Wanted a Good Visual Bookmarking Site: Goodbye, Pinterest.

Wanted:  A Good Visual Bookmarking Site 

Here's why....

As someone who loves to read and learn online, I began using bookmarking sites early in my transition to digital material.  My first go-to site was Diigo.  I loved that you could annotate and tag the links saved.  Then along came Pinterest.  I'll be the first to admit that Pinterest creates a lot of dangerous educational possibilities.  There are a million worksheets and pins that don't necessarily lead to best practice.  Of course, one of the things I've learned over the years is that it isn't the tool that is the problem, it is often the way we use it.

The Way It Used to Be
I didn't like Pinterest for its "make and take it" possibilities, but instead for the ability to save the links I had found and bookmark them.  Through Pinterest, I was able to collect articles, links, books, and resources.  Making boards around topics proved a helpful way of organizing for me as I built boards that included Literacy 3.0, Many Faces of Children's Literature, Rethinking Learning Spaces, and many others I repeatedly return to for reference.

I didn't just love Pinterest for its ease and visual appeal in bookmarking, but I loved it for its social bookmarking capabilities.  I started following friends I knew would curate smart links.  I knew I could count on friends like Jill Fisch for great book titles, Franki Sibberson for smart literacy links, and Michelle Nero for tips on best practice in reading.  I knew I could count on these connections, and many more, to bring strong content to my attention.  In addition to being able to take advantage of the curation of peers, I was also able to collaboratively bring information together.  For example, through #cyberPD we formed groups that shared bookmarking abilities that matched our topic of study.

Goodbye, Pinterest
Across the years, Pinterest has slowly tried to bring more promotional material into the feed and "personalize" links that come to my attention.  Instead of seeing the links friends are curating, I now see promotional links and links Pinterest thinks I want to see.  Dear Pinterest, I don't need worksheets for guided reading (because that isn't guided reading anyway).  I don't need cut out icons for "interactive notebooks" (because I haven't figured out what is "interactive" about that).  What I need is to be able to see the educational material my friends share, but I no longer easily see the links they are collecting.  I know I can count on these people for good content, but I can no longer find their links among the promoted and selected links.

So....goodbye, Pinterest.

For these reasons, I'm planning to begin to move my bookmarking to a new site.  I'm looking for something that is visual, tag-able, organizable, and can be social.  Any suggestions???

Dear Pinterest, Stop Promoting

I've tried to resist writing this post for months, but I just have to put my fingers to the keyboard to talk about Pinterest.  I've been using Pinterest for years.  I replaced my Diigo account with Pinterest as I loved how visual it was.  Those boards were so easy to utilize.  It was also much easier to collaborate, see the sites my friends were finding, and work socially.

Then came Pinterest promotion!  This morning, of my first 10 pins suggested by others, 6 are either promoted or picked for me.  As a scroll through Pinterest, my feed it is filled with pins Pinterest is sure I want to see, but here's the thing:  I don't.  As a teacher who uses Pinterest to keep track of thoughtful articles, digital writing mentors, and ways to improve my practice, I don't want to see Teachers Pay Teachers posts, free forms and worksheets, or other educational make and take ideas Pinterest is sure I want.  I don't want to see the posts Pinterest apparently thinks I want to see.  Instead, I want to see the pins my friends are selecting.

Since Pinterest has made this change, I spend very little time looking at my feed.  I find it frustrating to sort through the promotions to find what I am looking for when I visit.  Now I just use it to pin.  If it wasn't so perfectly organized and visual I probably would have left long ago.

Dear Pinterest, please stop promoting in my feed.  Let me enjoy your site for what it was meant to be, a social bookmarking site.  If you really need to promote - which I get that you need income to keep your site going - I'd like a way to move between tabs that take the promotion and picked pins out of my way.  This would allow me to see what I want to see.  Facebook places advertising on the side, Instagram puts one image in the first few pictures of your feed, Twitter adds one tweet to the top of your page.  I can live with all of these.  I've tried to get used to Pinterest's promoted pins, but it really has taken the interaction away from this site.  

I'm hoping at some point this post makes it to the decision makers and creators of Pinterest.  I'd love to hear your comments....and if you have a bookmarking site that's visual I'd love to hear more about it.  I may need to pack my pins and go.

How Can We More Effectively Manage Multiple Social Media Networks?

If you're like me you manage multiple social media networks.  Though my commitment varies across networks, you can find my on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram.  Not only am I participating in these various social networks, but I follow several people across these platforms.  I'm noticing that friends have two styles of posting:  some push the same information out across all networks and some tailor posts to the particular network.  With the plethora of social media networks available I'm hoping you'll share in the comments your thoughts and suggestions about managing multiple social media networks.

Each time I join a social network I try to determine my purpose within that network.  There are times common threads run across my social media accounts, but I try to post differently in all networks so friends who follow me across spaces see different updates.  I suppose this could make me appear one dimensional if you only follow me on one network, but I'm hoping it works toward my purpose.

My Purposes within Social Media
Twitter:  Twitter has really become my professional home.  I want to apologize to every friend outside of my educational life who decides to follow me here.  For me, Twitter is all about networking, finding information, joining professional conversations, and making learning connections.  I host three accounts (yes - I may have a problem).  My main account, @CathyMere, is focused on professional conversation around literacy, technology, and practices that grow the work I do with children.  I also host an account to support public education, @PublicEd4Kids.  Here I follow, and occasionally tweet, about policy, politics, and information that supports public education. My last account is where I share information for our school community about reading.  From @DarbyCreekReads, I send important updates to parents, share reading information, and post learning celebrations from my students.

Google+:  Google+ is one of the spaces people keep pulling me into despite all of my efforts to resist (my Google+ account).  I've come to enjoy Google+ and use it entirely for professional purposes.  I find Google+ to be my favorite space for working in learning communities.  The ability to create groups, organize subheadings within communities, interact with others in connected conversation (all in one space), write updates with more information, add links/images/etc., and other features make this the perfect space for gathering as a community.

LinkedIn:  I recently joined LinkedIn and use it only for professional purposes as I kept getting requests to join. I really haven't explored its abilities to connect and interact.

Pinterest:  I use Pinterest for personal and professional reasons.  This is probably the one space where my worlds collide most.  My main account, Catmere, hosts personal and professional boards.  You'll find me posting links to favorite recipes, quotes I find inspiring, writing mentors, and links to rethink education.  I also host two other Pinterest accounts:  Cathy Mere Books (Started when I was having problems with Listmania.  Here I collect links to book collections I like to return to for teaching.) and Mrs. Mere's Class (Links for families).

Instagram:   I'm the last to jump on the Instagram bus.  My daughter convinced me I needed to give it a try after watching me continually snap pictures of favorite places, flowers, and interesting things that catch my eye with my phone.  I've decided to use Instagram more personally @cathymere1.  I also like to share poetry here.  It just seemed a good place to bring poetry and image together.

Facebook:  Though I follow many educators and many education related pages on Facebook, most of my posting is personal.  I use this platform to connect with family, friends, and educators I've gotten to know over the years.

For me, having a purpose and focus for various accounts makes it easier to organize the media I share.  I'm hoping it helps those who follow me to see a variety of information instead of seeing the same posts across networks (though I know sometimes something has to come across my feed five times before I see it).  What are your thoughts?  How do you organize and manage your social media networks?  Do you think it is best to send the same or different information across networks (and why?)?

Scary? Not Really

Every year students seem to find a new twist in books they’re interested to read in the classroom.  Last year was no exception as my class fell in love with books that seem scary, but really aren’t.  As our calendar turns to October it seems the perfect time to bring these books out again and see if this class feels the same way about them.

These books led to interesting writing, sincere conversations about things that scare us, discussions about bravery, and of course more books that seem scary. I think students will love these books to read and reread as well as use as mentors for writing.

My Current Top Ten Favorites

Stop by the Scary? Not Really Pinterest board to view my growing list of titles.

The Dark by Lemony Snicket (author) and Jon Glassen (illustrator)

Nighttime Ninja by Barbara DaCosta (author) and Ed Young (illustrator)

Open Very Carefully:  A Book with a Bite by Nick Bromley (author) and Nicola O’Byrne (illustrator)

I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll (author) and Howard McWilliam (illustrator)

The Spooky Box by Mark Gonyea

Do Not Open This Book! by Joy Cowley (author) and David Lund (illustrator)

A Beasty Story by Bill Martin Jr. (author) and Steven Kellogg (illustrator)

What’s Under the Bed by Joe Fenton

Jumpy Jack and Googily by Meg Rossof (author) and Sophie Blackall (illustrator)

Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds (author) and Peter Brown (illustrator)