Introductions via Bookmarks

I think using Delicious bookmarks as a means of introducing ourselves to classmates and colleagues is a really fun and creative idea. In just the few moments it took me to scan through the bookmarks we've accumulated as a class thus far, I was able to see that I share the following non-academic interests with some of my classmates: Etsy, fantasy football, vegetarian cooking, celebrity gossip, and the Smitten Kitchen blog. Now I know that I may find other sites of interest to me by looking at the Delicious pages of those folks. I also liked having the opportunity to share some of my favorites!

It was challenging for me to think of myself in terms of the Web sites I look at, even though I spend hours a day on the Web and references to things like xkcd or Cute Overload occur regularly in my real-world conversations. And, as with any social software, I really thought through each choice and what it would "say" about me beyond "I like sports." On Facebook and other networking sites, I always refrain from listing favorite books, movies, music, etc. because I know people form opinions based on those things that are very limiting. If I post, for example, that my favorite musician is Yo Yo Ma, people will form a very different opinion of me than if I post that my favorite musician is Justin Timberlake. Does everyone think I'm a total geek now that I linked to Whedonesque?

How we present ourselves is, of course, not a concern that is limited to the virtual world, but it seems like a much larger challenge because so much of the information on social networking sites is not couched in any kind of context. When you make a list of favorites, people make their own assumptions, whereas when your favorites come up in the course of real-life face-to-face conversations an explanation is attached. You can relate a funny story or sentimental memory or something else that gives actual insight into your character more so than the simple fact that you like a certain movie. Facebook can make people seem very one-dimensional.