together some related articles.

How do I cleanup the data tags? I find or create ONE data tag that relates to all MY bookmarks I want to group. I do this in a similar way I organize my kitchen cabinets to make MY life more effective and creative.

By synchronizing related data tags, I also speed up work flow.

Previously, I discussed the importance of appropriate data tags. I want to explain my thinking about finding a common factor, a data tag, that can synchronize all bookmarks that I will want to access later....when I need them, as a unit.

Initially, while I bookmark resources, I try to use as many data tag synonyms I can think of AT THAT MOMENT of bookmarking. In del.icio.us, I use the data tag cloud, ordered alphabetically, to find related data tags. The size variation tells me the number of times that I used a particular data tag.

As always, I agree that you may use any bookmark organizational tool, yet I am suggesting one way to organize your bookmarks that I developed over several years of datamining. Try this method. From here, you will most likely adapt an organizational style that works best for you.

Later, after searching for synonyms among my data tag cloud in del.icio.us, I will examine a particular set of bookmarks that are tagged with the current topic of focus. For instance, the data tags cyberspace and virtual world are synonymous with one another, but I don't know that all my bookmarks with the tag cyberspace are also tagged virtual world.

Since virtual world seems to be gaining momentum as the most used synonym referring to interactive, online, social networks, I will add that data tag to all bookmarks that contain the cyberspace tag.

All I hope to achieve is to find related bookmarks about my current topic of interest. That is why I frequently join the cleanup crew to run organizational tests on my data tags of interest. This process is now easily accomplished. Afterwards, I can access all my del.icio.us bookmarks on a topic of interest when I need them.

Try this technique. I think you will find it very effective. Remember, you will want to focus on a FEW topics each time you join the cleanup crew. I suggest that you will be more effective if you don't try to cleanup the whole del.icio.us storage file at once. Over a period of time, you will find clarity within your bookmark topics. In all probability, you will increase your overall productivity within the area of accessing the resources you want.