As you know, it helps a lot to know what others think of a project you’re working on. So I set out to talk to people and gather feedback and opinions about existing online bookmarking tools since I’m building one. I focused on two groups of users: the average Web users, and the Web 2.0 crowd.
To get feedback from the average users, I asked my family, friends, and anyone who’d listen. The responses were, pretty much, like: online book… what? Nobody has even heard of the term. Of course, I expected something like that, but to actually see it and hear it brought the point home. I think it’s important to keep reminding ourselves that there is life outside the Web 2.0 bubble. And that’s where most people live.
To get feedback from the technical users group, I used a technical solution: I created a form using Wufoo’s free service, and then asked for help from the readers of Y-Combinator Startup News, which is frequented by highly technical people. I received a lot of comments, and 27 people filled my simple survey form (thanks, everyone). Here is a compilation of the data I managed to collect. Of course, this is a small sample, but we can still learn a lot from it:
Do you use an online bookmarking tool?
Out of the 27 answers to my survey, 66% of users indicated that they used an online bookmarking tool. This is not surprising given that the group consists of technical users who follow the latest Web trends.
| 66% | Yes |
| 19% | I used to, but not anymore |
| 4% | I tried, but didn’t like it |
| 11% | Never |
What tools?
I didn’t ask specifically what each participant used, but I collected a rough estimate from the comments:
| 40% | Delicious |
| 20% | Google Bookmarks |
| 20% | Browser Bookmarks & auto-complete |
| 20% | Google Search |
Not a scientific study, by any means, but it’s clear that del.icio.us is still the leader in this group. The interesting thing to notice here is that, even among technical users, many liked Google’s bookmarking tool even though it didn’t provide many of the features assumed, by many, to be critical to the success of any new Web site such as RSS feeds, tag clouds, social interactions, and aggregation of users data. People who liked it did so because it was simple and fast.
Any Requests or Complaints?
There were many requests for new features or fixes to existing ones. The top 4 that were echoed by many users are:
1. Make it fast: This was, by far, the most common complaint about online bookmarking tools.
2. A better way to organize information: Specifically, a hierarchical way was mentioned a few times. It seems that tags alone are not enough, or not the best option, for many users.
3. Synchronization between browsers. Users who preferred to use the browser bookmarks still wanted a way to have them synchronized across all the computers they use.
4. Tags are lame: Obviously not everyone likes tags. As mentioned in point 2 above, some users preferred a hierarchical approach (folders?), and others complained that it’s too hard to manage hundreds of tags.
Other Comments?
I also received some comments questioning the wisdom of building another online bookmarking tool:
New online bookmarking is a HUGE waste of time unless you have something VERY valuable to add. But I don’t think it doesn’t already exists.
Don’t waste your time, there is nothing wrong with the browsers inbuilt capability, how about doing something more productive.
I do agree that it’s a crowded market, and had I been just about to start now, I might’ve chosen something else; who knows. Maybe a Facebook App!!! But I’m close to a beta release, so I’m going to go ahead and finish it. Plus, I do believe that I’m building something different.
So, what did I learn from this exercise?
- Most people have no idea what online bookmarking is. So there is a huge market opportunity for the first one who creates a bookmarking product that the average users like. Of course, this is easier said than done because of the next point.
- The browser bookmarks, auto complete, and Google search are good enough for most users. So if you’re creating something new, it’ll have to be compelling and exciting. Or, target users who need more than the basics.
- Make it fast. Really fast. This is the most common complaint I heard about existing online bookmarking tools.
- Tags, feeds, and social aspects are good features to have, but they’re not essential for success. If your product doesn’t need them, don’t add them just because everyone else does.
Posted by waleed 
