Initially, "blogs" were the big new phenomenon when it comes to generating traffic to Web sites and pages.
Albeit they still are until now, a new phenomenon is starting to crop its way up to popularity--social bookmarking.
For those who aren't familiar with it yet, social bookmarking is merely an easily comprehensible Web service wherein Web users can surf through the Internet and then bookmark their respective favorite Web sites, electronic articles, digital pictures, and lots more--anything you can link on the Internet is "bookmarkable.
" Web users do this through their registered accounts through a social bookmarking service they signed up with.
From the point of view of Web users, the advantage of social bookmarking is associated with the fact that they can locate all their favorite stuff on the Internet from one easy navigable location.
In addition, they do not have to store "bookmark files" on their hard disk, thereby saving a lot of space.
How these Web users exactly locate their respective saved bookmarks is not so difficult to envision.
All they have to do is to "tag" particular sites by means of keywords that are associated to whatever topic the bookmarked site contains.
Thus, when the time comes that they want to access the information contained in a particular bookmarked Web page or Web site, all they have to do is type in the "tag" associated to their query.
This is just the essential aspect about social bookmarking.
Nevertheless, it offers a lot more--one can primarily use social bookmarking to generate traffic.
If the Web user selects their bookmarks to be viewable by the "public," it implies that the entire social bookmarking community as well as the Web will have access to the bookmarked information.
Are you starting to see the connection? From a marketer's point of view, let's say that I opened up an account at a particular social bookmarking service and it is ready for me to begin bookmarking whatever it is I want to bookmark.
What do I need to bookmark? You guessed it.
Of course I would start with my own Web sites and all its Web pages.
I am also going to tag pages by means of keywords, which I think is suitable for the content written on the page.
Other Web users within my social bookmarking community and the Web would be able search using keywords, thereby rendering the chance for my Web site to be found.
Moreover, because I have chosen to have my account "public," then anybody surfing the Internet will be able to find my bookmarks that contains leads to my Web sites and Web pages--pretty neat for soliciting free targeted traffic! You would totally be in control as to whatever it is you want to bookmark.
The unwritten rule is to not "spam" other users with junk found on your social bookmarks.
People use social bookmarking services to locate information.
Hence, simply give them what they need and in return you gain free targeted traffic, which in turn could potentially make you some sales without costing you a dime.
With search engines proliferated by a lot of junk and spam these days, people are starting to resort to other means for locating the targeted information they are looking for.
This is where social bookmarking communities come into play and where you can benefit, provided that you follow the rules.
More and more social bookmarking services are popping up because of there ability to easily locate targeted information by simply using tags making it easier for Web users to search for the information they need.
Social bookmarking can be a potentially powerful means of targeted traffic generation.
But as the "Spiderman" movie adage goes, "With great power, comes great responsibility.
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