Collect, Organize and Share Your Favorite Content with Zootool

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Sometimes I often wonder, just how many methods do we really need for saving and organizing bookmarks, images and videos from the web? You would think that just one would be enough, but every time I come across something new I wonder if it could be better than what I’m currently using. That’s exactly how I felt when I came across Zootool; it’s a visual bookmarking tool that also integrates social media for instant sharing.

Pick Your Tool

Zootool has a bookmarklet, which is called the “Lasso.” It allows you to quickly save images, videos and web pages while browsing. This is the easiest way to get started using Zootool, but if you prefer they also have an unofficial Chrome extension, Firefox Addon and even a Safari extension. If those aren’t enough, there are many other tools and integrations listed on their Tools page.

Connect Your Social Profiles

You can add links to your other profiles right on your Zootool profile. Supported sites include: Delicious, Facebook, FriendFeed, Tumblr, Twitter and many more! Some profiles are used for sharing your Zootool content while others are just used as a simple link to your actual profile on that site.

Adding A Bookmark

I am using the Chrome Lasso extension and when I click the browser button, I am given the option to pick the image that I would like to use. Unfortunately, you can only pick one image to represent your bookmark. Once you pick the one you want, you’ll be give the option to add a title, description and tags. You can set you the item to public or private.

Don’t miss out on the other tabs along the top that give you sharing options. Clicking on Twitter lets you customize and post a tweet, as does clicking on Facebook, Email and More. The More options lets you add the item to Delicious, Tumblr and/or FriendFeed (if you’ve added those to your profile).

Each tool does something a little bit different, so depending on which one you’re using your options may differ.

Stylish Profiles

Honestly, I really like the clean look of the profiles on Zootool and the way that they’re set up (see for yourself). Your content is in the large column on the left, while a search bar (to search through your items), bio, social profiles and following fill up the right. Clicking on an item takes you to full view and lets other users add comments, share it and “like” it.

Discovering other content is also very easy with the public timeline on the home page and the search options. As soon as you add a new item (and have it set to public), it will appear right on the homepage. Find other people is pretty easy too and you can even find your Twitter friends (who are already using the site) by connecting your account.

While Zootool has been around for awhile, I think it is a very handy tool. In addition to my other tools that I use for keeping up with what I find on the Web, I think it’s a keeper. How about you?

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