Social Bookmarking: DIIGO vs. Pinterest
One great way to incorporate technology with education is through social bookmarking. DIIGO and Pinterest are two online social bookmarking tools. They are similar in their purposes. However, there are great differences between their layout, platform, and features.
Similarities
In both platforms, users are able to follow others and be followed. In DIIGO, you are able to join a group and also follow individual users. One great feature I loved when I first used DIIGO was how the bookmarks and updates on websites of those whom I follow appear in my library. So this broadens my scope of information, especially since those who I chose to follow are in related academic and career fields as myself. Similarly, in Pinterest you are given the option to follow particular boards or specific people. Once you add a pin or join a particular board, Pinterest provides suggestions to other pins or boards related to it. In DIIGO and Pinterest, users are able to label and use multiple tags.
Differences
Pinterest is a content curation platform which allows users to organize and share like interests online by “pinning” images to a virtual board. One of the most significant features that makes Pinterest special is that it is visually appealing. Users can explore, save and share links of pictures and even videos. On the other hand, DIIGO does not associate images with content that is saved. It does, however, feature options such as highlighting texts on websites in saved sites and making notes on them.
The Bottom Line
DIIGO and Pinterest are both excellent online social bookmarking platforms, but which one should be used? (Note: I don’t have any stocks or investments in either websites ;). From my assessment, it all depends on one’s needs. I'm a visual learner and love creativity, so using Pinterest is a pleasurable experience in having images representing websites, ideas or messages I want saved (I would continue using it just for fun). However, if I were to work on a paper or have a continuous research project, I would use DIIGO to save all my websites, as there are more options for highlighting, etc. and it seemed more catered to 'academia' and higher education. All in all, they are both effective tools that can enhance teaching and learning.
I really like the way you made this blog post- it's clear, informative, and straight to the point of comparing the two sites! I like the point you made about DIIGO- I wish I had that site when I was back in college doing research, it would have been a lifesaver! For now, at least, I can see myself bookmarking videos and other sites that I will be using in class.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment Danielle. I agree- DIIGO would have been great for my undergrad courses, but I'm glad I know about it now so I can use it for graduate work.
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