What can you use the application for?
del.icio.us allows you to keep your bookmarks online. Instead of sorting your bookmarks per folder you can tag them. By default your bookmarks are public allowing people to learn from one another.
What is the history and popularity of the application?
Del.icio.us was started by Joshua Schachter in 2003 and was purchased by Yahoo in 2005. It is one of the first social bookmarking websites. In september 2007 it had more than 100 million bookmarked URLs.
What are the differences to other applications?
Compared to other bookmarking sites, del.icio.us is more functional. You use it to keep your own bookmarks and tag them. Occasionally you can explore the bookmarks of other people or send people your wishlist links. The community plays a smaller role and there is no voting system.
How does the application look and feel to use?
The website is functional and clean. All the white space feels a bit too sterile. Hopefully things will improve after the launch of Delicous 2.0 sometime in 2008.
How does the registration process work?
Registration is easy, giving your email address is optional. After registration you can install two buttons in your browser. These will take you to your bookmarks and allow you to create new bookmarks.
What does it cost to use the application?
There is currently no advertising on the website. Being owned by Yahoo apparently has its advantages.
Who would you recommend the application to?
Del.icio.us is great for storing your bookmarks online; have them handy when you login at another computer or after you get a new computer. Because it is hard to select specific categories it is less useful for casual browsing.
