Do you visit the same sites often? Do you, for example, log into your web-based email account, visit online forums / networks, visit blogs, etc. on a daily basis?

If so, and you aren't already using bookmarks to manage your online activities, this article will tell you how to speed up your surfing by using and managing bookmarks. If you're already using bookmarks, the article has useful tips on exporting your bookmarks and saving them on a website. This comes in handy when you're away from your computer - on a vacation, say - and still want to visit the sites you surf regularly.

1. First, the basics

1.1 What is a bookmark?

Bookmark is Netscape / Mozilla's term for a shortcut link to a website. Internet Explorer calls them "Favorites". When you bookmark a site, your browser places a link to it under the "Bookmark" or "Favorites" menu at the top. For the sake of brevity, we shall be using the term "bookmark" to mean bookmark or favorite site throughout this article.

1.2 Bookmarking a site:

Bookmarking a site is the essence of simplicity. When you visit a site that you'll be visiting regularly, simply press Ctrl+D (Hit the D key while keeping Ctrl pressed). Depending on your browser, this will add a link to the bookmarks straightaway or ask you to confirm that you'd like to add the site.

1.3 Using bookmarks:

Bookmarks offer a quick way to visit sites. Once you bookmark a site, you don't have to type the URL (address) of the site when you wish to visit it.

When you want to visit a site you've bookmarked, click the Bookmark or Favorites menu item. You will get a drop down list of all your bookmarks or your browser will open a new pane / frame with the list of sites. Some browsers add bookmarks on their own, so don't be surprised if you see links to sites you never bookmarked. Clicking on any of the bookmarks will take you directly to the site.

1.3.1 TIP:

If you're using Mozilla Firefox, right-click on the bookmark to get a context-sensitive menu that allows you to open the link in a new window or new tab. You can thus continue to work in the current window while the bookmarked site opens in the new window / tab.

2. Managing Bookmarks

If you bookmark a large number of sites, your list of bookmarks can get pretty unwieldy. You may need to manage or organise your bookmarks so that you can find them quickly.

Internet Explorer has an "Organize" button that opens a window with various options, such as "Create New Folder", "Move to Folder", etc. Mozilla Firefox / Netscape have a "Manage Bookmarks" link that similarly opens a window to manage your bookmarks.

2.1 What you can do to manage your Bookmarks

1. You can create folders that will contain similar bookmarks. This is useful when you have several sites of the same type in your bookmarks list. For example, you may create a MAIL folder and store links to Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, etc. there. You may create a NETWORKS folder to store links to online networks like Ryze, LinkedIn, Ecademy, etc. You may create a FORUMS folder to store links to discussion groups you frequent.

2. You can create separators, lines between bookmarks, so that you can see at a glance the groups of bookmarks. This is useful when you have too few bookmarks to store in folders, but too many to allow you to find the desired bookmark quickly.

3. You can move bookmarks up or down in the list or into folders. You'll need to do this in order to keep bookmarks to similar sites together. To move a bookmark, simply click-drag it to where you want it, up or down in the list.

4. You can change the properties of the bookmark, such as its name or description.

3. Export your Bookmarks

Both, IE and Mozilla Firefox allow you to export your bookmarks to an html file that you can store on your hard disk, floppy disk or CD. This provides a back up in case you lose your bookmarks (if you have to re-format your hard disk because of a virus, for example). You can import the bookmarks from the file at any time.

3.1 To Export your Bookmarks from Internet Explorer

Go to File-->Import and Export

This will start the Import and Export Wizard, which will guide you through the steps to export your bookmarks. Make sure you save the file to a drive other than C: so that it will remain available to you in case you have to re-format your C drive.

3.2 To Export your Bookmarks from Mozilla Firefox / Netscape

Open the Bookmarks Manager window by selecting Bookmarks-->Manage Bookmarks.

Click File-->Export in the Bookmarks Manager window (NOT the main browser window).

Navigate to the Drive / Folder where you want to store the file and click "Save". It is good practice to save the file on a drive other than C: so it remains available to you in case you have to re-format your C Drive.

4. Store your Bookmarks on the Web

There may be times when you're away from your computer, but still need to access your bookmarks. There are many free sites on the net that allow you to store your bookmarks so they are available to you no matter where you are.

If you google "Free Bookmark Managers" (with the quotes) you will get links to dozens of web-based Bookmark Managers that allow you to store your bookmarks on their servers. You may need to create an account with them to use the service.

To upload your bookmarks to your account you may first need to export them to a file (explained in "3. Export your Bookmarks" above). You may then upload the file to your account by following the directions given on the site.

So what are you waiting for? Start bookmarking sites now and enjoy hassle-free surfing.

Deepak Morris
http://www.freewebs.com/deepakmorris/