Introduction
System Requirements
User Profiles, Registration and Login
Bookmarklet
Issue Reporting
Other Questions
What is Microsoft Social Bookmarks?
Microsoft Social Bookmarks is a new social bookmarking application created by Microsoft.
The social bookmarking application can be accessed via any of the following sites:
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What is social bookmarking?
Social bookmarking is a way to:
Why should I use Microsoft Social Bookmarks?
This social bookmarking application lets you:
Some of the key features of Microsoft Social Bookmarks are:
In this "Preview" release, any forum threads that you add tags to (from within the forums) are automatically saved as your public bookmarks.
How is using Microsoft Social Bookmarks different from storing my bookmarks in a browser?
When you store a bookmark using Microsoft Social Bookmarks, the bookmark is saved on the Web. This lets you access your bookmarks and manage them from any computer connected to the Internet.
Social bookmarking also lets you share interesting links publicly so that everyone can see them. (You can always mark a bookmark as private if you do not want to share it). Similarly, you can find new links by looking at what other users have bookmarked. You can see how many other people have bookmarked the same link – helping you easily find popular links.
Finally, you can use your own tags to organize your bookmarks, giving you more flexibility in organizing your bookmarks compared to a hierarchical folder system.
What are tags?
A tag is a descriptive keyword associated with a bookmark. You can add as many tags as you like to a bookmark, and you can make changes to them whenever you like.
You are not required to use tags, but you may find them useful in helping to organize your bookmarks. To decide what tags to use, you might think about words that would help you remember a bookmark in the future. You can also use tags to categorize your bookmarks. For example, you can associate all of your video bookmarks with the tag "video," or can keep a running list of links to read by associating them with a tag of "toread."
Tags are also useful for exploring bookmarks from other users (or to help other users explore your public bookmarks).
Tags are not case sensitive. To create a tag using more than one word, use quote marks around the words (for example, "sql server"). Punctuation is not allowed in tags.
This page says "Preview." What does that mean?
This is an early, pre-release version of the application. A full release will follow soon. We have released this version now so that we can get feedback to help us improve the application. You can provide your feedback in the Social Bookmarking Forum.
Since this is a "Preview," will I be able to keep my bookmarks after the full release?
Yes. The bookmarks that you save now will continue to be available after the preview has ended.
What operating systems and browsers are supported?
The following browsers and operating systems are supported:
Other browsers and operating systems may work, but some features may not be fully functional.
What are the recommended screen resolutions?
A minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768 is recommended. Lower resolutions may work, but some features may not be fully functional.
Do I need to enable scripting in my browser?
Yes. scripting must be enabled in your browser in order for the application to work correctly.
Do I have to create a profile in order to use the social bookmarking application?
You can view and explore bookmarks stored by other users without using a profile. However, in order to save your own bookmarks, you do need to sign in. This requires a Windows Live ID.
How do I register for a Windows Live ID?
You can register for a Windows Live ID by visiting http://account.live.com and clicking Sign Up. Once you have a Windows Live ID, you can use it to sign in to Microsoft Social Bookmarks.
How do I set up a profile?
The first time you sign in to the application with your Windows Live ID, you will be prompted to set up a profile. You are required to choose a display name. All other information is optional.
What is a display name?
Your display name is the name that is shown to other users. You can use your real name as your display name, or you can choose a nickname. Note that the display name is visible to all users of the application.
How can I edit my display name?
You can edit your display name by clicking the My Profile button on any page. On your profile page, click Edit Profile, and then change your display name. Click Save after completing the changes.
What is the bookmarklet?
The bookmarklet is a button on your browser (created using Javascript) that provides an easy way to bookmark online content.
To install the bookmarklet, follow the directions on the Getting Started pages for MSDN, TechNet, or Expression.
I installed the bookmarklet, but I don't see it on my Internet Explorer toolbar. Why not?
In order to see the bookmarklet, the Links bar must be displayed. To display the Links bar, click the Tools button, click Toolbars, and then select Links. (A check mark to the left of Links indicates that the bar is displayed.)
If you still cannot see the links bar, it's probably locked on the right side of the screen. To unlock the Links bar, click the Tools button, click Toolbars, and then click Lock the Toolbars to clear the check mark. Drag the Links toolbar down so you can see it.
How do I uninstall the bookmarklet?
For Internet Explorer users:
For Firefox users:
I have found a bug. Where can I report it?
Please post any bug reports in the Social Bookmarking Forum.
I have a suggestion for a feature, or a question or concern that is not answered here. Where can I post it?
Please post any feature requests, questions, or general concerns in the Social Bookmarking Forum.
I do not want to share all my bookmarks publicly. Can I keep my bookmarks private?
Yes. You can mark individual bookmarks as private. You can also edit a bookmark to change it from private to public (or vice versa).
Can I import my existing bookmarks (from my browser or another bookmarking service)?
This "Preview" version is not able to import bookmarks. However, this is something that we are working on. Stay tuned!
Somebody else has saved a bookmark that I liked. Can I copy that bookmark and save it to my collection?
If you are signed in, you will see a Save to My Bookmarks button next to the bookmark. Click this button to save the bookmark to your collection.
What languages are supported?
At this time the application is only available in US English. We plan to add support for more languages soon.
How do you determine the popularity of a bookmark?
The popularity of a bookmark is determined by the number of users that have bookmarked a link publicly. Next to each bookmark, you will see a link which shows how many people have saved it.
Can I obtain an RSS/ATOM feed of bookmarks?
This "Preview" version does not provide RSS/ATOM feeds. However, this is something that we are working on. Stay tuned!
What is the difference between the different Microsoft Social Bookmarks sites?
Bookmarks saved to any one of these sites may still be accessed via the other sites, provided you are signed in using the same Windows Live ID that you used to save your bookmarks.