Bookmarks are incredibly helpful. Both physical and digital bookmarks are designed to help you get back to a page long after you’ve forgotten how to get there or even why you want to get back to it. Maybe you didn’t finish reading the page, or maybe you read something that was entertaining, profound, or thought-provoking. All you know is that past-you thought future-you would like to be able to return to that information.
While most things advance over time, bookmarks had plateaued. Like a paperweight or a cup, they serve a simple and straightforward function, and they do it perfectly. It’s difficult to imagine a new and improved bookmark, but that’s exactly what Google is trying to do.
Google’s Bookmark Manager is a new extension for the Chrome browser that is supposed to make managing bookmarks more engaging. There might be a handful of folks out there who can’t wait for Friday night to roll around so they can manage their bookmarks, but most people wouldn’t really say that managing bookmarks is an engaging activity.
Managing bookmarks has pretty much been the same since bookmarks were developed. It’s all folders and text, like a digital filing cabinet.
But, as well all know, pictures can make anything more engaging. Social media has shown us that people are more likely to engage with posts that incorporate images. Pinterest’s success is driven by its image heavy interface. That’s exactly what Google’s Bookmarks Manager is trying to channel.
When you open the manager page, your bookmarks are laid out on a grid that looks quite similar to Pinterest. It’s pretty easy to navigate, and is indeed more engaging than just files and text.
While it’s nice to look at, the search feature of the new Bookmark Manager is arguably the best update. It searches not only the titles of your bookmarked pages, but also the content from the pages. The manager will also automatically sort bookmarks into “Auto Folders” based on a page’s content.
You can search for specific words, even. That can be helpful when you have that feeling like you read something interesting about cats at some time. Searching for “cats” with Google is pointless, since approximately 57.3% of all content on the internet is about cats. Searching your bookmarks is a completely different experience.
This tool isn’t for digital marketing, but it might improve your life if you’re ready for a new bookmark experience.
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