Add comments as you browse

A new service called Diigo, which – in all seriousness – stands for "Digest of Internet Information, Groups and Other stuff" allows you to add comments as you browse. It works similarly to bookmarking sites like Del.icio.us. Where it really comes into its own, however, is web annotation: the ability to highlight text and images, or add ‘sticky notes’ (a bit like online Post-its) to any webpage.

Before we look at annotation though, there are few things that Diigo does with bookmarks that make it stand out. It’s like the Swiss army knife of web browsing.

• You can store all your bookmarks online so you are no longer tied to the browser on one computer when it comes to finding information that you’ve bookmarked. Additionally, Diigo will store a copy of the page as it was when you viewed it. That means no more going back to a page to look something up again only to find that it’s not there any more.
• If you are already using Del.icio.us or another similar service, there’s no need to stop. You can set this clever web application to simultaneously add a page to Del.icio.us when you add it to Diigo.
• If you’ve read something that perhaps you would like to add to your blog simply right-click and then choose ‘blog this’.
• There are a number of other very useful features on the right-click menu. For example if you read something you think someone else would like to see you can right-click on it and then email the page directly to them. Or if you highlight it the Diigo menu appears automatically and just the highlighted text is sent, and of course added to your list of bookmarks automatically.

As mentioned above, the really exciting feature here is web annotation. If you’re carrying out online research, or perhaps collaborating on a project, it’s a very powerful tool. Imagine looking at your website and deciding what you need your web editor to update. With Diigo all you have to do is highlight some text and add a note telling them what the text should be changed to.

You can keep your highlights and notes private so they’re just for you to see or allow other users to see and interact with them. You can even choose whether or not you see anybody else’s notes if you don’t want to be interrupted while browsing.

Try it out at and let us know if you come up with any other uses.

Diigo

Wireless net access anywhere at no charge...?

There was a buzz in the rechord studio (no, not a fly seeking refuge from the strange weather, just a palpable excitement) when we heard about what FON are doing.

This new company, it is said, may become bigger than Skype. The way their amazing offer works is:

• You pay for their special wireless router, a snip at 15 euros
• You agree to let any other FON member use your connection
• You get to use any other FON member's connection, without spending a bean

Go here to find out more:
FON

There's gold in them there forums

How communities and businesses are helping each other out, online

The second part in our series of posts on online communities is about how they are actually benefiting business, and vice versa. Let's pause now for a minute, while we listen for the sound of Marx stirring in his coffin. Actually, it's not as sinister as it sounds (the concept, not the dead economist) - there's no exploitation going on. Forums attached to business websites are becoming more and more popular, and can be the great leveller.

There are a number of exceptional benefits to be had from a properly functioning community on a website. For a start, on the side of the organisation, a good group of people regularly saying interesting or helpful things will bring new visitors back to your site again and again. If you are offering any kind of product that needs support, having a message board or forum can cut down on your support costs as users give each other advice on how they overcame problems, or you can post advice about common support issues. It's also a good way to demonstrate that you can deal with criticism and respond to problems quickly and effectively. You can scour the forums for positive feedback which can be used (with permission) in your marketing materials and promotions.

On the side of the user, browsing an organisation's forum can quickly tell you whether this is an organisation worth dealing with or buying from. At the very least, simpy having a forum demonstrates an open attitude, and self-confidence in the product or service being offered. You can also search for quick answers to problems you may have been having, or find novel ways of using what is being offered which may be of benefit.

If you are convinced by the benefits, and are considering starting your own community, you should only do it if you have enough time to give to the project. A neglected community does not send out a good message. You need to make sure that you moderate it properly and update it regularly to send out the all-important message of professionalism, and keep the site secure.

Contact rechord if you need any more advice on this subject, at no charge. We could chew anybody's ears off for hours about it; we are just passionate about online communities.