Managing Web Resources

This would be a good time to return to your Bookmarks/Favorites to spend some time organizing all of the websites that you have added to your collection. If you don't already have folders in your Bookmarks/Favorites, this will be an opportunity to create them and to reorganize your collection.

It would also be a great time to export a copy of your Bookmarks/Favorites as a backup should something ever happen to your computer. You can also use this export to move your collection to your work or home computer or share them with your colleagues.

Record the completion date for this assignment in your logbook.

Review the information below if you need to refresh your memory. As you will recall, this page was included in the introductory sections of this module.

What are Bookmarks/Favorites?

It is one thing to find useful resources on the web. It is entirely a different matter to find your way back to useful resources on the web. Before the arrival of web browsers, finding one’s way back to a file on a distant computer connected to the internet usually involved memorizing or recording a long, esoteric path name. Moving a file from a distant computer to your computer involved a complicated FTP (file transfer protocol) process that drove many early internet users to distraction. The web browser changed all of that.

The Bookmarks/Favorites List found on all current web browsers makes it possible to easily "bookmark" a location on the web for future reference. The Bookmarks/Favorites list is readily accessible in the Menu Bar and can often be opened as a panel on the left side of the browser window. Clicking on an item that has been saved to the Bookmarks/Favorites list is all that is required to return to the exact location of the desired webpage. Navigation on the web couldn’t be any easier.

However, if you are like most web users, your bookmarks can quickly degenerate into an disorganized mess unless you regularly edit them. Fortunately, all of the web browsers offer Bookmarks/Favorites editing features that make managing your web resources a relatively simple matter.

Editing Bookmarks/Favorites

The exact procedures for editing your Bookmarks/Favorites varies from one web browser to another. Again, the browser's Help files will be the best source of specific information on how to do this. Take a minute to review the Bookmarks/Favorites section in your web browser's Help files. You may find it helpful to print a copy of the help files for future reference.

Open the Bookmarks/Favorites Window

Before you can edit your Bookmarks/Favorites, you will need to open the Bookmarks/Favorites window. Look for this option in the Bookmarks/Favorites menu. It will be called something like Organize Bookmarks, Organize Favorites or Show All Bookmarks. A new window will open as a new window or as a side bar.

Removing the Default Bookmarks/Favorites

Your current list of Bookmarks/Favorites will be visible. Web browsers, computer manufacturers and/or internet service providers often install long lists of Bookmarks/Favorites to promote partner sites. You will probably not want to keep all of these. Select the Bookmarks/Favorites that you do not need and delete them. You can often do this by clicking on the Delete key on your keyboard or there may be a Delete button available somewhere on the Bookmarks/Favorites window.

Creating Folders Within Your Bookmarks/Favorites

You could just throw all of your bookmarks into one long list but that will quickly become so long that it is difficult to navigate. Creating folders within your bookmarks / favorites folder and moving relevant bookmarks / favorites into these folders can make finding them in the future much easier.

Spend a few minutes setting up some folders in your Bookmarks/Favorites. Again, if this option is not obvious, your browser's Help files will provide details.

Don’t worry about experimenting with editing your bookmarks. You can always go back into the bookmark window and use the edit features to rearrange the changes you have made.

Adding New Bookmarks/Favorites

Close the Bookmarks/Favorites window and practice adding and filing some new Bookmarks/Favorites to the folders that you created. You will find a Bookmark This Page, Add to Favorites or Add Bookmark option in the Bookmarks/Favorites menu. You will also be able to do this with a keyboard shortcut. Check the Bookmarks/Favorites menu to find the shortcuts available on your web browser.

Moving Bookmarks/Favorites

Return to the Bookmarks/Favorites edit or organize screen and practice moving your Bookmarks/Favorites into and out of your folders. Explore the Menu Bar items for additional options that might be available. You can delete these practice items after you are comfortable with the process.

Renaming Bookmarks/Favorites

Bookmarks/Favorites are saved with the page title that was assigned to the web page by its creator. Often these titles are less than useful in describing the contents of the page. You can adjust the name of the bookmark/favorite that appears in your bookmark/favorites list from the edit or organize screens. There will typically be a Rename button available on the edit or organize screen for that purpose. Select the entry that you want to rename, click the Rename button and practice changing the name.
You may also see a Properties option which makes it possible for you to add metadata (additional comments) that will make your Bookmarks/Favorites even more useful.

Exporting Bookmarks

The only problem with the very useful Bookmarks/Favorites feature is that they are saved on the computer that you happen to be working on at the time. If you use multiple computers, you may end up with Bookmarks/Favorites that are not all in one place. Fortunately, it is possible to export your Bookmarks/Favorites an move them from one computer to another.

All of the current web browsers have made it very easy to export and import bookmarks. The exact location of this feature varies from one web browser to the next so it is a good idea to check the browser's Help files for details.

On Internet Explorer, a Import/Export Wizard is available in the File menu that will assist with the process. On Firefox, Export and Import are options that appear in the File menu when the Organize Bookmarks window is active. On Safari, Export Bookmarks and Import Bookmarks appear in the File menu when the Show All Bookmarks screen is active. Do you see a pattern?

When you export your Bookmarks/Favorites, it is always a good idea to save them to the desktop and to change the file name from the default bookmarks.htm file name to something a bit more unique. Your first or last name will work just fine but be sure to leave the .htm suffix as it is.

So, what's the point?

Once you have exported your Bookmarks/Favorites, you can easily move them from one computer to another. You can copy them to a USB thumb drive. You can send them as a file attached to an email message.

Since they have been saved as a little web page when they were exported, if you leave them on the desktop or move them to your My Documents or Documents folder on your personal computer, you can even use them as the home page for your web browser or save them to your Bookmarks/Favorites.

You can also easily import your Bookmarks/Favorites to another computer using the Import Bookmarks feature is you may have noticed next to the Export Bookmarks options when you started this process. As is always the case, the web browser's Help files will provide specific details on how to import your Bookmarks/Favorites.

Another Option for Bookmarks Management

Another option that you might want to consider would be using one of those online Bookmarks/Favorites management services. Several are available and are widely used by mobile computer users.

xmarks

Diigo

Pocket

As you find relevant web resources in your online explorations, be sure to add them to your Bookmarks or Favorites (or one of the online bookmarks options mentioned above.

I trust that you will exit the course with a collection of web resources that will be of use long after the course is completed.

Next: Summary and Reflections