My first exposure to bookmarklets was through Google Bookmarks. I started using Google Bookmarks because I was trying to back-up the bookmarks I use in Chrome, as well as keep track of some things I wanted to check out later but weren’t worth a (seemingly) more permanent bookmark in my browser. Things that I intend to read, or things that require actions, like a job posting.

Shortly after I started using the site, I found the bookmarklet, which was great. The bookmarklet lets you name, tag, and capture notes without ever leaving the page in question. I tag things with topics and categories, but also with actions, like “To Do,” “To Read,” or “To Apply.”

Recently, I found the bookmarklet for goo.gl, Google’s link shortener. Now, instead of going to Tiny URL or bit.ly, I can just click on the bookmarklet from the page I want to shorten, and I get a pop-up with my shortened link – again, without ever visiting another page.

The third bookmarklet, which I just found this morning, is used to share web content through Google Reader. Since many of the blogs I follow, such as Lifehacker and the Human Factors Blog, frequently post links to other blogs and websites, this makes it easier for me to directly share the original content, rather than sharing a list of links and using the notes to direct followers to the relevant link.

These bookmarklets make web browsing easier, and simplify the sharing process, whether it’s through Google Reader, Twitter, or some other source.