David Leonhardt, founder of Zoomit.ca says, “We have created a free place where Canadians can have their say on Canadian stories about politics, sports, entertainment and other topics.” Mr. Leonhardt saw a need for social bookmarking with “Canadian-only” content because Canadian stories do not get popular vote(s) on U.S.-based sites.”
Zoomit.ca provides this popular social bookmarking trend for users who are interested in credible content. There are many social bookmarking sites out there that lack in professionalism. This web site clearly presents itself as being professional but in a laid back manner. Zoomit Canada also gives Canadian web sites more visibility which gives them more bang for their efforts, than at related American web sites. Recognizing that Canada has two national languages, Zoomle.ca was launched earlier this year.
Memberships to both sites are free as this web site obtains paid advertising and sponsorships to cover operating costs. They do not allow direct marketing. David Leonhardt sees this as an ideal venue for companies to strengthen Canadian products and services in a truly Canadian way.
What Exactly is Social Bookmarking?
Social bookmarking is a way Internet users can organize, store, search and manage bookmarks of web pages with the help of metadata. This is typically in the form of tags that collectively become a “folksonomy”. This is more commonly referred to as social tagging.
Members Provide the Content
Zoomit members do not create the news, they provide links to credible news sources. It's a Canadian way to share opinions and debate issues on numerous topics including: technology, health, sports, politics, Canadiana, business and much more. Members get to choose the stories of the day in a four-step process.
- Members find an interesting Canadian story. The story must come from a “.ca” web site, a blogger who self-professes his or her “Canadianness”, a web site that displays a Canadian postal address or from a web site that is obviously Canadian.
- They submit the link to the story they want to share.
- They provide a personal journalistic flare on how they see that story.
- They comment on stories and interact with other Canadians on posted stories.
Webmasters and Bloggers
Zoomit makes it easy for readers to bookmark and share their content with others. This enables webmasters and bloggers to bring valuable links and traffic to their Canadian site. Webmasters can add the Zoomit button on every page of their web site to help promote traffic.
Social Media Etiquette
Zoomit.ca encourages self-promotion as their mandate is to give exposure to Canadian web sites. The creators of this do ask that their members follow some simple guidelines. As in any organization, observe what others are doing. They ask their members to give before taking. New users are encouraged to zoom other people's submissions and add comments before engaging in self-promotion. Submitting web pages of interest that users have an interest in, carries credibility.
Having fun, being social and being Canadian is what Zoomit.ca is all about.
Karen Stephenson - Karen has written for several newspapers and print media in addition to many online publications. She holds a B.A. in English and an ...
Join the Conversation