Social bookmarking

This week I’ve discovered a new way to exploit the net: there’s a website where you can easily find sites or blogs that deal with a particular topic and meanwhile you can share your favorite web sources. I’m talking about del.icio.us!

In this site you can explore the net thanks to the tags people use to describe their favourite sites and blogs, really a very useful mean to organize the great amount of material that exists in the web. And if you find something interesting worth of being suggested to other people, you can save it, introducing the url with a small description where you describe it and deciding its tags. I think everybody registered in del.icio.us should include this two lines comment in order to help the other visitors in their choices, otherweise there wouldn’t be any difference with Google!

To tell the truth, there’s a big difference between del.icio.us and Google: the first one selects the sites looking at their tags, the keywords found by people to define the topics of their favourite sources, whereas the second one offers its visitors a list of sites or blogs which simply contain the word you’re looking for, often suggesting sources that has little to do with the topic you’re interested in, simply trapping you in a long list of unuseful sources.

In the last days I chose 5 bookmarks about languages and English learning; among these I found Word Spy, it explores new words that come out from newspapers, magazines, books, Web sites, giving a definition and an example citation of them... really very very interesting and useful!
Then, I looked at those sources chose by the others... Here’s the list of the sites that drew my attention and interest.

First, what we’re doing now... blogging:
- Blogging for Beginners: ProBlogger Blog Tips: Darren Rowse gives tips regarding the structure, form, and content of a blog and answers to frequent and common problems of people who start on blogging.

Then, three sites about the English language itself, its words and their use:
- English as a Second Language Glossary of Idiomatic English Expressions : a glossary of idiomatic Eglish expressions;
- Common Errors in English: the website gives a very accurate list of words that causes misunderstandings, explaining their origin and their correct use;
- The Best of British - The American's guide to speaking British...: a funny site which explains many differences in using American and British English.

Two sites more with tips for improving our oral and written skills:
- Sound intelligent, powerful, polished, articulate, and confident: Carol Fleming gives some suggestions to improve public speaking and presentation skills;
- How to Write More Clearly, Think More Clearly, and Learn Complex Material More Easily: a website which explains how to write in a simple but effective way through some slides, giving also tips for learning stategies.

Three sites that deal with our learning experience:
- Learn languages with FriendsAbroad : a language learning and language exchange web site that allows you to meet people around the world to help each other practice your languages;
- Teachit's English teaching resources many teachers offer general information, suggestions and materials about English teaching and learning;
- Open Culture: iTunes - Foreign Language Lesson Podcast Collection: here you can listen to some foreign lessons podcasts or download them to the iPod.

And finally...some tips for the future:
- About: Job searching: the site gives tips about how to write a successful CV.

Thanks for all the important sources bookmarked in del.icio.us!