By Alexandra Krensky

[Note: Clipmarks no longer exists. They suggest that people use ClipBoard instead.  As we have time, we will update this to ClipBoard.]

Clipmarks is a browser add-on that allows you to share specific pieces of web pages with followers or friends on social media sites. It’s compatible with Firefox and Internet Explorer, and what separates it from other sharing services is that instead of linking to an entire webpage, it can be used to sample highlights of the content of a particular page that you want to share with others.

When you install the Clipmark browser add-on, it will put an icon in your toolbar that you can click to select bits of text, photos, images, and videos. Once you’ve selected the items you want to “clip,” a green bar appears at the top of your browser where you click to indicate that you’re done clipping and you can choose whether to save, blog, or email your selection.

You can even embed a clip into your own blog! Clipmarks currently supports Blogger, WordPress, TypePad, LiveJournal, Movable Type, and Vox and provides users with an embed code so that they can paste clips into other blogs, such as those hosted by MySpace.

Tasks

1. Watch the tutorial videos on the Clipmarks website.
2. Make a list of some archives-related items you might clip.

Blog Prompts

• If you’re a student, how might Clipmarks help you in your research?
• Do you find it useful to clip items in your blog? How is it different from copying and pasting text?
• If your institution has a blog, would you find it useful to clip items into it?

Resources

• Tutorial Video: Clipmarks-How to Clip 
• Clipmarks-FAQ 
• The Clipmarks Blog 
• Thing 52: Clip the Highlights with Clipmarks! (on Learning 2.1 blog—the original 2.0 blog)
• Some Clips to look at:
• Perry, Davis Usher in Legislation to Protect Texas Historic Documents
• Ways to Avoid Break[ing] the Rules of Copyright Laws
• What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam? (U.S. National Archives exhibit)