How many bookmarks do you have?

Do you ever simply browse your own bookmarks? It's an interesting little exercise that can give you a glimpse into your own mind.

Now, if you were to look at my list of bookmarks you might think I'm some sort of organizational freak. I could disprove that theory simply by taking you into my garage. But I will admit that I like to have my bookmarks in order. After all, what good are they if you can't use them?

I save a lot of bookmarks. As a matter of fact, I just checked, and I currently have 848 sites marked. Not only that but they're listed in outline form under folders and sub-folders. If I need to find a bicycle part, I know exactly where to look: Bookmarks/Cycling/Gear/Catalogs where I have 11 bicycle part catalog sites listed ... not just any ol' sites, but the ones I've come to actually use over the past few years.

I also happen to think that bookmarks not only say a lot about HOW you think, but also ABOUT WHAT you think. For instance, you won't find any links to sites about tropical fish, or teen rock stars, or TV awards shows in my bookmarks. Not that I have anything personally against those things, it's just that I never think or care much about them. On the other hand, I do have bookmarks to sites about sailing and kayaking even though I'm not actively involved in those sports. But I am interested in them, and given the chance someday to take them up, I want to be ready!

I do have to admit though, that having so many bookmarks does require a little bit of maintenance. I sometimes run across ones that have fallen victim to link rot. And sometimes I lose interest in a particular subject. And yes, there have even been times when I've looked at a bookmark and wondered: "What could I have been thinking?" !