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Ask HN: What would improve your bookmarking experience?

4 points by jonashendel ↗ HN
TLDR: I am making a bookmarking app, what would improve your bookmarking experience?

I am currently working on a product to improve the bookmarking experience on the internet. I surf the web almost every day and come across interesting articles all the time. I don't always have time to read them or want to come back to them later, so I then bookmark them. However, this often results in me forgetting about them or not finding them because I don't remember in which browser and on what device I bookmarked the link.

Therefore I started making my own bookmarking app. It will have - import and export (JSON, CSV, markdown, txt) - web/native app - suggest three random bookmarks to remind the user about them - extension for frictionless bookmarking - extension that shows your bookmarks that relate to a google search - notes to remember ideas - folders and share folders (collaborative bookmarking) - categories to enable a broader search if the bookmark title is forgotten - download the site to prevent link rotting

Would you use an app like this and what other features would you wish for?

5 comments

[ 215 ms ] story [ 1107 ms ] thread
emrah
Honestly I wouldn't. Even if I did, there are many options for this already. I would prefer one of the long-time existing solutions (Pocket, Instapaper etc) over a brand new one.

I would encourage you to look past bookmarks. Aside from "I'll read this later", they are pretty useless

> extension that shows your bookmarks that relate to a google search

I think this is a good lead.. how/if you could monetize it is a different story though

jonashendel
The point of this app is not really to have a place to store bookmarks, but rather make a new internet with the links you have saved. I am also aware that most people already have some sort of bookmarking system. Therefore one of my main focuses is making it easy to start and even stop using the app (export/import).
emrah
Sorry, this point was not made clear in the original post
lewisjoe
Checkout this project - https://github.com/joelewis/readmelater

I used to have a hosted version at https://closetab.email - I'll have to re-host the app again. But it should solve the "bookmarks going into abyss" problem

jonashendel
Really cool project, I like the "reaching out via email" and "reading time" feature. However my plan with the app is to make it more like a second personalised internet. I'll give an example: lets say you have been reading HN for some years now. Every now and then you have come across an article talking about the how to hire as a startup. Back then you found it interesting but you weren't in a position where it was relevant information. Now however you have your own startup and have to hire. Now you wish you had those articles. Maybe you have bookmarked them somewhere but can't find them because they got lost between the 100s of other bookmarks and/or in a complex folder system. Maybe you even forgot that you have them somewhere. And when you google for tips the only articles that come up are generic corporate tips. This app will help against this. You dont event have to remember that you bookmarked it. If you search in google, the currently empty right part of the screen will be filled with results from links that you have bookmark and fit the query (based on categories assigned to the bookmarks, most used words in the article, bookmark title and notes)