Yahoo Buys Social Bookmarking Firm Del.icio.us

Yahoo recently acquired Del.icio.us, a New York-based startup that is considered a pioneer in social bookmarking, a type of online service that lets users save, annotate, and tag links to their favorite Web pages and share their lists with other users.

Both Yahoo and Del.icio.us separately announced the deal via postings on their official blogs. Financial terms were not disclosed.

"Together we'll continue to improve how people discover, remember and share on the Internet, with a big emphasis on the power of community," Del.icio.us founder and Chief Executive Officer Joshua Schachter wrote in his company's official blog.

In the official blog from the search engine unit at Yahoo, Jeremy Zawodny wrote that the Del.icio.us team will be working "in close proximity" to Flickr, a photo-sharing service that Yahoo bought in March of this year.

Flickr works in a very similar way to Del.icio.us by letting users not only create online photo albums but also tag and share their pictures with other users.

Schachter said today he's convinced that Del.icio.us will thrive as a result of the acquisition because Yahoo truly comprehends the concept of social bookmarking.

For now, Del.icio.us users will not see any immediate changes to the service. It will remain at its current Web site and will continue to operate in its usual manner, Schachter said.

Flickr and Del.icio.us are considered good examples of what some call the Web 2.0 era of Internet services. Web 2.0 is a much-debated term used to describe many of the Internet companies born after the dot-com bust of 2000 and 2001.

Why Social Networking Sites are So Popular

Social networking websites, over the past few years, have rapidly increased in popularity, so much that many are wondering why. If you have used a social networking website before, it is likely that you are already fully aware of their popularity and the reason for popularity. There is just something about these websites that draw in millions of Internet users. With a wide variety of different social networking websites available, there are a wide variety of different reasons for their popularity. One those reasons being the ease of use.

Social networking websites are, for the most part, easy to use. Most sites are easy to navigate. In fact, many require little knowledge of the Internet. In addition to being easy to navigate, social networking websites also make it easier to meet new people online.

There are many Internet users who would love to make new friends online; however, that can sometimes be difficult do. Without social networking websites, you would have to connect with Internet users, often in chat rooms, and learn about their interests before deciding if you would like to consider them your “buddy.” Social networking sites allow you to learn information about another Internet user before ever having to make contact with them.

Another one of the many reasons why social networking sites are popular is because many are free to use. In fact, the majority of social networking sites, such as MySpace and Yahoo! 360, are free to use.

Despite being free to use, many websites require that you register with them. This registration will not only allow you to create your own profile or online webpage, but it will also allow you to contact other networking members.