First, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page on what social bookmarking is. According to Wikipedia, social bookmarking is “an activity performed over a computer network that allows users to save and categorize a personal collection of bookmarks and share them with others.”

The basic concept behind social bookmarking, like all “Web 2.0″ features, is the power of user directed content. Social bookmarking is one way of organizing and categorizing information.

Unlike your own personal website bookmarks you create through your browser, other people have access to socially bookmarked sites. And, when a bookmarked site is clicked on, the social bookmarking site identifies the person who created the bookmark and provides access to other sites that same user has bookmarked. This is how it creates a viral effect.

This system makes it very easy for like-minded people to make social connections and to identify others who have the same interests. Over time a community of users develops. And, if your website is part of this community, your web presence has increased multi-fold.

But how does this help you with your business branding and marketing? Well, for one, having your bookmarked site shared throughout an online community can generate backlinks, thus improving off-page search engine optimization. This increased visibility on social bookmarking sites, as well as on search engines, will drive more visitors to your site. And, of course, the more visitors your site gets, the more sales you’ll make.

With that said, however, you need to be aware that social bookmarking can … and has been … abused. You want to be careful how you work social bookmarking into your overall marketing plan. You don’t want to book mark your site so often that you appear spammy.

Popular Bookmarking Sites

1. digg.com
2. Yahoo! Buzz
3. StumbleUpon.com
4. reddit.com
5. Technorati.com
6. del.icio.us
7. kaboodle.com
8. mixx.com
9. Propeller.com
10. newsvine.com