bookmark management tool

[Target]

anyone got a recommendation for a good bookmark manager?

I've finally gotten to the point where I can't stand it any longer - after many years and movement between multiple machines and browsers it's time for a cleanup.  I've tried a few but they are not generally very friendly or effective - duplicate and/or link checkers that don't tell you where the urls are, or that highlight duplicates that aren't, arent really helping

I'm looking for something that will show me a tree view, AND show the locations of duplicates within said tree (last one said it was doing this, but didn't - thank heavens for backups).  Identifying duplicates is most important, and link checking/validation would be nice. 

[wraith808]

What have you tried so far?

[Target]

Xenu, am deadlink, url gather, linkman, link checker...

there's probably more, but they're the ones that come to mind right now...

[x16wda]

Just fwiw I have tried Xmarks too since I use Lastpass (same company now), and it was disappointing. I have it on 3 PCs and it would continually have trouble synching and would duplicate bookmarks even after running through the procedure they say to use for Chrome. I have it turned off or uninstalled now. If there's something I want to really have available, I will set it up in Lastpass even if there's no password needed - that has been very reliable.

[IainB]

Like @x16wda, I too have used Xmarks. I started using it in 2008/9, but had to uninstall it eventually as it made a nightmarish duplication of hundreds of my bookmarks, which took me ages to sort out and I still occasionally trip over its duplicated bookmarks. I'd never use it again after that experience.

One thing I have found that works extremely well however is the Firefox Sync function. It's undergone steady improvement and is very reliable. I use it to pool and sync bookmarks, passwords, etc. (I tick all the boxes) between 3 laptops - 1 of which is "mine", and 2 are used by my children. This means that we can each seamlessly use our own IDs on each other's laptops, and my daughter can tell me to (for example) look at such-and-such a link for something she is researching, and there it is on my laptop (or whichever laptop I am using).
You need to trial it to see just how useful that can be.

[cyberdiva]

I haven't used Linkman as a link checker in quite a while, but I was happy with its performance when I did use it that way.  It wasn't perfect, but it was better than anything else I tried.  But what I use Linkman for primarily is as a bookmark organizer and, above all, a bookmark finder, and for that I find it terrific.  I have several thousand bookmarks, and using Linkman I can find any of them in one or two seconds. 

[questorfla]

My advice would be to look on Chrome extensions if you use it as your browser. I found so many i did not know what to do with them all.  FVD Speed Dial is one of the most exotic.  Email link' is one of the most basic and i found it very handy.  'Save as a Shortcut' and so many more i got lost.  All are free to try some have donation support etc.  Once the extension is enabled a right click on the webpage while viewing brings up all the choices

[Scott_Y]

anyone got a recommendation for a good bookmark manager?

... I'm looking for something that will show me a tree view, AND show the locations of duplicates within said tree ... Identifying duplicates is most important, and link checking/validation would be nice.

If you are willing to consider a commercial product, I highly recommend LinkStash (USD 25).

LinkStash searches for duplicates very quickly. It produces a list of matches and their paths; select an entry in the list to highlight it in the tree. It will also alert you if you attempt to add a duplicate bookmark (you can still add a duplicate if desired, e.g. in a different folder of the tree). It can also check for dead links (obsolete or invalid URLs). Of course LinkStash is much more powerful and versatile than just that.

I usually prefer free software, and I tried the free version of Linkman for a while. But I found it confusing and non-intuitive in several respects. Then I tried LinkStash and soon paid for a license. It has saved me so much time and work that I consider the price to be quite reasonable and well worth it. I now keep all my bookmarks there instead of in my browsers (I do have a small number of bookmarks redundantly in my primary browser for sites I go to every day).

I know that may sound like a fake endorsement, but it honestly reflects my experience with the program over the past several years.

[rjbull]

Late to the thread, but -

+1 for LinkStash 

I've used it for years.  The license policy is nice, too, because one license covers both installer and portable versions.

[jessegilbert1]

It is illogical that chrome favorites are added to a long list having to scroll down to find the newest sites you bookmarket.

A simple date sort feature would be nice.

[dr_andus]

This might not tick everything on your list but would be a low-tech and fairly cross-platform solution:

1. sign up for a WorkFlowy account (there is a free version)
2. use Chrome as a default browser
3. set WorkFlowy to be a tab that automatically opens upon launch
4. create a parent bullet point for Bookmarks
5. install Clip to WorkFlowy Chrome extension

When browsing, just hit Clip to WorkFlowy, and it copies the URL and the title of the web page. Then navigate to the WorkFlowy tab and paste it into your Bookmarks list.

The benefit of this system is that WorkFlowy is available on most platforms (either in the browser, or in a standalone Chrome app, or via iOS and Android apps), each item is date and time-stamped when you create them, and the list is easily exportable as plain or formatted text and as OPML. Finding duplicates is easy via simple search.

Limitations: There is no link checking or validation. The list needs to be organised manually (alphabetical or chronological sorting is not possible, unless you add the date manually, export the list to a Google Sheet or Excel, sort it there, and then paste it back into WorkFlowy--which is not all that hard to do).

I might actually start doing this myself, now that I think about it...

[Scott_Y]

It is illogical that chrome favorites are added to a long list having to scroll down to find the newest sites you bookmarket.

A simple date sort feature would be nice.

I agree sorting should be built into Chrome. But a great work-around is the Sprucemarks extension. It allows you to sort alphabetically or by date added (either ascending or descending). You can also control how the bookmarks bar sorts, and whether folders should sort first or mixed with the bookmarks.